Powers Cabin & Mine • Hike • Arizona • All Triplogs • HikeArizona.COM

Ash Creek - Galiuro

Rattlesnake Trail #285

[ checklist ] Echols Spring Jackson Canyon Spring Kielberg Tank Knothe Spring Powers Cabin

Bassett Peak

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This one has been high on my list, and just so happens to "finish" off the Galiuro Wilderness trails... though exactly what counts as a trail out here is up for debate

Ash Creek
Trail conditions were fantastic. Lots of fall colors (still!) holding on. Creek was mostly dry until the last 1/2 mile, where the overflow from the upper spring set up some intermittent pools. Switchbacks passed by quickly in the chill morning air, even with my water-laden pack. This might be the best-maintained trail in the wilderness (at least until the junction w/ East Divide, more on that later).

East Divide (Ash Creek -> Rattlesnake)
After a quick hop on the shoulder of 6996' the trail slides down the other side, and I totally missed where and had to play in snow before getting back on tread. And... that was the only mishap. The trail is in RIDICULOUSLY good shape for how little traffic it gets, largely due to its original construction.

From the GPS it looks like this rollercoaster is a squiggly line that dances all over the place. On the ground it's much more tame, designed mostly as straight segments that are easy to follow even when there's minor overgrowth or faint tread. The intermittent switchbacks are well-constructed, large cairns mark directional changes, and the route dances through some downright cool formations.

There was some snow clinging on north-facing slopes that provided minor obstacles, over a week since the storm that had "1-2 inches of accumulation". The switchbacks that climb up the side of 7193' are deceptively numerous and made my hamstrings sad. Near the High Creek junction, along 7490', the overgrowth does get thick (about the same as the upper sections of High Creek Trail, not spiky, just thick). Otherwise, this trail was a complete delight and I'm eager to find an excuse to revisit.

I was running low on energy & water at Paddy's Saddle and seriously thought about bailing down High Creek. The hassle of getting from one trailhead to the next kept me out there. Pushed on through increasing snow to the Rattlesnake Trail, with a few sections getting up to 4" of slush that chilled my trail runners. Dropping elevation for the night was my main goal at this point.

Rattlesnake (East Divide -> Holdout Spr)
For the shade this trail gets, the snow accumulation wasn't that bad, and I made pretty quick time down. That washed out section now had ice & snow, so yeah, I bypassed above again. Otherwise, some overgrowth, mostly not spiky, and then Rattlesnake had intermittent flow, which is always nice to see. Then I was at Holdout Spring and it was time to set up camp.

Opted to do the cave this time. There was a single bat and some shy flies on the wall -- otherwise, no droppings or nasty critters to deter me. Waterfall was trickling, which made for a lovely ambience, and I had a great night of sleep on that shelf.

Rattlesnake (Holdout Spr -> Powers Cabin Connection)
Was braced for this to be a slog, and it wasn't really that bad. The overgrowth isn't nearly as bad as I remembered. There were one or two sections that I opted to boulder-hop instead of haul up a steep slope, which may have skipped the worst of it. Oh, and a large patch of deadfall directly west of Holdout, that was annoying.

Powers Cabin Connection
I was just on this a few months ago so I zipped up quick. It was an easy climb with minimal overgrowth and a few small patches of snow.

West Divide (Powers Cabin Connection -> Jackson Cabin)
Trail down to Powers Cabin was recently groomed, though the person who clipped the catclaw & manzanita left the pieces on trail, which snagged at my pants and was slightly annoying. I tossed the larger pieces to the side. The old cabin showed up suddenly and I paid some quick respects there. It was cool to see, though the catclaw is growing so close around the walls that it's annoying to get decent photos.

After the cabin the trail is almost easier: gentle downhill, less catclaw, and intermittent shade. At the bottom there is a large, grassy clearing with a fire ring where I suspect @ShatteredArm camped last year. Continuing south, there were a number of pleasant water tanks in the tributary below the large dam, and a less-pleasant (but probably more dependable) tank above the dam. There was good tread and a cairn that headed east on a tributary but the trail was supposed to go south, so I went south and picked up the trail after 5-10 minutes.

Things were starting to heat up and I was not looking forward to the exposed sections south of Kielberg Divide, so I made quick work up the climb and didn't pause at Long Tom. Next time. Trail was pretty well defined all the way to the saddle except for one section just below the mine. Dropping south off the Divide was not too bad -- there were no cairns, just plenty of game trails that made for easy switchbacks. Near the bottom the catclaw showed up, by then it was easy enough to use the drainage instead and deal with the occasional deadfall or boulder obstacle.

