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| Backpack | 39.50 Miles |
10,156 AEG |
| | Backpack | 39.50 Miles | 3 Days | | |
| 10,156 ft AEG | | 41.5 LBS Pack | | |
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| partners | | This was my first backpacking trip in 7+ years, and I was excited to join the group on the second iteration of their previous 3-day / 2-night Memorial Mica trip in 2022.
Day 1 - Saturday
Hike 1: Turkey Creek TH to Manning Camp (8.85 mi / 4,017 AEG / 4h 19m)
Chumley, 9L, and I left The Valley ~5AM and drove to Turkey Creek TH, where we met Karl and Kathy. After some final packing, we were on the trail just after 8AM to start the climb up to Manning Camp. The first two miles were relatively flat as we hiked into Saguaro NP, then the steepness increased as we ascended into higher desert ~ three miles in.
We took a break at Mud Hole Spring, which was a small, muddy pool, and 9L and Chumley dug out some of the mud and debris in the hope that it would look clearer on the hike out on Monday. The steepness increased again as we resumed the climb, with a lot of rock steps built into the trail that increased the difficulty. Deer Head Spring was dry, and we detoured over to Spud Camp and Spring among a nice aspen grove. The campground was empty; the spring itself was dry, and the concrete spring box had some stagnant, murky water a few feet down...not a great time for moisture on the mountain.
9L and I arrived at the empty Manning Camp a little after noon and checked out the water situation. The fenced-in pool near the pump house was dry, and the the main water source below had two stagnant pools that didn't look too appetizing. After a short rest, Johns 9 & 10 explored down the drainage in an unsuccessful search for a more appealing water source. When the rest of the group arrived, we agreed that the pools were good enough to filter, and we set up camp and relaxed for a while.
Hike 2: Overlook Loop (5.22 mi / 1,168 AEG / 2h 5m)
Before dinner, Chumley and I hiked a lasso-loop from camp that included Reef Rock and an unnamed overlook. Great views from both spots that collectively included Rincon Peak, the Galiuros, Wrightson, and Mt. Graham among many other landmarks, and the second overlook included a fun scramble to the top with the help of a short tree stump ladder. Back at camp, we ate dinner and hung out under the party lights into the wee hours of mid-evening before retreating to our tents. We had the campground to ourselves, and comfortable daytime temps dropped into the upper 30s overnight.
Day 2 - Sunday
Hike 1: Grass Shack Loop (11.41 mi / 3,102 AEG / 5h 3m)
After wakeup calls from the wild turkeys, we packed up for a day hike to some lower elevations and started a counter-clockwise loop, heading west along Cow Head Saddle Trail. With the low morning sun, we had pleasant shade and stopped at a few overlooks on the way down, with some steep sections of trail, much of which once again had stone stairs built in courtesy of the NPS. We took a break at the saddle and saw three guys hiking up from Douglas Spring, headed for Manning Camp. Tanque Verde Peak was only 2.5 miles away from there, and I was tempted to rush over there, but time and lack of water kept me from trying it.
We continued down to the deserted Grass Shack Campground and paused for another break. Chumley checked out the spring, which was almost completely dry, then we had the long climb back up to Manning. That included a lot of sun exposure and more steps, and it felt great to get back into the shade and cooler temps of the ponderosas at higher elevations. Chumley and I arrived just as the three guys we'd seen earlier hiked into camp.
Hike 2: Man Head - Mica - Spud Rock Loop (4.96 mi / 1,079 AEG / 2h 23m)
After hanging around camp for a few hours and filtering more water, Karl, Chums, and I went on another short hike to check out some of the upper destinations north of camp. The first stop was Man Head, another landmark that looked nothing like its name...Chumley told me it looked more like an eagle, but I struggled to see any resemblance to Bruce. We passed Mica Meadow, then stopped at the Mica highpoint. Karl had warned me it was one of the least impressive high points of any range in Arizona, and that was true: limited views, flat, and not much to see other than some small remnants of the old lookout.
Then it was on to Spud Rock, which looked nothing like a potato but provided the best 360° views of the weekend. We relaxed on top until the winds got too annoying, then completed the loop back to camp. Chumley and I went over to a water tank that had a random tent setup nearby, and back at the campsite, one other solo backpacker had shown up, along with two hikers from Colorado who'd hiked all the way up from Happy Valley to Manning to filter water because they couldn't find any down below. The most common question from the other backpackers after seeing the pools at Manning: "Did you guys filter that water?"
We cooked dinner, and I learned from the previous night's mistake and ate two of the undersized freeze-dried meals, and we hung out under the lights and had another night in the upper 30s.
Day 3 - Monday
Hike: Manning Camp to Turkey Creek TH (9.06 mi / 670 AEG / 3h 42m)
We ate breakfast, broke camp, and headed out around 8AM. We took a slightly different route down, leaving camp south via the AZT, then passing by the dry Devil's Bathtub, then north past Spud Rock Campground before eventually connecting with Turkey Creek Trail. Going down the upper stretches made me appreciate how steep that climb had been on Saturday. We stopped at Mud Hole Spring again, and the pool was a little clearer after Chumley and 9L cleared out a bunch of the gunk two days prior. We kept a fast pace the rest of the way and were back at the trailhead before noon.
The three of us relaxed in the shade of the sycamores near Happy Valley Campground, then drove into Tucson for lunch at BKs. Much better than I expected since my initial fear when I heard "BK" was that we were headed to Burger King. Traffic wasn't terrible for a holiday, and we were back in Phoenix by mid-afternoon.
Summary
I really appreciated the invite--it was a fun weekend from start to finish. This was 100% uncharted territory for me, so I got to explore an entirely new area. The phrase I heard most often during the weekend was some version of, "There was a lot more water here last time!" I can only imagine how beautiful it would be out there with water flowing. It was great meeting Karl, Kathy, and 9L...I always enjoy a good John-squared hike, and this one was sequentially numbered. And, after a long layoff, it was nice to backpack again...I had to borrow a lot of gear, and especially since I own almost no specialized backpacking equipment, I was happy my pack weight remained manageable. I suppose years of consistently overpacking on day hikes helped prepare me for carrying an actual backpack again  . |
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Deer Head Spring |
Dry |
Dry |
| | | Completely dry; even with a sign, it was hard to tell where the spring would be |
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Manning Camp Spring |
Dripping |
Dripping |
| | | Pool inside the fence near the pump house completely dry. There are two pools of water below that with a sign indicating that's where campers can filter. Pools were stagnant and murky but filterable. |
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Mud Hole Spring - Mica |
Dripping |
Dripping |
| | | Small pool that started out murky and full of debris. Looked more filterable two days later after the group cleared a lot of the debris out on the hike in. |
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Spud Rock Spring |
Dripping |
Dripping |
| |  Stagnant pool deep in the concrete box; the actual spring was dry | | | |
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Route Editor
Route Scout
. This would make a quick end to any attempt to spend a weekend backpacking here. After dropping packs and doing some investigating, we discovered that there was about 20 gallons of water in the NPS-use-only rainwater collection barrel which eased the potentially very bad situation we found ourselves in. While there was no water in the spring and the pond was empty, there was still a pool of unappealing water in the bedrock below camp. After cutting through the oily surface film and treating a liter, we learned that this pool would suffice. 
Route 
Heartbreak Ridge 
