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| Hiking | 8.50 Miles |
1,687 AEG |
| | Hiking | 8.50 Miles | 5 Hrs 30 Mns | | 1.55 mph |
| 1,687 ft AEG | | | | |
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| no partners | | Note: I did this hike in conjunction with the Escudilla Lookout and the Profanity Ridge HP.
After hiking Mt Baldy which ended up being a 17 mile hike, we were quite tired so we went back to our campsite which was only a few miles from the Mt Baldy trail. We stayed overnight, and planned on driving toward the Escudilla trailhead to look for a different campsite first before hiking Escudilla peak.
We found a campsite area that was on the South side of FSR 8056, about 0.5 miles from US-191. There was flowing stream within a 1 minute walk. There were shade trees. The only downside of this campsite is we could hear vehicles traveling on FSR 8056, but it wasn't traveled much. Maybe we saw/heard one vehicle every few hours on this holiday weekend.
We set up camp and drove to the trailhead, not arriving until 12:45 pm. We started off hiking up the Escudilla trail. There were a few steep sections in the beginning and it felt hot because we were only in partial shade. After hiking about 1.2 miles we met some other hikers coming down that said it was a good trail all the way to the lookout. There was a nice breeze and it was more comfortable at the higher elevations. After 1.6 miles we reached a high point and a shady area. We were nearby a high point called Profanity Ridge HP. We decided to try to reach that point on the way back assuming there was time. We continued hiking and the trail dropped a hundred feet before climbing the next section of trail. The trail continued up and then turned left heading toward an old fire lookout tower. We could see the fire tower from a distance. Once there, we could see that the fire tower was enclosed in a fence. We looked for a registry and did not find one, so we decided to leave one near a large rock outside of the fence.
Next, we decided to hike to Escudilla peak. We didn't know what to expect but we soon realized that there was no trail and that we would need to step over hundreds of fallen trees along the way. We knew that the peak was about 1 mile away from the Lookout, and the vertical gain was only about 50 feet higher. We felt like we stepped over 300+ downed trees along the way. There were a few areas where we were able to go around some of the fallen trees, but in some places, we had no choice but to step over them. It took us almost 1 hour to get from the Lookout to Escudilla peak.
At Escudilla peak, we found a registry and signed it. The last entry was about 1 month ago on June 1st. We took our photos and videos and decided to count the number of logs we needed to step over from the peak to the well-maintained trail near the lookout. We counted having to step over 283 logs on the way back. We actually tried to minimize the number of logs we needed to step over. If it was possible to walk around a log, we would do that. We also felt like going back it a better route and we didn't need to step over as many logs on the way from the lookout to the peak. So, we believe the round trip hike involved stepping over 600+ logs, some huge, some smaller. All in all, it was a fun hike and I have no regrets. But, if it was 8 miles of stepping over logs, it would not have been worth it.
On the way down, we stopped to hike to the Profanity Ridge HP, which was only about 700 feet from the main trail. Getting to this peak involved stepping over about 50 logs total. So, this will give you a preview of what it will be like if you happen to hike to Escudilla peak, with about 6 times more logs to step over.
We made it back to the trailhead before dark and drove back to our trailhead. When we got there it was starting to get dark.
Stats:
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Distance (round trip) = 8.5 miles
AEG = 1,687 feet
Strava moving time = 4 hrs 50 mins
Strava elapsed time = 7 hrs 24 mins
Directions to trailhead: From the center of Alpine, AZ, drive North on US-191 for 5.6 miles. Turn right going East on FSR 8056. Older maps may show this as Rt 56. Continue for 3.9 miles. At the junction, stay left. Continue for 0.3 miles to the Escudilla Lookout Trailhead #308. |
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Michael Williams
IT Professional
Rocky Point Vacation Rentals
Ocean Front Condo in Rocky Point, Sonora, Mexico
www.beachfrontmexico.us
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The trail was clear the whole way. I love this trail, such spectacular views. It wasn't crowded at all. We only saw a single pair of hikers during the entire hike.
