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| | | Hackberry Mesa Gold Loop, AZ | | | |
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Hackberry Mesa Gold Loop, AZ
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| Hiking | 11.94 Miles |
2,033 AEG |
| | Hiking | 11.94 Miles | 8 Hrs 7 Mns | | 1.79 mph |
| 2,033 ft AEG | 1 Hour 27 Mns Break | | | |
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| partners | | On a bigger hike we did five years ago, I stumbled upon the word "ORO" and some arrows etched into a rock face, well away from any trail. I told myself I'd come back someday and make a half-arsed effort to find a route off the top of this peak in the general direction of the arrow.
Starting from the First Water Trailhead, we walked back toward the horse lot for a short distance before going cross-country to join up with the now-defunct FR1455. We connected with some use trails that are in better shape than most of the trails in the Supes, and two miles in, we started our off-trail jaunt. It was easy going for the most part until we began our climb to the unnamed/unnumbered peak at about 2,740 feet in elevation. We let the wind dry us up a bit and then headed over to the minor peak that held the inscription. It’s still there (Joe had his doubts).
Now the fun began—finding our way to the wash. It was loose and slow going, taking 50 minutes to travel 0.6 miles. We had a bit of a break before tackling our next uncertainty: dropping into Boulder Canyon. There were a few dry falls to bypass and some brushy areas, but an hour later and one mile in, we made it into Boulder Canyon.
Joe was glad for the 1.5 miles of boulder hopping and reed thrashing. Once we reached the Second Water Trail, we began seeing humans.
We were in and out of fire-scarred terrain for the entire hike. Some areas looked like a burned moonscape, with nothing more destroyed than Garden Valley.
The temperatures were good throughout the day, and there were plenty of pools of water out there from the recent rains. |
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Wildflowers Observation Isolated
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Second Water Canyon |
Pools to trickle |
Pools to trickle |
| | | Did not check the spring location but there was a light flow in the creek | | _____________________
There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness."
Dave Barry  |
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Route Editor
Route Scout
Route 
There was lots of water near Hackberry Spring but it was a shame all the shady camping spots are gone.