The area around Knothe Spring was interesting, though the trail was difficult to track, and beyond the bone-dry trough there was a large washout that erased any sign of tread (and looked a bit sketch). Managed to find a rough track with a few cairns that went up and over the hill to avoid it. Trail quickly dropped into the drainage that winds through Cedar Flat, which was a fascinating area. For the most part the trail stayed in the drainage, and I did track it across a few shortcuts. The surrounding hillsides were dotted with junipers and steep enough to block any big view and it felt... both expansive and claustrophobic at the same time.

I assumed that the best way to drop into Redfield would be to stay in the drainage, and boy was that wrong. First I bumped into a 20-30 foot dry fall that might have been possible to navigate around, so I scouted out the eastern bank and picked up a trail. It was very steep and dropped down quickly, and then I saw a 100+ drop in that drainage that I was planning on following. So... guess the trail is it. The last few minutes of the drop got annoying and overgrown.

Redfield, all the way to Hooker Cabin, is an absolute gem. There's some rough boulder-hopping, and the intermittent flow meant a few large pools that made for difficult bypasses, and it's choked with huge logs in sections, and it's gorgeous. Towering rock walls, weird formations, and gargantuan trees felt like I was in another land altogether. I did pass by what might be an alternate route in this area, the marked topo line that climbs up next to 5626', which I'd consider a "highwater" option. Otherwise, by all means, stay in the canyon, it's fantastic.

After Hooker Cabin the sheen wore thin. There were still cool rock formations and towering walls, though they were muted and withdrawn in comparison of the upper stretch of Redfield. Also, the intermittent flow completely dried up, leaving me with a dry, empty canyon in the fading afternoon heat. To break up the miles of boulder-hopping I tried to follow the tread along the banks a few times, pushing through catclaw and deadfall at times. I was pretty exhausted by the time I reached Jackson Canyon. The trail does clear up in this final section (likely because Jackson Canyon has much larger boulder obstacles) and it was fairly easy work to reach the cabin.

Slept on the floor in the back room. With the windows closed it stayed pretty warm in there, I didn't even put my beanie on until the next morning. Having no water sources along Redfield yesterday afternoon and a bone-dry Jackson Canyon I borrowed a few water bottles from the cabin to get me through the night.

Bassett Peak (Jackson Cabin -> Peak -> East Divide)
Couldn't find where the trail leaves the cabin area so I went cross-country until the tread materialized, and after that things were pretty easy. The trail stays out of the creek, dancing from one bank to the next, and is relatively easy to follow, with a combination of flagging and cairns to help guide through the rough sections. Took a quick stop at the spring area before pushing on to the "steeps".

There was one annoying washout where the drainage ate up the slope which caused some route-finding, think it was around 5330'. After that I was happy to see the tread mostly leave the canyon and start really steeping. The first climb reminded me of YLE, a steady, somewhat defined march up a grassy, rocky slope where it's useful to just aim for a landmark instead of fretting over tread. When the switchbacks finally kick in more than half of the total elevation gain is already behind you, and they are well-defined and make for a solid paced haul up the hill.

I broke up the next few miles into groups of switchbacks, and there was only one that gave me some issue at 6680', when it's easier to go straight up a rocky washout than fight the brush. I'm sure that a little more attention here would have found a tread on one side or the other, just didn't have the patience at this point. Was pleasantly surprised when the trail crested up and over the ridge and turned northwards, with Bassett Peak, the last milestone, looming above, though that last mile absolutely dragged. The trail is in good shape and the views are good, I was just tired.

Quick stop at Bassett Peak and then it was time to descend, where I finally saw my first set of human prints in the snowy northern slopes. Someone else had been out here! I was glad, because the tread was infinitesimally narrow on the steep, loose, and soggy northern slopes, covered with a few inches of slushy snow and ice, and those tracks gave me a bit of purchase. Also, the trail was quite overgrown here, which gave me extra handholds on a few sections. After those nasty switchbacks it was back to the fantastic East Divide vibe with solid tread and creative routing.

Ash Creek
This again. With the exception of a few stops to nurse blisters, guzzle extra water, and chat w/ a lone bear hunter by Lower Ash Spring (the only other human I saw out there), it was a downhill race towards an eventual greasy burger.

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Dam - Rock

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

	Cedar Spring	Dripping	Dripping
	Missed the actual spring, but drainage had intermittent flow for most of the trail.

	Echols Spring	Dripping	Dripping
	Spring had water and there was intermittent flow down to Gold Gulch.

	Holdout Spring	Gallon per minute	Gallon per minute
	Waterfall was flowing, cave was dripping, catchment was overflowing. Plenty of water here.

