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| | | Mazatzal 7500 Peak Trifecta, AZ | | | |
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Mazatzal 7500 Peak Trifecta, AZ
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| Hiking | 21.25 Miles |
4,349 AEG |
| | Hiking | 21.25 Miles | 9 Hrs 10 Mns | | 2.56 mph |
| 4,349 ft AEG | 51 Mns Break | | | |
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| partners | | With warmer temperatures starting, I was looking for something higher elevation but not too far away, and the Mazatzals came to mind. After hiking to Mt. Catherine last spring, I wanted to check out the three unnamed peaks northeast of there (7532, 7549, and 7579). There were no other vehicles in the Peeley parking lot when we started ~7:30AM, and it was a comfortable morning in the upper 50s as we set out.
Mazatzal Divide is in great shape and is well-maintained, so the miles passed quickly on the trail. We saw a few patches of snow still hanging onto the north sides of some slopes, but they were just about all gone later in the day. I hadn't hiked beyond the north side of Mt. Catherine, so we got into new territory ~ six miles in and finally saw another hiker on the trail ~ eight miles in.
I stayed on Mazatzal Divide until the intersection with Fisher Trail and the turnoff to Bear Spring, then left the trail and started the climb toward the middle peak, 7549. I wasn't sure what to expect from the off-trail terrain, but the brush wasn't nearly as bad as I expected. It was steep (~1,000' of elevation gain in two-thirds of a mile), but there weren't any major obstacles, and the footing was good most of the way.
I didn't see any register on the first peak and wasn't sure if I'd have time to reach both of the other two before I needed to start back [ youtube video ] . The northern peak (7579) looked like the more interesting of the two, so I headed over there next. There was a lot of thick manzanita in the saddle between the two peaks that slowed things down, and hiking between peaks along the ridge was reminiscent of the route between Peeley and Sheep Mountain. The views from 7579 were great, with a clear view of Mazatzal Peak, and I could see a lot of smoke to the northeast from controlled burns.
[ youtube video ]
There was a small register jar at the summit, but it was full of water and algae, and water had gotten into the Ziploc bag inside...it was too wet to even bother trying to open it up and unfold the paper. I had a register jar and some paper with me, so I placed a new one at the peak, then headed south past 7549 to 7532.
The southern peak was the least brushy of the three and offered great views of all the peaks to the south and west...Catherine, Sheep Mountain, 6910, Saddle Mountain, Peeley, and the trailhead parking lot down below: [ youtube video ] . I eventually hiked back toward the middle peak and started down, completing the T-shaped route on the ridge...not very efficient with the backtracking and not how I'd do it if went there again, but it got the job done.
Back on the trail, the hike out was pleasant and uneventful...comfortable weather, though we did see a lot more people than on the way back, probably close to 10 total, many of them backpacking. Someone had also cached water near the Cornucopia/Mazatzal Divide intersection during the day, with four jugs just off the trail. Back at the trailhead, there were two other vehicles in the parking lot and some people in a tent camped there. It was nice to be back in this part of the Mazatzals after almost a year, and great that the off-trail was very manageable and the timing worked out to reach all three peaks today as planned. |
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