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| Hiking | 1.75 Miles |
831 AEG |
| | Hiking | 1.75 Miles | 2 Hrs 36 Mns | | 1.75 mph |
| 831 ft AEG | 1 Hour 36 Mns Break | | | |
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| no partners | | Pinyon Mountain is in the northeast section of the Superstition Wilderness, and is part of a more expansive area known as Two Bar Ridge. It’s south of Roosevelt Reservoir and east of Apache Reservoir. To get to the top of Pinyon Mtn, I started out on the Two Bar Ridge Trail, which is part of the AZT system (AZT #19).
Pinyon Triangulation Station is on the peak, and so are its two reference marks. Off the high point, and down a long, narrow ridgeline is where the surveyors placed the all elusive Pinyon Azimuth Mark. I call azimuth marks ‘elusive’ because they're more difficult to locate. All four NGS disks were placed in 1946, and all four are in great shape.
This is a short hike, “if” you can drive the entire length of the FR 83 road, all the way to its end.
The Two Bar Ridge Trail TH (and parking) are at the end of FR 83. After using the Two Bar Ridge Tr for the first part of the hike, I went off trail and up to the peak. It’s a short climb, yet it still has a couple little ‘false summits’ along the way. The same sharp, jagged red rocks found on the last steep portion of the FR 83 drive, are also found all over the mountainside and atop the peak.
The ‘Pinyon Fire’ (2013) overwhelmed all of Pinyon Mountain, including over 300 acres around it.
Grasshopper and BEEBEE hiked up this mountain 10 months ago (and after that fire), and I have included a couple of Grasshopper’s photos from their 12 April 2014 hike, for ‘vegetation comparison’.
His photos display the fire’s affects on all the plant life. The fire basically wiped everything out.
My photos show a healthy regrowth of all the grasses, and the start of the return of other plant life. It appears the grasses reacted to the fire, as they do in a ‘controlled burn’, and are coming back with a vengeance. Good for the grass. The mountain looks alot healthier now.
Wind, wind, and more wind.
Once I got to the high point, the wind picked up. My guess is, it was moving at 35 to 40 mph, with a few higher gusts thrown in. All the tall grasses leaned over at a 45 degree angle, and for me to just walk around was an experience. Taking photos without jerking the camera around was a challenge also. Wow - That wind was quite a distraction.
I had planned to explore the other little peaks in the area, and make it a nice five or six mile hike, but the ‘brisk breeze’ took away my enthusiasm. Buffeting around mountainsides isn’t my idea of a fun time.
So, my day was filled with a long, very pleasant drive and a very short hike. For me, finding the azimuth mark and seeing all the new plant growth were the highlights of the day. I’ll return again soon and do the exploring I had planned for this hike, and hopefully, the wind will leave me alone. |
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Not All Those Who Wander Are Lost
J.R.R.TOLKIEN |
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