	Jackson Canyon	Dry	Dry
	Dry at confluence w/ Redfield, dry along trail up Bassett Peak.

	Jackson Canyon Spring	Quart per minute	Quart per minute
	Steady drip coming out of the pipe, full (and very green) plastic trough. Source is more appealing than the trough.

	Kielberg Tank	26-50% full	26-50% full
	Several tanks were flow and trickling due to recent rain & snow, tho they dried up quickly downstream.

	Knothe Spring	Dry	Dry
	Knope water to be found. Dry drainage below the dry trough.

	Mitchell Canyon	Dry	Dry
	Bone dry at confluence w/ Redfield.

	Negro Canyon	Light flow	Light flow
	Steady flow coming out.

	Upper Ash Spring	Quart per minute	Quart per minute
	Dripping out of pipe, intermittent flow from here downstream for 1/2 mile or so.

_____________________

Apr 27 2024

azdesertfather

Guides 16
Routes 81
Photos 1,269
Triplogs 1,144

51 male

Joined Apr 30 2008
Tucson, AZ

Tucson, AZ

Backpack		Apr 27 2024
		azdesertfather • Triplogs 1,144

Backpack	29.23 Miles	6,257 AEG

Backpack	29.23 Miles	16 Hrs 41 Mns		1.98 mph
	6,257 ft AEG		28 LBS Pack

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Great, memorable weekend in the Gailuros! Started out with animal sightings, including antelope again on the paved roads after Wilcox.

East Divide #287
From the trailhead at Deer Creek Road, we hiked 287 to the junction with Tortilla Trail. This section is pretty easy and scenic.

Tortilla #254
Lots of bare rock, but in those areas lots of good-sized cairns. Water reports attached but I found in most of the seasonal stream beds that there was flowing water. At places it would go underground but then come back up a little farther down a bit with a light flow.

At the Upper Sycamore Tank area there was some oak overgrowth, but generally speaking this trail was in good shape. Heard wild turkey a couple of times in this area. The stream in Horse Canyon before turning onto Powers Garden was a good place to get water.

Powers Garden #96
Turned south into Powers Garden Trail and made our way to the garden house. House was in good shape for being so remote. 3 spring bunk beds set up, 4 more single spring beds on their side inside, roof well sealed and secure. A little evidence of mice in the cabinetry, leaving any food or trash isn’t a good idea. Lots of air mattresses, metal folding chairs, sleeping bags… a guitar, a cast iron stove heater for colder nights, pots and pans, even disposable utensils, and paper plates and cups in stock. No evidence at that time however of people in the area and dropping gear. Fresh bear scat near cabin, that we think was left while we were there for lunch, though we never spotted him. After lunch we checked out the property and some of us laid down and rested on the beds for a few minutes, before heading down the trail. Heading down this trail we saw lots of bear scat, every few yards, some old and some fresh. Deadfall in spots along the trail.

Came to another abandoned cabin on the east side of this trail. Some of the sides of the cabin are no longer there, but still a fairly sound structure with an empty storage locker inside. There was a mine up the hill on the opposite side of this trail that we explored as well, with a bunch of old equipment. Mine shaft covered with heavy sheet metal. Nearby there also was a stamp mill with parts dating back to 1880 in San Francisco; it had everything but a boiler, and the Power family were waiting for it when the shootout occurred in February 1918. From the accounts I'm reading online, this was the Gold Mountain area, where gold first started getting prospected in 1902-03, but was abandoned when the Powers moved in, and they worked this mine until 1911.

Good flow in the stream flowing by the south end of the trail, we topped off here before climbing to the intersection with West Divide.

West Divide #289
As we started descending onto the West Divide, almost immediately we ran into lots of catclaw, that was growing over the trail from both sides to the point it was connecting to each other in the middle. In this section I had a short-sleeved shirt on and I just had to put my hands over my heads and push through with my torso, until we made it to the cabin.

We explored almost all the mine by the Powers Cabin. The flies weren't as bad on this day as have been reported by others in the past. The only area we didn't explore was the vertical shaft, descending with a wooden ladder; we didn't have any confidence after a century that that latter would hold weight! There was also another vertical mine shaft a few yards away from teh main mine opening. Supposedly Jeff Power (the father) was buried outside the mine, but it wasn't clear where the gravesite was. The next morning we headed out the way we came in.

The cabin was in worse shape than I expected, the walls are starting to shift on all four sides. One of the doors was gone, and the other was sitting inside but unable to open and close. Dirt floor has lots of mouse holes. Most of us decided to sleep in the cabin, but as it became dark they came out all over the place, so some of us set up our tents inside the cabin and some outside the cabin. Found a couple of bullet holes to the left of the front door. Pretty cool to experience, but honestly I will be surprised if the structure is still standing a decade from now.

