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| Hiking | 11.18 Miles |
653 AEG |
| | Hiking | 11.18 Miles | 4 Hrs 13 Mns | | 2.65 mph |
| 653 ft AEG | | | | |
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Continuing my quest to hike every named canyon on the Rim between AZ-87 and AZ-260 ...
You can chop 2.8 miles round trip off the distances of the loop options in the Guide by parking at the FR 91 intersection with FR 40F. I hiked from the official trailhead near FR 115. When I started hiking at 8:30 a.m., there was no traffic, and only one RV camping along FR 91.
In Open Draw, I saw a few flowers too small to photograph, but 90% of the blooms were dandelions. Some people call them “weeds”, but I think dandelions are pretty. 
The only other flower I saw in any quantity were pine thermopsis, a member of the pea family also known as golden pea. I saw pine thermopsis here & there in Open Draw, but there were several large, dense patches along FR 40F.
I took a snack break, and swapped water bottles, just past the small check dam (which is no bigger than a cement curb). Unfortunately, no hiking beer, as I thought I needed the pack weight for an extra water. Turns out I only drank 1.5 liters all day!
After negotiating the tightest part of Open Draw -- the final ½ mile -- I arrived at Gentry Canyon. Rather than eat lunch there, I instead took an animal trail 250 ft. up the bluff to the north end of FR 40E. I crossed a meadow, and FR 40G, about halfway up.
There were a number of very old, abandoned, log decks along FR 40E. It has been so long since the road has seen vehicles, that FR 40E is covered with a half inch of pine needles. Fire appears not to have touched Open Draw, or the forest roads on this hike, so there was plenty of shade. 
Where fire did touch was the car -- fully-engulfed -- along AZ-87, near Sunflower, on the way home. That was in addition to the four (4!) emergency vehicles that passed us on Rim Rd., heading towards Bear Lake (or points west), just an hour earlier. Exciting end to the day!  
Hike Video: https://vimeo.com/469123982 |
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