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| | | Lime Peak 3789 and Sunset Mountain 4598, AZ | | | |
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Lime Peak 3789 and Sunset Mountain 4598, AZ
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| Hiking | 13.42 Miles |
4,059 AEG |
| | Hiking | 13.42 Miles | 10 Hrs 10 Mns | | 1.69 mph |
| 4,059 ft AEG | 2 Hrs 14 Mns Break | | | |
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[ show ]
| partners | | Lime Peak and Sunset Mountain caught my attention on a hike to Lime Creek Cabin last month, so I read a little more about them when I got home and learned that there are also some ruins on Sunset, which increased the appeal. We hiked on the east side of Horseshoe last weekend, and we returned to the area today to hike on the west side, with Lime and Sunset as the destinations.
All the posted routes to Lime Peak start from the boat ramp, back when the water level was lower, but that part of the lake is currently full with the water level at a little over 2,000 feet and the reservoir just under 60% full. So we parked near the FR 1530/Horseshoe Dam Road intersection and hiked the road to the dry part of Lime Creek and then worked our way around the southeast side of the mountain. I wasn't sure if the route I'd drawn up to connect with the other routes would present any major obstacles, but it worked out well--we followed a ridge that didn't have too much brush and eventually merged with the more direct routes.
We did start to encounter some thicker brush, especially in the drainages, over the last half mile before we started ascending a ridge toward Lime, almost directly east of the peak. TboneKathy wasn't enjoying the steep/loose/off-trail terrain, so she waited on the lower part of the ridge while I continued up toward Lime and, time permitting, Sunset. From that spot, it was ~0.6 miles and 1,000 vertical feet up to the peak. In addition to the benchmark, there were metal and wooden height of light posts, but no summit register. I'd brought a jar and some paper but planned to put that on Sunset if I made it, so I took a few pictures and then started north along the ridge toward Sunset Mountain, ~1.5 miles away.
[ youtube video ]
I stopped by the frustum as I dropped down off the north side of the peak, and there was some very light scrambling as I continued north and passed some big granite boulders. The hillside on the east side of Peak 3724 was brushy and slowed things down, and the ridge between Lime and Sunset loses a few hundred feet of elevation, so I had another climb of 1,000+ feet ahead of me as I approached the base of Sunset, and I wasn't sure if I'd make the summit by turnaround time.
There's a barbed wire fence leading up toward the peak that makes route-finding very easy early on, then the terrain gets rockier and steeper over the last half mile, with some light scrambling and loose rock. Once I was up on the west side of the saddle between 4598 and 4413, there were a few more rock outcroppings and brushy areas to navigate on the final climb up toward the peak, and the ruin walls finally came into view.
I went to the peak first, getting there ~10 minutes before turnaround time, so I didn't spend too long up there, but I signed and placed the register and built a summit cairn, shot a quick video and took a bunch of pictures. The views up there were fantastic, with the Mazatzals to the east and the Superstitions on the southern horizon, and it was cool to zoom in on Lime Creek Cabin down below--the hike that brought this peak to my attention.
[ youtube video ]
Short on time, I drank some water and started back, planning to take a closer look at the ruins on the way down. There were some low walls near the summit, but the biggest complex was on the ridge just south of the peak. I was mostly expecting to see perimeter walls up there, but there were outlines of multiple rooms, and a perimeter wall down lower to the west, and I noticed a few smaller walls on the way down that I'd missed going up. I didn't see any pottery, though I didn't spend too much time looking since I needed to start back.
[ youtube video ]
Getting down wasn't too bad, but the brushy area was a pain again, and my legs picked up another serious round of scratches. I finally stopped and ate something when I was back on top of Lime Peak before heading down the ridge to rejoin TboneKathy. My legs were on the verge of cramping on the hike out, but that was my own fault...it was a mostly cloudy and very comfortable day, but I'd been pushing non-stop for about four hours to get up to both peaks and back and hadn't stopped to eat and barely drank anything, and with a sweatshirt on to help protect against the brush, I set a personal record for most sweating on a winter hike  . But other than some minor foot cramps, my legs held up.
On the way out, we wandered off FR 1530 a few times to look for ruins and petroglyphs and found some nice panels and one rectangular ruin that looked like it had been dug out. It sprinkled very lightly toward the end of the hike, but the temperature was nice, and we didn't see anyone all day other than boaters on Horseshoe. Overall, it was a fun one with a lot of points of interest--two peaks, ruins, petroglyphs, a benchmark, a frustum, and great views. |
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