Powers Garden #96
After making our way the next morning back through the catclaw, we refilled in the stream by Rattlesnake Spring and started heading toward Corral Canyon. On the way we ran into a family (Granddad, Dad and two kids) who had hiked in from the north end of this trail with permission from the landowner, and had arrived at the garden house and spent the night that night. It ended up being the only people we saw the two days we were out in the Gailuros.

Corral Canyon #291
This is where the fun of the weekend begins! Corral Canyon had a little bit of water in a few places along the stream bed, maybe a gallon per minute max. What it left of the trail is mostly gone due to massive amounts of deadfall and overgrowth. Game trails are all over the place, so making your way up the canyon you really couldn't know. It was a long, difficult slog, and not one I'll repeat. About halfway up the canyon we heard a lot of birds start squawking and we looked up, and saw several birds chasing away a owl, quite a sight to see! When we hit the high point after going around the edge of this unnamed peak at about 7150', we finally caught a little break and trailfinding became a little less brutal and hazardous. Up on top views opened up including nearby Kennedy Peak, and we made our way to the junction with East Divide.

East Divide #287
Once we started heading down East Divide, trail finding was a little bit better. Still a good bit of deadfall and overgrowth, but nothing like Corral Canyon. Great, long views to the east all the way out to Mount Turnbull. Lots of orange tape marking branches that should be cut. The final stretch was a delightful stretch through open grassy area, the same one that we hiked in on the day before.

Wildflowers Observation Light

Corral Canyon

Light flow

	Horse Canyon	Light flow	Light flow
	3-4 gallons a minute.

Horse Canyon Tank

Dry

	Mud Spring	Dripping	Dripping
	Corral full with a slight flow out of it.

	Rattlesnake Spring	Gallon per minute	Gallon per minute
	Report for stream just below spring.

	Upper Sycamore Tank	26-50% full	26-50% full
	half full, pipe feeding it from higher elevation

_____________________

"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived." — Henry David Thoreau

2 archives

Apr 12 2024

ShatteredArm

Guides 12
Routes 192
Photos 863
Triplogs 356

42 male

Joined Nov 30 2015
Phoenix, AZ

East / West Divide south loop, AZ

Backpack		Apr 12 2024
		ShatteredArm • Triplogs 356

Backpack	52.20 Miles	11,700 AEG

Backpack	52.20 Miles	3 Days 6 Hrs 4 Mns
	11,700 ft AEG

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Bassett Peak

Ash Creek - Galiuro

Rattlesnake Trail #285

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I've been eyeballing doing a loop through the southern half of the Galiuros for awhile, and the water situation seemed very promising, so I gave it a go. Plan was three nights, starting at Ash Creek, and making a clockwise loop over Bassett, down to Jackson Cabin, then up West Divide, and back via Rattlesnake and East Divide.

Friday

Got to Ash Creek TH at around 9:30am, with temps already in the 70s. Nothing notable, other than the fact that it was impossible to stay dry at the first few crossings. Ash had surface flow about half the way up. We decided to tag the summit since my friend hadn't been up there. Made it to the top of Bassett in about 3 hours.

I was really worried about the stretch of trail down from Bassett, given the FS doesn't have it on their maps, but it actually turned out to be a breeze most of the way down. Someone put a lot of work into building that thing, and the grade is intact in all but a couple of spots. The going didn't really get rough until we were all the way down into the canyon, where the vegetation got pretty thick. Eventually we decided to stop looking for the trail and just go down the wash, and that made things much easier.

Got to a stretch with light flow about a third of a mile before Jackson Cabin, and decided to camp there since I didn't know whether there would be water near the cabin (there was). Warm enough down there to leave the rain fly off.

Saturday

Got up at 6am, left camp by around 8am IIRC. We decided to poke around the cabin for a minute, and seeing water in the cabin and downstream in Jackson Canyon, decided we should've camped there. Stretches of trail in Jackson Canyon were apparent, but it was usually easier to stay in the creek.

When we got to Redfield, it was apparent water would not be an issue for awhile. There was surface flow for all but 100 feet. The walking was easy up to Hooker Cabin; it somewhat reminded me of hiking in Aravaipa Canyon. Took a short break at the cabin. The rest of the canyon got more difficult to move through, but it also got prettier. The upper part of Redfield was the highlight of the trip for me.

