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| Hiking | 6.00 Miles |
1,699 AEG |
| | Hiking | 6.00 Miles | 5 Hrs 21 Mns | | 1.38 mph |
| 1,699 ft AEG | 1 Hour Break | | | |
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| partners | | After the amazing hike Peter led the previous weekend to Monument Canyon, I figured it would be awhile before going on an adventure that would equal or better that one; but his excursion to this formerly unnamed peak - and to a plane wreckage site with almost no data - did just that! The exceptionally beautiful views throughout, along with the sense of accomplishment of charting uncharted territory [at least on HAZ], and even finding wreckage, made this one so awesome. This is a perfect hike for anyone wanting a pleasant off-trail experience with exceptional views and a chance to visit a plane wreckage site - all without getting torn apart or dealing with anything too technical. At only 6 miles round trip, under 2,000’ AEG, and extremely mild in terms of the brush factor [at least at this time of year], the ‘beat the pumpkin out of you’ factor ranks very low for a bushwhack.
We kicked things off from the Newtown TH on the Charcoal Gulch Trail #9419. Based on the number of fire-rings, broken bottles, and many route-like paths, the area gets a fair amount of traffic. We decided to stay on trail for the first and the last 1.25 miles, but for those wanting even more off-trail, simply take one of the many paths that lead down into the drainage, almost immediately after taking off from the TH.
We were both pleasantly surprised at just how much boulder hopping there was, once we entered the drainage. Although there were some brushy areas, it was never too thick, never lasted very long, and it was not of the super ouchy variety [i.e. catclaw and the likes]. Thanks to the recent cold snaps and snowy weather in some areas, we were treated to some very awesome scenery in the drainage: in addition to beautiful flowing waterfalls and pools, there were equally as many, [if not more], waterfalls and pools that had completely frozen over. Add some snow/ice-covered boulders to the mix and it was one heck of a beautiful drainage traverse!
As we got further up, Peter periodically checked our tracks to determine when we should break out and head up the ridge in search of the plane wreckage. While Peter had the wreckage coordinates, neither of us had pre-loaded them to the GPS apps. Needless to say, it was very impressive how he still managed to find wreckage via old school navigation style [aka ‘eyeballing’ the topo maps].
The snow was never deep enough to need snowboots or snowshoes, but it was well over a foot deep around where Peter spotted the large portion of wreckage. Had it been lying horizontally, [vs. lodged vertically between some rocks], there’s a good chance it would’ve been completely concealed by the snow. Context with getting to see some wreckage, [and figuring that our chances of finding more were slim to none due to the snow], we headed the short rest of the way to the summit. Sans the snow/ice, it would make for one sweet boulder hop. Although I still had a blast, it was definitely a strange feeling to find myself strictly adhering to the ‘three points of contact’ rule for once.
For a ‘no name peak on the topo’ kind of summit, the views were stunning to say the least, equaling or bettering many wellknown and/or named peaks. The summit also had several rocky nubs/prominent points, making it very fun to traverse and giving a variety of views. Peter created a HAZ register and placed it by the highpoint where he built a protective rock shelter for it. He also generously donated an extra one-day pass to the Snowbowl that he had on hand, [valued at over $65], for the next luckily summit visitor who wants it.
As we were preparing to leave the summit, Peter spotted an existing register from 2006. Interestingly enough, [despite a well defined route and even several fire rings on the summit], the other register had just a single name [apparently that of the person who left it there back in 2006]. We signed that register as well and moved it next to ours since the shelter Peter created was more protective and much more obvious, being closer to the highpoint]. The person who left the other register was off on the elevation, noting it as 6870’ [vs. the correct altitude of 6903’]… so I say ours it more “official”… but, [after story/rumor of how Rice Peak in the Santa Ritas got it’s name], I really have no idea how these things work…
For our descent, we followed a route off a sweet ridgeline for most of the way down. The views and boulder hopping were awesome! Looking at our tracks on the topo, I think the ridge-ride could’ve been extended almost right down to the trail… but we ended up veering left and down into a drainage to avoid a herd of cattle before picking up trail. |
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| God save the Prom Queen, cuz [reality check!] AEG's King...! |
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