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| Hiking | 11.62 Miles |
601 AEG |
| | Hiking | 11.62 Miles | 4 Hrs 34 Mns | | 2.54 mph |
| 601 ft AEG | | | | |
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| no partners | | My plan was to hike FR 9443 for a mile, to bypass Bennet Butler Ranch, drop into Willow Creek at the ranch’s north gate, hike down canyon to Paul’s Crossing, then double back on decommissioned FR 9443. It didn’t look like it would be too difficult, but on the Mogollon Rim, looks can be deceiving!
On the short descent from FR 34, just past the first split is a large log blocking decommissioned FR 9443. I was kinda surprised the log wasn’t at FR 34.
Descending to Willow Creek, I came in a bit south of Bennet Butler Ranch's north gate, so I followed the tree line north for a hundred yards. The creek bottom was grassy, with many shallow pools, but no flow.
Initially, it did not appear there would be many flowers, so I took pictures of everything I found, including garbage. I ended up packing out a Gatorade label, ten beer cans, and an empty quart of motor oil. By the time I started back on FR 9443, my pockets were full of crushed beer cans.
Despite the lack of flow in Willow Creek, there was plenty of evidence of relatively recent flooding, in the form of several patches of long grass bent in a downstream direction. I wonder how long it takes for grass to straighten itself after a flood?
Even though Willow Creek was generally easy going, I still managed to fall. Luckily, I landed on the most padded part of my anatomy. 
At Paul's Crossing, I turned onto FR 9443. Remember the road blocking logs earlier? Hoo, boy, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet! Some are a single large log, some are stacked smaller logs, and some are smaller logs spread out horizontally. Almost all the roadblocks are placed so that it would be difficult for a vehicle to drive around it, upslope or downhill. I bet there are twenty roadblocks. Some are less than 100 ft. apart. 
I had lunch just before Ives Mesa Tank. It was so relaxing, I lay down and shut my eyes for a few minutes. 
After I finished my hike, my wife and I stopped at Woods Canyon Lake’s bait shop, for a post-hike adult libation, a second lunch and — like I told the counter lady — the main reason I hike on the Mogollon Rim: Good Humor ice cream.
Hike Video: https://vimeo.com/709955783 |
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Wildflowers Observation Isolated
Dandelion were most common, but light, both in the canyon and along FR 9443. In canyon, I spotted Canada violet, northern bog violet, northern rockjasmine and ashen milkvetch. Along FR 9443, short-sepal bitter-root, and the yellow thing I cannot identify. Plenty of spreadfruit goldenbanner along Rim Rd. |
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Route Editor
Route Scout