At around 1:30pm or so, after a bit of poking around, we found the trail back up to West Divide. A little brush, but not by any stretch the worst. Cedar Flat was really pleasant; the terrain there was grassland and large Junipers. Occasional water in the drainage. The trail was well defined most of the way down to Gold Gulch, where there was intermittent flow and a couple of nice campsites. By now it was after 3:30, so I proposed we camp there, but that would probably put a day hike to Powers Garden out of reach. My friend seemed to want to continue, and proposed we decided by coin flip.

So with less than 3 hours of daylight left, we continued onto what I expected to be the worst stretch of trail all trip. Probably 2/3 of the way up the divide there was no trail to be seen, and half of where there was trail, it was through very thick vegetation. It took us two hours to reach the divide, and I was really worried we'd be bushwhacking in the dark. Fortunately the trail down the north side was well-defined and somewhat clear, so we made it down to Kielberg Tank in short order. Found a corral, with water below the tank, and decided after 10.5 hours or so of hiking, it would suffice.

Sunday

Woke up in the morning feeling good knowing the Kielberg Divide was out of the way. Started hiking around 9am, took a short break at Powers Cabin, then down to Rattlesnake. We dropped packs here and hiked down to Powers Garden and back, and this was the most pleasant hiking of the trip. Warmer than I expected through Rattlesnake, but there was surface flow most of the way. Took about 3 hours to get there and back.

Rattlesnake trail was a lot rougher than I expected, with a lot of brushy stretches. Took a couple of hours to get up to the Holdout Spring area, where we set up camp (we used the flat area along Rattlesnake just east of the spring spur). Walked up to the spring to check it out, but I actually liked the water in the creek better.

Monday

Got up a little earlier so as to get home at a reasonable hour, and started hiking by 7am. The rest of Rattlesnake Trail was in pretty solid condition, other than one bad washout where I thought for sure I was going down (based on the satellite, it looks like there's a way to avoid the washed out area). The climb up to East Divide felt long, but not too bad overall. Got up there by 8:40am.

The first mile and a half of East Divide was outstanding. Trail was clear, and the upper part of Paddys River was pretty. After High Creek we hit our first stretch of thicket, but it was clear sailing for another mile or so after that. About half way through, we passed through one really bad thicket that had me nearly at my breaking point, so we took a little rest. The rest of the way wasn't as bad, with some clear stretches, some climbs, and some brush, but route finding wasn't really an issue at all. Took 5 hours to get from the Rattlesnake junction to Ash Creek trail.

Having closed the loop, we were feeling pretty good, and made good time down to the creek. The last mile or two really dragged, and I think I was running entirely on fat metabolism at that point, which made Ash Creek seem longer than it ever had before.

Overall

This was a phenomenal trip, and an amazing loop, but one that involves a lot of suffering. Highly recommended, but I'll never do it again.

	Cedar Spring	Quart per minute	Quart per minute
	Drainage has intermittent light flow the whole way up to the spring.

	Echols Spring	Quart per minute	Quart per minute
	Not at the spring, but there's light intermittent flow in Gold Gulch along West Divide trail.

	Holdout Spring	Gallon + per minute	Gallon + per minute
	Box is full but just a seep, plenty of water flowing into the pool 20 feet upstream.

	Jackson Canyon	Light flow	Light flow
	Intermittent flow from the uppermost spring down to Redfield.

Jackson Canyon Spring

Gallon per minute

	Kielberg Tank	76-100% full	76-100% full
	Tank overflowing the dam, intermittent flow in the creek below.

	Knothe Spring	Dripping	Dripping
	Nothing in the box. There's a little water in the drainage below the spring.

	Lower Ash Spring	Gallon + per minute	Gallon + per minute
	Lots of water from here all the way down past the FS boundary.

	Negro Canyon	Medium flow	Medium flow
	Looks like it had as much water coming from it as Redfield.

	Powers Garden Spring	Gallon + per minute	Gallon + per minute
	Tons of water, surface flow in most of Rattlesnake.

	Rattlesnake Spring	Gallon + per minute	Gallon + per minute
	Tons of water in the area.

	Upper Ash Spring	Quart per minute	Quart per minute
	Nothing in the box, light flow in the creekbed above and below the trail.

_____________________

Nov 29 2021

ShatteredArm

Guides 12
Routes 192
Photos 863
Triplogs 356

42 male

Joined Nov 30 2015
Phoenix, AZ

Tucson, AZ

Backpack		Nov 29 2021
		ShatteredArm • Triplogs 356

Backpack	36.00 Miles	9,000 AEG

Backpack	36.00 Miles	2 Days 5 Hrs 30 Mns
	9,000 ft AEG

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Sycamore Trail #278

Deer Creek Cabin - Galiuros

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Put together a plan for two nights in the Galiuros, and found a few friends willing to subject themselves to it. Original plan was roughly a night at Powers Garden, a night at Holdout Spring (with a detour to Powers Cabin), then back via East Divide.

