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| Hiking | 11.79 Miles |
2,650 AEG |
| | Hiking | 11.79 Miles | 5 Hrs 57 Mns | | 2.06 mph |
| 2,650 ft AEG | 14 Mns Break | | | |
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[ show ]
| partners | | Denny, Wally, and I got started from Rustler Park a little before 0700. Cool and breezy, and very pleasant. Headed south on Crest Trail. Right away, four hunters pointed out two deer, then tried to tell us we’d encounter tons of hunters on our hike. Besides them, we saw exactly zero. Only saw two other hikers the entire day as well.
Enjoyable hiking on Crest. Only one downed tree, and the trail is kind of sandy/loose in a few places, but not too bad. Unexpected fall color was a nice bonus. At the turn for Flys Peak, we left Crest and headed up to Flys. Views are limited, but it’s a nice broad peak, with room to sit and relax. From there, we headed down the south side of Flys to reconnect with Crest. There’s a trail part of the way, but it fades out in places. No matter, because you can see Crest below you and just aim for the sign at the bottom.
At Crest, we immediately left the trail and headed off trail up to South Flys. While not too steep, there was a lot of downed trees and vegetation to deal with. At the summit, which was nice, I declared South Flys a one and done for me. After a few minutes looking around the summit, we headed down the south side of South Flys, and that was significantly better. Easy incline, very little vegetation. I reconsidered my declaration and decided that both and and down the south side is the way to go.
After that, we continued on Crest to Chiricahua Peak, where we took a snack break. Pleasant peak, again, plenty of room to sit and relax. For the return to the trailhead, we stayed on Crest the entire way, which made for easy hiking. The last mile seemed to drag a little since it was getting warmer and we lost the breeze, but at least that portion was mostly downhill.
Enjoyable day in a range I really like. Always good to hike with Denny and nice to finally meet Wally. |
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Autumn Foliage Observation Light
Mostly aspens, seemed like the oak was well past prime. |
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| Stop crying and just go do the hike. |
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Route Editor
Route Scout
Route 
Linda had the plan so I could just kick back and go along for the trip. The weather was warmer than expected and the breeze cooled us down later on. I thought it might be cold but the temperature was nice and even a little warm at the end. The views were good and the trails fairly easy to hike. After hiking the Flatiron on Wednesday I wasn't sure if I'd do well at this higher elevation but I never really had any shortness of breath. Linda kept a nice steady (easy) pace and even took a detour so I could find some pot sherds. 
. Cool. The summits were all nice but the better views were actually on the trails along the way. Linda had 4 peak options but I only had 3 in me. Still a nice outing and the conversation and banter were quite enjoyable! 
Thanks to Linda for planning and driving and Wally for getting up so early and joining us! Like HAZ , you two rock!!
. Made it back without having to break out the flashlight. The drive home was memorable too, with a pumpkin orange moon rising over Fort Bowie. This was my first summer hike in the Chiricahua Peaks, and certainly won't be the last. 
