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| Hiking | 12.76 Miles |
2,236 AEG |
| | Hiking | 12.76 Miles | 4 Hrs 59 Mns | | 2.56 mph |
| 2,236 ft AEG | | | | |
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| no partners | | FR 95 has some rocky sections, and some that are smooth as glass, but I rarely used my poles downhill, on the return trip. Instead of concentrating on my footing, I enjoyed the scenery, including fantastic views of Carr Mountain,Baker Mountain, the lookout tower on McFadden Peak, Jack Mountain, Hopkins Mountain, and various slopes of Armer Mountain.
The private property appears to be multiple lots. One had a pretty nice RV. Another was for sale. (It’s not listed on Zillow.)
Judging by the grill and headlights, I’m guessing the abandoned truck is a 1958-60 International A110 or B120. I didn’t bother checking for a VIN.
There’s a real nice camp spot — flat, grassy, shaded — about halfways up the Deer Creek drainage on the east side of Tanner Peak.
I went to the end of FR 95, which peters out a few hundred yards past the saddle which separates Tanner Peak from Armer Mountain. I could not spot the West Point C-47 wreck.
The topo and my GPS map have Tanner Peak’s summit about 50 ft. east, and 20 ft. down hill, from where I found high ground. There’s some shade there, and a couple of rocks that make a good back rest, so I sat for an hour, relaxing, eating, and checking my @PrestonMcMurry twitter feed. (Depending on which way I rotated my phone, the reception varied from 1-3 bars; there’s no reception anywhere else between Rose Creek and the summit.) It was too tangled on top to search for a summit log.
There’s a fair number of hornets / wasps — not sure which — on the summit. They were non-aggressive, but buzzing all about, along with flies, while I took my break. I even had one hover for a few seconds, about 4″ from my cheek, sizing me up. I really wanted to ease my camera out of my pocket to take a picture, but figured it was wiser to remain still & not provoke him. Pretty cool.
After my break, I took in the views. Armer Mountain was obvious, since it was right next door. Turning clockwise, I saw an large sandy area, in the distance, and wondered what sort of flat that must be until realizing it must be the copper mine in Globe. The communities at the Tonto National Monument and Roosevelt Lake were obvious. I could not see Roosevelt Dam, but beyond that, Canyon Lake was visible, and on a direct line past that, Flatiron. (37 miles away.) Wow, that was cool! Four Peaks was also obvious, and Dutchwoman Butte, just below in the Tonto Basin. I could see a mountain range to the west, through a gap in the Mazatzals. Maybe the Bradshaws?
Like I said earlier, I tried heading down the side of Tanner Peak. At one point, I tried to ease over a rock. I landed awkwardly, and though I did not get hurt, could have easily broke my leg. That would not have been good. I’ll gladly take a bleeding arm over a shattered tibia any day. Yep, best to take the spine back down, off the summit. (By coincidence, that spinal route is the same one Joe & Eagle took up & down.)
Once back on FR 95, I hauled pumpkin back to the Rose Creek Campground, pausing only for a few short breaks. Despite the temperature never getting above the low 80s, the sun was quite intense. Thankfully, there was quality shade throughout the day, all along the trail.
There were also a lot of flowers. 90% of the species were either lupine or tree flower with which I am unfamiliar. I don’t think it was ironwood. Miles of FR 95 are strewn with leaf litter from that tree. The only other species with more than a few instances were a tiny white flower, that appeared in clusters. There were some wild raspberries near the wrecked truck.
I started hiking at 8:40 a.m. — it’s a long drive from Phoenix — and finished about 4:30 p.m. A quick dash back down the mountain, the along Roosevelt Lake, got my wife & I to the town of Tonto Basin in time to enjoy some air conditioning, ice cold beers, and a delicious Big Daddy’s Pizza.
Finally dragged in about 8:30 p.m. Long day. But a good one.
Hike Video: [ youtube video ] |
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Wildflowers Observation Moderate
Tons of lupine and some tree flower that I don't think was ironwood. |
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| http://prestonm.com : Everyone's enjoyment of the outdoors is different and should be equally honored. |
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