Friday

Got to Deer Creek TH at around 10:30am, and started with a slight diversion to the Deer Creek administration site. It was meh. Took Tortilla Trail out so a to get to the Garden with some daylight left. Trail was more enjoyable than expected, it's basically a highway. Horse Canyon was pretty. Reached the cabin by around 3pm, set up camp and had a nice campfire.

Saturday

Some in the group were concerned about whether there would be water at the spring, given the lack of recent reports. I felt very confident there would be, based on how much there was at the garden, but so as to keep everybody happy I acceded to the proposal to day hike to Powers Cabin and spend a second night where we were. I did like the idea of not having to break down and set up and extra time...

So off we went at a leisure pace, stopping when we found something interesting. Like the cabin just north of the Rattlenake Spring area, which I didn't know any. Tom mentioned stopping by someone's cabin on the way to the mine, I'm wondering if this was what he was talking about.

At the Rattlesnake junction, we found a pack sitting there, so it would seem we weren't the only ones out there. Ran into the owner shortly thereafter. The mine and cabin were interesting, but definitely not as pleasant a location as the garden.

Considered a day trip to Holdout Spring (other group confirmed there was indeed water), but would've been pushing daylight at that point. Got back and enjoyed another nice campfire.

Sunday

Learned on Sunday morning that I had, in fact, brought more whisky than necessary. But after getting some electrolytes in my belly, recovered well. Decided we would prefer to take a different way back, so we decided to try Sycamore.

The lower part of Powers Garden trail was very worthwhile, and Rattlesnake Creek started flowing a little about Pipestem, and by the Sycamore junction it was a real creek with water. Sycamore trail was rough, and the catclaw was vicious on some of the south facing slopes. Pretty much lost the trail after the spring, and eventually wound up just following the creek bed. Very slow going, over half the entire time getting back to the car was spent in Sycamore Canyon.

Couldn't find where the trail exits the canyon, so I ended up scrambling up to where it contours along a bench. Nothing like a little class 3 scramble with a full pack in the middle of nowhere! The track was faint up to the ridge, but there were occasional cairns.

Once over the ridge, the trail got much easier, and we made good time to the car. Got there just in time to enjoy a cold beer and a nice sunset.

Really enjoyed this outing. Kinda wish we had stuck to the plan, but as long as it doesn't burn down, there will be more opportunities...

_____________________

1 archive

Oct 12 2015

FOTG

Guides 37
Routes 556
Photos 10,872
Triplogs 1,052

43 male

Joined Jan 21 2013
AZ

Tucson, AZ

Hiking		Oct 12 2015
		FOTG • Triplogs 1,052

Hiking	36.68 Miles	7,322 AEG

Hiking	36.68 Miles
	7,322 ft AEG

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9 linked trail guides

Rattlesnake Trail #285

Rattlesnake Canyon - Galiuros

Deer Creek Cabin - Galiuros

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[ checklist ] Arizona Black Rattlesnake Canyon Tree Frog

HAZ - Event

	BiFrost	chumley
	clairebear	John9L
	johnlp	Jonnybackpack
	slowandsteady	Tough_Boots

Its hard to imagine a three day backpack turning out this well after it was chosen as a somewhat last minute alternative to a cancelled LCR trip, but simply put it turned out to be nearly perfect. The landscape was rugged, the views were extraordinary, the company was great and the attractions in the area well worth it.

We made the long drive to the Galiuros Friday night. We agreed on knocking out the southern portion of our loop for our approach to Powers on Saturday with a stop at Kennedy Peak along the way.

The route to the cabin on Saturday was the best of times and the worst of times. The best of times consisted of: our fun group, the copious amounts of water spewing out of the mountain, a fun summit and some great scenery. The worst of times consisted of: the complete absence of a trail in spots, the thickest wildflowers any human has ever traveled through, concealed ankle breakers, not so concealed New Mexican Locust, grass as tall as one's eyes and trail obliterating washouts and landslides.

The trail conditions were much nicer day two and the hiking more rewarding. After the obligatory stop at the shootout site, we headed for some "fun" in the mine. The mine was very extensive inside and contained several remnants of its operational days. The more adventourous spent a considerable amount of time exploring the several passages and I completed a pretty dicey descent down an old ladder to explore a very deep vertical shaft. However, as my support team began to express their disaproval in the venture, I decided to call it quits. There was still probably a solid 30-40 more feet to drop, but I was starting to lose my faith in the old ladder, as the distance between rungs grew to a precarious 3 feet in spots and the bottom was still not clearly visible; that and I was not crazy about the wire holding some rungs on in replacement of nails.

