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| Hiking | 7.95 Miles |
1,495 AEG |
| | Hiking | 7.95 Miles | 3 Hrs 26 Mns | | 2.32 mph |
| 1,495 ft AEG | | | | |
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| no partners | | Driving up Telegraph Pass Rd., the sun was just above the horizon of the pass. I couldn’t see for the glare. Prayed no one drove over the line towards me. To make matters worse, I got an arch cramp in my right foot. Argh! Agony. 
From Dobbins Lookout -- the pit toilet smelled like it had a dead cholo in it -- I hiked a clockwise loop of Holbert - National - Kiwanis - Los Lomitas - and the remainder of Holbert Trail. (I hiked Holbert … geez … 17 years ago? Wasn’t even hike blogging back then.)
Other than Fat Man’s Pass / Hidden Valley, my favorite part of National is the quarter mile between Holbert and the antennna farm, weaving about those rocky bits. Approaching the pass at 10:30 a.m., traffic was picking up. Some of it speeding over the double yellow line. 
Kiwanis has a unique sign, with cut out & painted letters. Kind of fancy. Wonder who paid extra for that? Relatively lush Kiwanis was my other favorite part of today's loop. There’s a stone check dam, a quarter mile from the bottom.
Los Lomitas is mostly wide & smooth, and oldster friendly. But it's at the bottom of the ridge, so it has some photogenic boulders.
The visitor center parking areas are mostly a big constuction zone, and will remain so through late 2027. I followed the construction fence east.
At the bottom of Holbert a sign said “Area Closed”, but also “Do Not Leave Designated Trails”. I sure as hell wasn’t going to head back the way I came, so I followed the trail. It is closed because of a 10 ft. deep washout -- which is trivial to negotiate. Up by the water tank, I started the main climb, as it got dark across the valley. It seemed steeper than I recalled, but that is probably due to age. Or doing more biking than hiking. I only caught a few sprinkles at the end, so I didn't need that little cave a quarter mile before the Dobbins trail.
Rumble Video: https://rumble.com/v763y3k-hiking-south ... oenix.html
Vimeo Video: https://vimeo.com/1167100369 |
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Wildflowers Observation Light
Brittlebush most common; quality varied. Next most common was Emory's rock daisy, on canyon trails. Lupine below antenna farm. Globemallow here & there. Mexican gold poppy closed up due to chill. Blue richard. Distant phacelia. A single desert marigold. |
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