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| | | Mazatzal Saddle Mountain 6535 and Squaw Flat, AZ | | | |
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Mazatzal Saddle Mountain 6535 and Squaw Flat, AZ
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| Hiking | 13.61 Miles |
3,062 AEG |
| | Hiking | 13.61 Miles | 9 Hrs 25 Mns | | 1.73 mph |
| 3,062 ft AEG | 1 Hour 34 Mns Break | | | |
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| partners | | We started from Mormon Grove Trailhead around 7:30AM. On the drive in, we noticed Google Maps trying to route us from FR 627 through private property on Cross F Ranch to connect with FR 25, so we had to be sure to use FR 201 to connect with FR 25. There were three trucks at the trailhead, and it was ~45° when we started but felt comfortable in the sun.
Saddle Mountain Trail was a good warmup--wide open and easy, with some interesting color and formations with the red rocks near the Little Saddle Mountain intersection. Two miles in, we turned off and visited Potato Patch, and TBoneKathy generously waited while I started up toward the peak of Saddle Mountain. It steepness isn't too bad, but the brush makes it more...interesting. I put gloves on and got the clippers out, and even leaving Potato Patch to start up the base of the mountain required pushing/cutting through extremely thick brush and catclaw, to the point that I almost abandoned the plan when I saw how long it was going to take.
But the slope looked more open up higher, and once I got through that initial wall, it did open up a little, and my pace picked up as I worked my way up toward the rocky lower peak south of Saddle Mountain, and the views improved quickly [ youtube video ] . The brush closed in again as I circled around below the south/east side of the southern peak toward the saddle. In shorts and a T-shirt, I was getting shredded by branches...they were so thick that any serious effort and cutting a path through became a waste of time, and I mostly just tried to choose the least sharp obstacles and push through it.
Closer to the saddle, I saw signs of someone else's clipping, and there was a faint and brief trail that was a welcome relief for a few minutes. Once on the saddle, there was some easy scrambling up to the peak, which was also very brushy. I found the reference markers first, but thanks to the brush, I still took a while finding the benchmark even with the help of the RM arrows. I placed a summit register in the vicinity of the benchmark and recorded some videos and snapped some pictures. There's plenty of nice scenery all around, but with all the foliage on the peak, there are few if any spots with unobstructed 360° views and not many options to sit and enjoy the surroundings.
Summit view N/E: [ youtube video ]
Summit view S/W: [ youtube video ]
Knowing how long TBoneKathy had already been waiting, I just took a sip of water and headed down the same way, picking up more scratches on the return to Potato Patch. Getting up and back down took ~ two and a half hours to cover a little under two miles. Reunited, we resumed our regularly scheduled hike on Saddle Mountain Trail with the goal of getting as close to Plateau Overlook Point as we could. With my detour up to the peak, we probably weren't going to have time to get all the way there, but being back on an open trail after the bloodshed going up and down Saddle Mountain was a relief.
We continued on Sheep Creek Trail, which became more overgrown and a little tougher to follow after the Thicket Spring intersection. We took a short break near Squaw Flat Spring, then continued onto Copper Camp Trail. The trail finally climbed up out the creek bed, and the brush and the views opened up again. We turned around ~1.5 miles as-the-crow-flies from Plateau Overlook Point, though we still had the steepest part of Copper Camp Trail head of us, but it was nice to have view of Saddle Mountain from three different sides (and up close) today.
The hike out was uneventful, and a cool breeze picked up over the last few miles. We didn't see any hikers all day, just two hunters when we were almost back to the trailhead, and not much in the way of of wildlife other than some small tarantulas. Even though we didn't make the overlook, it was a fun day--new trails for both of us, and Saddle Mountain was a fun challenge that I'll relive via cuts and scratches for many days  . I was happy to make it up there, but it's not a peak I'm anxious to revisit anytime soon...the reward:punishment ratio is pretty low. |
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