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| Hiking | 15.89 Miles |
3,525 AEG |
| | Hiking | 15.89 Miles | 9 Hrs 14 Mns | | 1.84 mph |
| 3,525 ft AEG | 35 Mns Break | | | |
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| no partners | | Getting through the ranch was very easy - signed in for a pass after the first gate, and then went through (and resecured) the other 4 gates, all of which were unlocked. Access road was very rocky, forcing me to stay between 5-10 mph, and I scraped bottom dozens of times before parking a few miles short of the 'trailhead'.
After a surprisingly enchanting morning going cross-country along a ridge, when the inversion from San Pedro swept around me and left me with <50' of visibility at times, I started down the unmarked two-track to the unmarked trailhead and the unmarked trail. Was surprised to see this -- there wasn't even a wilderness boundary sign or fence or anything. Quick drop down an old track to YLE Canyon and the tank, which was very low and unappealing, even after last night's rain. Cut across and picked up a trail on the south side, though it was hard to determine if I was on a game path or actual tread.
Walking along the creek was a mix of tread on the banks and rocky bed walk. Both had prickly obstacles, and it was easy to switch between the two to keep moving forward. Lots of pleasant trees along this stretch for being so low and exposed. Getting out of the creek was difficult, as the mesquite trees near the end were tightly packed together.
The climb was tough. Even though it's well-cairned and has a narrow tread most of the way, the slope was very loose and there were some weird twists along the way. No switchbacks! If I had to guess, I'd say that the original track has been lost in time and what's out there now is built and maintained by hunters. I was very happy to see any sort of path out there, and the views out west make for constant pleasant (if gasping) breaks.
Once I reached the peak I cruised in a generally northern direction, though there were some competing cairns and paths to bounce between. Met the W Divide trail north of the junction and... could not pick it up. My original plan was to continue to Powers Garden to water up, then camp on Tent Lookout, but things were going sideways. I was soaked from pushing through wet brush on the climb and it was COLD up here (there were patches of snow sticking around in the shade). The thought of crawling along the West Divide, just so I could try to start a fire with freshly-wetted wood in the approaching dark, sounded gross. Day hike it is!
Heading down was easier, as I had a better idea of the trail now, with only loose hillside to slow me down. After a few rolls and some whining I made it down. Creek was also easier, and I wasted some time poking around for extra tread segments and that benchmark (didn't find it tho). Decided to follow YLE Canyon down this time to change up my return a bit, this was easily the most mundane section of the day. Old ranch was cool to see! Reached the Jeep a few minutes after the sun dropped behind Lemmon and had a dark drive out. |
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YLE Canyon |
Dry |
Dry |
| | | Was dry from YLE Tank -> old ranch site. Also, (very large) tank at old ranch site was absolutely dry. |
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YLE Tank |
1-25% full |
1-25% full |
| | | Very muddy, would be difficult to pull anything out. | | _____________________
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