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| Hiking | 15.76 Miles |
1,979 AEG |
| | Hiking | 15.76 Miles | 9 Hrs 56 Mns | | 1.59 mph |
| 1,979 ft AEG | | | | |
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| no partners | | Early morning hike out in Hells Canyon Wilderness. It’s been awhile since I’ve been out here and I was looking forward to knocking another one off the “get ‘ur done list.” Walking Jim Trail looked popular this morning. On the drive out I noticed 3 cars already at the Walking Jim TH and 2 more cars pulled in right after I passed. Looks like they have added quite a bit of signage and fencing to the Lake Pleasant property. Got to the TH a little after 6am. A little later than I would have liked but the washboarding is pretty rough on my car so I took it slow. It worked out, in that, I didn’t need to use a headlamp.
Took the Spring Valley trail out to Garfias Wash. Nice way to start (and end) this hike. Interesting mixture of smooth trail (most likely the result of burros and cattle), separated by sections strewn with fist-sized rocks lying in wait to roll the ankle of the unwary hiker. Spring Valley trail is still easy to follow thanks to the massive cairns leading the way. My Garmin had me entering the wash at 3 the mile mark. This was pretty much the last time I looked at my stats until the end. Once I entered the wash, I brought up the GPS route for the loop and kept that on through out the hike.
I did the loop clockwise, (as presented in the trail description). If you are comfortable with the route, I feel the loop could be done in either direction. Garfias Wash would offer the biggest challenge negotiating some of the water/rock features. But that is true either direction. Took the small wash that shoots off from Garfias. It’s the first one to the east so it is easy to find. The wash is decent size, but the foliage makes it a bit challenging. I did a lot of contorting and crouching to make it through the brush. It would have been nice to have clippers in my backpack, but I didn’t have them in my arsenal today. I was able to to stay in the wash until it was time to exit. There was only one water feature in this wash and that was fairly easy to negotiate. There were a couple of washes that took off from this and it was nice to have the GPS route to keep me on track. And it was definitely nice to have the route for the exiting of the wash and the climb up to the saddle that proceeded the wash. I will say, that I spent as much time trying to find doable tracks through the brush as I did trying to stay with the blue line of the GPS route. Since I was not that familiar with the area, or the route, I didn’t want to deviate too much. That made it challenging, in that, routes that I chose were not the same as the route on my Garmin and I was constantly adjusting my course to try to stay close to the downloaded route. This was especially true in ascending and descending the first saddle. I had a mishap on the descent, when I stepped on a small boulder that gave out from under me. Went down pretty hard and got an up close look at cholla. Came away with a few scrapes, it it could have been a lot worse. Being familiar with this route now, I would attack the slopes differently.
After descending the slope, I was very happy to make it into the next wash. I was surprised that there was a barbed fence that needed to be negotiated. It wasn’t difficult, but I wasn’t sure if I was trespassing, or if I had been trespassing, or if there was a gate somewhere and I just missed it. (This is close to where the Burro Flats trail joins this route so I don’t think it is private property). I was only in this wash for a short time before popping out and joining a game/cattle trail. This departure from the wash and onto the cattle trail is now sadly, and perhaps appropriately marked by the skeleton of a dead steer. The “eyes” were eerily watching me as I exited the wash and followed in his steps that he had taken in years past. I must say that I was very grateful for the work that he and his brothers and sisters had done. This cattle trail was a nice respite from the bushwhacking that I had done for the last 3 plus miles. This track was easy to follow, though I did rely on the gps route on multiple occasions as there were multiple cattle paths to follow.
I will admit that I was blindly following the gps route and so I inadvertently went up to the saddle just below Garfias Peak. I realized this halfway up the ridge and I figured I might as well see what the saddle had to offer. I got a decent look to the north and the Bradshaws and an ok look at the surrounding area. Most of the mountains still loomed large around the saddle so views were limited. It looked like this would be a nice way to “bag” Garfias Peak, but that was not going to happen today. Getting back down into the wash was pretty easy until the last 100 yards or so, where the growth became thick and it took a little work to break through the brush. Happily, once I got into wash (I believe it may also be referred to as Horse Creek), it was fairly smooth sailing (hiking). This wash was fairly wide open so no gymnastics were needed to avoid foliage. It was rocky in spots, and sandy in others, but overall, very easy to deal with.
Garfias Wash/Hells Canyon started off the same way. Rocky in spots and sandy in others, but pretty easy. It got quite a bit more challenging and enchanting when the water came into play. The water shaped, rock formations really sold this part of the hike (and actually was the best part of the hike (for me)). I consider myself fortunate for the dry “nonsoon” that we had this summer. The water was a constant companion for about .5 miles, but it was easy to avoid, except in one spot. The canyon walls were pretty steep at this one spot and the water pool was nestled nicely between those walls. I did, what I classify as a “class 4, butt scoot” down the 60% grade canyon wall. There were foot and handholds that allowed me to climb, rather than slide down this 15 ft slope. (This would be one of the bigger challenges going up Garfias Wash). Once the water dried up, the fun was over, and it was just a matter of not missing the Spring Valley connection.
Nice loop, but I was surprised at how much it took out of me, and how long it took. I did have to stop multiple times to empty my shoes of sand and rocks and to “clean” my socks of burrs and foxtails. Near the end, I was taking breaks as much for that as for 5 minute water breaks. Weather was nice. The breeze was appreciated when it came. I had the “trail” to myself. Surprise!  With the exception of about 25 cattle, 12 burros, a couple of lizards, a chipmunk, road runner and a javelina. This loop offers exciting connections to other trails in the area (Burro Flats, Horse Creek, Garfias Wash) and so hikers have several other options, when doing this loop. |
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