|
| | | |
| |
|
| Hiking | 15.56 Miles |
2,150 AEG |
| | Hiking | 15.56 Miles | 6 Hrs 45 Mns | | 2.33 mph |
| 2,150 ft AEG | 4 Mns Break | | | |
|
|
| |
| Partners |
|
none
[ show ]
| no partners | | I planned this as an out and back to hike all of Rondo Spring Trail. The upper portion of this hike is rough with all the loose rocks on the trail (and even not so loose rocks). It's not all that steep or all much elevation gain, just slow going on the rocks. After the last junction to Elephant Mountain is where it gets really bad. I knew this going in and almost changed my mind to do the hike. I pushed through, taking my time. I when from 23 minutes miles to 40 minute miles on this 2 miles stretch at the top, which even includes the downhill parts. Much of this upper area looks to have had some recent trimming of palo verde trees to keep it clear. However, they left the dead branches on the trail, which kind of defeats the purpose and it increased the trip hazards.
After Rondo Spring I headed down Rondo Spring Trail. It remains steep and rocky for the first half mile or so. Once it hits the wash it's immediately more level and smooth and much easier to hike. soon after that there's a single trail that meets up with a jeep road. The last 2+ miles were pretty much jeep roads. There's no signage of any sort, so I'm assuming the track I used is accurate. There are several intersecting cattle trails along the way also.
Once I got to the end, I did not feel like going through the slog of the upper portion of these trails and descending on the upper portion of the Tortuga and beyond. I noticed that I was less than a mile from the Maricopa Trail that heads back on the south side of Elephant Mountain. I began to follow the jeep roads I found and they led in that direction.
In order to prevent a backtrack on the trail and save mileage, I took a cattle trail that headed directly due east from the dirt road I was on to the MT. Once I got there, I discovered I was on the wrong side of a barbed wire fence. With a half a railroad tie left nearby, I used to hop up over at a corner part of 2 perpendicular parts of the barbed wire and used the wire tied to the big railroad tie that was the corner anchor of the fence as a ladder. Almost 2 miles later, I discover that the MT crosses this fence at a cattle guard bike ramp, so I didn't need to go thru all that. I could have just followed the cattle trail that parallels the MT there the entire time.
Made my way back to the lot in 90 minutes less time than on the way out, and saved maybe a half mile of distance, if that. Saw 2 bikers once I was back in the park, then a few more hikers after that, but not many. No wildlife spotted.
Temperature was cool to start, warmed up after the sun hit, but it never got hot. 25 mph wind gusts were predicted, but did not grace me with an appearance. |
| _____________________
| | |
|
|
|
Route Editor
Route Scout
Route 
with Bob and Taylor.
