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| Hiking | 8.03 Miles |
712 AEG |
| | Hiking | 8.03 Miles | 3 Hrs 30 Mns | | 2.42 mph |
| 712 ft AEG | 11 Mns Break | | | |
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| no partners | | I did this hike 3 years ago with Deborah and I thot it would be a good one for us to do with Kelly. I haven't been out on Peralta Road for a very long time. I was surprised at all the miscellaneous camping the entire length of the road and the amount of vehicles at the Wave Cave TH. The Goldmine lot was nearly empty. Interestingly enough, we ran into two gals that took a wrong turn when hiking to the Cave. I told them about the Goldmine lot.
I had left my waist pack in my free rental car so I hiked with my water in a plastic sack; have never done that before. (Tonto 3 was having an engine oil leak fixed, which is running into day three now; they had to order a special part. Glad the repair is a warranty item.)
The hike started out humid and with sun. Luckily the clouds would slowly roll in. We could see virga and storms in the south distance. The desert is lovely this time of year but particularly impressive when you hike below the tall and beautiful grandeur of the Superstition Mountains with the glory of the many and tall saguaros all around. Sprinkle in some poppies and lupine and we had quite a show to enjoy as we made our way toward Turk's Head.
The trail is rocky here and there as it goes up and down for the entire four miles. There are a few sections you can glide on but not many. We spotted the usual landmarks including the Wave Cave where we could see and hear people. Eventually I spotted Mushroom Rock and we noted many other connector trails. As we got to the other side of Turks Head we saw two other hikers and as we were heading back we saw another. The hike back was as great as the hike in; except that we had filtered skies for the journey back, plus it tried to sputter some rain drops.
We were a little more than a mile away when a gal yelled down to us about some lipstick/chapstick she had put on a rock... yep, that was mine. I thot it had fallen out when we took a short break at Turks Head. I was glad she found it. And then she said they were watching a gila monster so we got to see it as it scurried into its hole above the trail. I didn't get a good picture as there were four hikers, so I couldn't get a good angle. Nonetheless, it was fun to see as I haven't seen one in quite a while.
I now had beer on my mind so I was glad we were almost done. There is a rock bench at the TH where we enjoyed our beer before heading to Los Gringos for an awesome lunch. I always enjoy hiking with the girls and this was a good one for me. It's nice to have good conversation and enjoy the beauty around you together. Plus, I'm sure glad I climbed Turks Head when I did as I don't know if I could do it now. It was a wonderful memory to remember from 2011 [ photoset ] (wow, did I use a lot of emojis in the trip report  ).
My watch gave up the ghost after 6 miles so no full stats. But I did do over 20,000 steps today. |
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Wildflowers Observation Moderate
Scattered poppies, some lupine, lots of Combseed (stuff that looks like grass) |
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For me, sometimes it's just as much about the journey as the destination.
Oh, and once in awhile, don't forget to look back at the trail you've traveled. |
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Route Editor
Route Scout
Route 
Hieroglyphic Spring was still slightly trickling, but funky like usual. I'd guess the families and kids that only make it this far still think it's everything is awesome. It was enjoyable ascending the canyon for once without an obscene number of cairns along the way. Perhaps people are catching on that a duck every five feet really isn't necessary (reference the Wave Cave arrows erased for more context). It also was nice to experience the Supes in mid-May with all the wildflowers and fresh leaf outs. The heat usually keeps me away, but today had substantial wildflowers. The flaming yellow and red Dudleya stalks were peaking. I reached the summit in two hours and speaking of culmination, there was an entomology orgy of flying ants, bee flies and tarantula hawks circling. The former two groups were dive bombing and getting spunky with each other, where the ants were antisocial and not crossing over to the other species. 
I was at the West Boulder Saddle before eight, about three hours into the hike, where there was still some good shade at the pass. After this brief and final break, the stretch dash got hot. Along Goldmine was the only place I saw another person, which was south of Turks Head. She had just turned around, informing me that half her water supply was gone, and she wouldn't be finding the bygone gold mine. Definitely a better, more diverse, scenic and challenging loop than the intensive forest bath of the 
I took a break at the false saddle, then another at West Boulder Saddle before continuing on.
Strep throat infection and also had to work some. 
(perhaps it displays that always). I suppose we're not doing any hikes from the Canyon Lake area. As sunrise broke, one could see that the NW Supes were getting some action, lots of lightning and rain. I settled on the Hieroglyphic TH because I had my car. We chose CCW because the lightning was very active up on the ridgeline. Usually I'd complete this great hike at a brisker pace, but Dese and I had to shelter three times total, as each wave of rain rolled through with the accompanying and uncomfortably close lightning strikes. The final wave soaked us to the bone, but the sun emerged quickly afterwards. We dried out nearing the 5057 summit. It would of been nice to relax longer there, but swarming termite orgies just aren't my thing. On the descent, a large Coatimundi band crossed in front of us. There were at least three, small young ones (so cute) in the group and they all bristled orange. I've never been able to get a good pic of Coatimundi. Another large adult and one baby crossed behind us after we passed. They look like little monkeys easily scrambling the Supes' rocky terrain. This was a tough hike for Dese, but she powered through. She'll get a good rest this weekend because she isn't allowed to hike in the Grand.