After the mine and cabin, some headed for the garden, others headed for the ridgeline. John and I followed up on a a lead I had discovered while looking over some topo maps of the area. As it turned out, my lead turned out to be quite the rewarding little find. We came across presumably a prehistoric dwelling that had been recycled and certainly utilized in more contemporary times. The cave and its scenic surroundings were very interesting and the trail there was great with flowing water nearly the entire distance, modest cascades and the discovery of the classic wooden Galiuros Wilderness sign along the way. Inside the cave there was a man made cistern inside catching water from a seep and and a little loft area that was reachable by a ladder complete with some modern pictographs. After the cool little find, it was back to camp for the standard good times around the fire.

Day three offered some of the nicest views of the trip. A challenging little climb out, but some great creek side hiking due to the recent rains and some small waterfalls worth leaving the trail for a closer look. The trail was in better shape than our Saturday route in, however, it could certainly use a little TLC. Fast times out and fun times at the trailhead!

Fauna

Fauna [ checklist ]

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Benchmark Ghost? Mining Equipment

Brush Canyon

Dry

Corral Canyon

Pools to trickle

Corral Spring

Dry

Deer Creek Cabin Spring

Gallon + per minute

	Holdout Spring	Gallon + per minute	Gallon + per minute
	Full concrete box/trough, good water

Horse Canyon

Light flow

	Mud Spring	Gallon + per minute	Gallon + per minute
	Full trough

	Powers Garden Spring	Gallon + per minute	Gallon + per minute
	water at spring and creek was flowing

Upper Sycamore Tank

76-100% full

_____________________

10 archives

Oct 11 2015

chumley

Guides 94
Routes 840
Photos 22,055
Triplogs 1,993

52 male

Joined Sep 18 2002
Tempe, AZ

Powers Divide S.Field Loop, AZ

Hiking		Oct 11 2015
		chumley • Triplogs 1,993

Hiking	14.48 Miles	3,211 AEG

Hiking	14.48 Miles	7 Hrs 56 Mns	2.39 mph
	3,211 ft AEG	1 Hour 53 Mns Break

Linked

linked

South Field Canyon Trail #294A

Partners

partners

BiFrost

Day hike loop from Powers Garden to the shootout cabin and mine, with the return trip along the West Divide Trail.

Powers 96 was in fine shape, especially upstream of Corral canyon which was the source of a recent flood. South of Corral, there is no sign at all of the 2014 Oak Fire down in the valley. Once reaching the saddle and the Divide trail junction the trail down to the cabin is overgrown with catclaw. I'd say this trail should be cleared, but I suspect the FS is perfectly happy making it a pain to get to. And I'm actually ok with that. It's neat to see the cabin, having only scraped the surface of the history there. I'll have to watch Powers War again now that I've been there. I'm sure some of it will make more sense now.

We took a lunch break there and continued down the road to the mine where I was quick to voice my disapproval of the lack OSHA safety protocols in place.

On the way back, FOTG, LP, and Steady headed their own way while Karl and Pat and I decided to take the ridge back.

Like the other trails we hiked in the Galiuros, West Divide 289 is overgrown and involves some good bushwhacking, but isn't really too tough. The views were great, and a nice breeze kept the warm and largely shadeless route quite pleasant.

When we arrived at the first option to drop back to the garden, we opted to continue. The first trail is signed as Field Canyon 294, but I believe it is actually called Tent Lookout 294.

From this junction north on West Divide 289 we encountered the nicest trail conditions of the weekend. The ACC trail crew had been clearing this section and it was an absolute dream :y:

. Almost too good to be true! --And soon enough, in fact, too good to be true! We reached the end of where the trail had been cleared, and we were faced with about a mile of the worst trail of the weekend. The only good thing is there was no manzanita and no catclaw, but it was otherwise a linebacker's worth of pushing through trees, bushes, and branches. Crawling was a regular part of getting through. ](*,)

Finally we reached the junction with the trail that drops into South Field Canyon. The Divide Trail north of this point was clear again, as was the trail that we followed downhill. Despite the flowing water all over the east side of the Galiuros, we were surprised that this canyon was bone dry. Nonetheless, it was a scenic canyon and a pleasant hike. The trail deteriorated and fell into what seems to be a common state for trails out here ... overgrown.

