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| Hiking | 24.15 Miles |
3,564 AEG |
| | Hiking | 24.15 Miles | 9 Hrs 33 Mns | | 2.74 mph |
| 3,564 ft AEG | 45 Mns Break | | | |
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| partners | | Seven Mile Gulch Trail #9854
Starting temps put the last 6 months to shame. About 3 minutes up we passed new signage for Hoot Owl #745. Minutes later, babbling up a storm we missed a turn. Bruce wanted to check it out and who am I to argue when he wants to add mileage to the 21.4-mile plan. 1.4 miles later we were sensibly back to the missed turn. We've hiked a variation of this loop several times. Albeit humid we both agreed it was nice not to be baking for once. Crane flies swarmed us for the ascent. Per usual, the dizzy drunken flies just bump without harm.
Ranch Trail #62
2.25-mi up #9854 we turned onto #62 for its upper 4-mile stretch. Lots of tall pines in the first 2-miles heading west. This wraps around the northern end of the Bradshaw range with views over Prescott and ends dropping down to the Watershed TH along the Senator Highway.
Goldwater Lakes Trail #396
After crossing the Hwy it was 1.25 miles down to the lake. You can reach the lake 0.3 miles quicker but we opted for a shorter return after following the southern shore Banning Creek Trail. With summer out of the books and overcast, it wasn't very busy. Looks like they've been busy adding benches galore.
Watershed Trail #299
Back up to the Watershed TH, we took #299 up to the ridge in search of a lunch spot. Nearly a month ago, Bruce clued me in on the Klymit V-Seat inflatable seat cushion deal. They are super butt comfy! A storm drifted in, so we ate quickly and boogied onward. We got lucky, the storm didn't linger.
Spruce Mountain Road
This bridges the loop through an occupied belt of cabins with no trespassing signage galore and a few lonely fenced-in dogs seeking attention/blood. The Midnight Mine ore cart is the anticipated highlight.
Smith Ravine Trail #297
The death star busted through like a champ on our descent. We enjoyed a break that lasted longer than lunch heading down. Naturally, Bruce one-upped me with a larger seat cushion. An inflatable recliner by Christmas wouldn't surprise me.
Homestead Trail #305
This parallels Walker Rd to Lynx Lake. We shared the trail with a chic out walking her dogs.
Lynx Recreation Trail #311 - Lake Loop
Many HAZr's would probably avoid this, but I'm a big fan of this trail. It's always busy. Like the other little Prescott lakes, it's almost always a family atmosphere. With 24-mi within reach, Bruce found a way to make it happen.
Synopsis
When Bruce first put this loop out years ago I cringed my nose. It's turned into one of my favorites. Well over a third, possibly half is through or along tall pines. The icing on the cake today was my first 24 miler since @LindaAnn & @Tortoise_Hiker's 30-miler on Baldy! 5k / 24mi used to be my acceptance to worthy... lol |
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Autumn Foliage Observation Isolated
hints, yeah baby! |
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Wildflowers Observation Light
nothing to write home about but a large enough stretch of insignificant yellows to not be forgotten |
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