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| Hiking | 9.72 Miles |
1,484 AEG |
| | Hiking | 9.72 Miles | 4 Hrs 53 Mns | | 2.13 mph |
| 1,484 ft AEG | 19 Mns Break | | | |
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| partners | | I was lucky enough to get an invite for a hike from Linda. I haven't been in this area since Dec 2011 so I was certainly due. I had done the Mesquite-Willow Canyon Loop both ways but nothing else out here. However, I don't remember a lot of it even though I actually did some video in 2011 and in 2010, I forgot my camera  ; the last time that ever happened. Anyway, for my reference here are those trip reports: https://hikearizona.com/x.php?I=4&ZTN=2242&UID=11058
Linda offered an earlier start, my choice. I compromised but should have opted for an earlier start as it was a bit warm at the beginning and end. I had not hiked the Waddell Trail. It was very typical desert hiking except you had a glyph rock and a gorilla face. Linda has hiked out here a lot, especially in the 90s so it was great to hear all of her stories and she knew where all the highlights were.
It takes quite a while to get back into Ford Canyon. On the way there, Linda pointed out these two poles high atop a hill and had always wondered what they were so I zoomed in and have posted the picture to see if someone has any ideas. We also saw 3 USAF jets fly over and we would see/hear them two more times. We finally got to Ford Canyon Trail where we started one of the smaller climbs of the day that also involved some welcome shade. We also saw a few flowers including some delphinium which we would see a few times today.
We would maneuver our way up the canyon and around some pools of water enjoying the fabulous geology along the way. It was particularly striking today set against the bright blooming brittlebush. Linda showed me Dudleya Wall which I would have totally missed. I haven't seen a Dudleya for a couple years at least. These weren't blooming but still very pretty. Their choice of residence seemed perfect for them. We continued up the canyon traversing the various rock obstacles we encountered. Some of the rockery seemed Catalina-like to me and Linda commented it was very gneiss, took me awhile to catch on  . It's a bit cumbersome walking in the sand of the wash but not too bad.
And now it was time to exit for our hike up the hill and here we would start seeing poppies and lupine and even some desert chicory. And not only that, the trail crew had apparently just been through as the tread was in great condition. We continued up the nice grade and got brushed by a nice breeze. The opposite hill's side was covered in Brittlebush. We also commented that the McDowell Preserve North is at 2700 feet or so which is the elevation we would reach when we topped out at the saddle. We would get to see more poppies and lupine on the way up but also some Miniature Wool Star which I also haven't seen for a few years.
The saddle was covered in Brittlebush and of course, the views are pretty spectacular. As you head down the south side you can see the trail you will be following. It's steeper than it looks. We finally hooked up with the Willow Canyon Trail. Hiking here we were rewarded with lots of smelly Desert Lavender and some big bloomed Desert Marigolds. We had seen Lavender earlier in Ford Canyon too but it is hard to photograph. The flower color over here seemed more intense for some reason. There was even some more delphinium.
We stopped at the old cabin remnants and then as we looked over across the way we noticed a bunch of tents which would be for the work crew. Linda took me over to one of her old stomping grounds, Willow Springs. It had water in it but she told me back in the day how much bigger the pond was; to the point they used to be able to jump in it from above. There was one big dead javelina above near the little cave and other bones down by the spring pond. The workers also had all their water filter devices hanging from a tree in the area. Anyway, we sat down and enjoyed the shade and the coolness of the boulder we were sitting on.
We headed back out and Linda pointed out the old rock wall above the trail. We would see another one later across the wash that was long and extensive on the Mesquite Canyon Trail. She's not sure what it was established for and the only thing I could think of was to keep the sheep from going up the hill. She pointed out one of the old mind adits. We would encounter a few hikers on this trail. We were glad of the little breeze we would get and anticipated getting to the bottom where we could stretch our stride. There was also pretty good-sized barb-wire fences set up at various switchbacks to prevent people from switching where they wanted.
Ya, it was a little warm the last couple miles, my bad. The hike was a little tougher than I thot plus Linda had to put up with some of my whining so thank you. However, it was great fun to catch up on things. Thx for slowing your pace. Under the shade of the ramada, we split a beer I've brought before. There was also a very cool bird eating off the Brittlebush, a nice ending to a very awesome hike. I think I need to add this to my yearly list; a decade is too long to wait.
WATCH: 9.4 miles (2712 highest elevation, 1436 lowest) avg 139 bpm/ max 168 bpm (14% Zone 4 Anaerobic, 64% Zone 3, 21% Zone 2 weight control) burning 2,051. Starting temp 68 clear and 32% humidity finishing at 1:08 PM. Finishing temp 82. |
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Wildflowers Observation Light
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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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Secondly, had to get some work done today before packing for the next canyon trip, so busting pumpkin was the order of the day. Two hours to the summit and then the bonsai descent (as in harmony, inner peace and balance). I followed t_g's meandering 2013 route, not bad, but I'd rather hike almost any trail in the Supes, rather then trek in the White Tank again (mainly because of the longer drive, I may eat crow on this point). Finally, I thought it was appropriate to summit Goldwater Peak today, the day after the Republican's mostly lousy election performance. Although, yesterday wasn't quite as bad as Barry's 1964 loss... 
](https://hikearizona.com/dex2/images/smilies/eusa_wall.gif "Brick wall"){kind=small}
