|
| | | |
| |
|
| Hiking | 10.10 Miles |
2,730 AEG |
| | Hiking | 10.10 Miles | 4 Hrs 10 Mns | | 2.42 mph |
| 2,730 ft AEG | | 14 LBS Pack | | |
|
|
| |
| Partners |
|
none
[ show ]
| no partners | | Ran into a locked gate at White Tank Regional Park, turns out it doesn’t open at 5am until the end of this month. I bailed on my plans for Barry Goldwater Peak and headed over to Skyline, hitting the trail at 5:40am - no lamp necessary.
Decided to hit the main peaks in the area, Javelina, Crest, and Valley Vista in a counter-clockwise loop, starting just beyond the park gate. Last time I hiked Javelina, there were a ton of unsightly rock thrones built right on the trail - someone dismantled all of them that day and someone is happy to report they’re still gone.
It was quite warm around 8am - no shade to be found. I had the option to skip Valley Vista but had a hankering to gain over 2500ft for the day. It was worth it, even as I took the last sip of my reservoir a few minutes from the top. Thankfully I packed an extra liter, which got me back to the car. Last couple miles were dancing around my current physical threshold, especially in the unrelenting sunlight. |
|
Wildflowers Observation Isolated
Not much left, some healthy stragglers here and there. |
|
| _____________________
| | |
|
|
|
Route Editor
Route Scout
Route 
And there were two different parties that arrived at (near) the same time. Now that is dedication! I decided that since I was up, I might as well get an early start on my hiking as well. 
Started with an (embarrassingly dim) headlamp taking the Quartz Mine to the Skyline Crest. It’s a short, but steep climb to make it to the ridge. I then did a brief detour taking the Crest Summit Trail to the peak. Grabbed a few pre-sunrise pics and then continued along the ridge on the Skyline Crest Trail. Probably one of the top 3 trails in the park, after Javelina and Pyrite. Took the Lost Creek down to Mountain Wash and the Mountain Wash back to the TH.
On the way down Valley Vista trail I thought I spotted a mysterious direct tv size satellite disc on a rock outcropping , as I came closer realized it was Angela having deployed her umbrella 
For some reason there were other oddly placed hill top cairns around. The sound of freedom occurred repeatedly as the park is in line with the Luke AFB flight paths providing some visual entertainment. Again thanks to Linda it was nice to cruise along without needing to focus on directions, if it was closer I’m sure I would revisit often. FYI peanut brittle beer better than anticipated!