One short climb up a ridge brought us to the junction of the lower end of the signed Field Canyon 294 trail that we had bypassed up top earlier. Before heading back to camp we decided to check out the Powers Spring area, which was an amazing narrows of rocks and flowing water.

This was a great day hike loop from the garden. It'll be great once the final northern section of the Divide trail is cleared.

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Benchmark

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Grassy Peak Grassy Ridge Powers Cabin Powers Garden Spring Powers Mine Rattlesnake Creek South Field Canyon

	Field Canyon Spring	Dry	Dry
	No sign of a spring here. Entire canyon was dry.

	Rattlesnake Spring	Quart per minute	Quart per minute
	Didn't find spring source. Water flowing in the creek. Water also in tank at junction with Powers Cabin trail just upstream from here.

_____________________

I'm not sure what my spirit animal is, but I'm confident it has rabies.

1 archive

Oct 10 2015

johnlp

Guides 1
Routes 14
Photos 7,202
Triplogs 5,208

68 male

Joined Mar 16 2008
chandler,az

Powers Garden backpack Oct 9-12, AZ

Backpack		Oct 10 2015
		johnlp • Triplogs 5,208

Backpack	36.40 Miles	7,250 AEG

Backpack	36.40 Miles	3 Days
	7,250 ft AEG

no routes

no photosets

Linked

Partners

HAZ - Event

	BiFrost	chumley
	clairebear	FOTG
	John9L	Jonnybackpack
	slowandsteady	Tough_Boots

Four years ago JJ and I day hiked the loop counterclockwise but ran out of time to visit the shootout cabin, mine, and Kennedy Peak. So these were on the top of my list of things to see in the Galiuros this trip.

Chumley drove Lee, the dogs, and I to the Deer Creek TH Friday night where we camped with most of the group. We decided to hike up the Kennedy Peak side first and return on the Tortilla Trail. Trail conditions are less than optimal once you start getting within a couple miles of the saddle by Kennedy Peak. Lots of erosion and plant growth. Going down the back side on the Corral Canyon trail is even worse. Still, an excellent hike in to Powers Garden, but quite a workout.

Day two six of us donned our daypacks and headed out to see the shootout/Powers cabin and mine. Nice hike in the pines and oak most of the way. Some catclaw action near the cabin, but not horrible. The cabin and mine are very interesting. Lots of history to say the least. On the way out Lee and I split from the group that was returning on the ridgeline. A little too warm for the dogs. We hiked up Rattlesnake canyon for some mostly shaded sightseeing. Saw some pretty cool stuff.

Day three we broke camp for the traverse out via the Tortilla trail. Lots of water and big views once you gained some elevation. Many wild flowers on the way in and out. We took the fork that leads to the Deer Creek cabin. Nice spot.

Our group was twelve strong. But for so many it never felt crowded. Great group. Lots of fun. Thanks all.

_____________________

“Good people drink good beer.” Hunter S Thompson

1 archive

Oct 09 2015

clairebear

Photos 188
Triplogs 163

43 female

Joined Oct 26 2011
Tempe, AZ

Powers Garden & Cabin - Galiuro Mountains, AZ

Backpack		Oct 09 2015
		clairebear • Triplogs 163

Backpack	28.16 Miles	5,729 AEG

Backpack	28.16 Miles	3 Days
	5,729 ft AEG

no routes

no photosets

Linked

linked

Partners

	BiFrost	chumley
	FOTG	John9L
	johnlp	Jonnybackpack
	slowandsteady	Tough_Boots

Since LCR was no longer an option the Powers That Be elected to move up the Powers Garden trip ^^^.

Anyhoo. Kyle, 9L and I departed PHX on an overcast rainy Friday morning. After an enjoyable ride on the Klyondyke road we set out for the old Powers sites. On the hike in we passed some cowboys and their pack of hounds who warned us to look out for the angry cattle protecting their newborns. We did pass through the largest herd of future steaks, however they were indifferent and left us alone. Kyle kept Lilly close and we made it safely through the bovines and continued to our destination.
As we arrived at Powers Garden it was obvious that another group was well established in the meadow so we headed further upstream to find a campsite for our large group. Later on we discovered the tents belonged to a youthful trail crew who had set up a base in Powers Garden.

On day 2 9L and I departed for the shootout cabin. As we neared the cabin we endured the densest trail of unavoidable catclaw that I've yet experienced. That was a painful and memorable hike, thought it was worth it to get to Powers Cabin. We were familiar with the area after having seen the film highlighting the violent shootout that culminated at the cabin that stood before us. Now that the cabin sits alone in the isolated wilderness its difficult to imagine the brutal shootout that once took place here. So, we checked out the cabin and the mine and then lunched there quietly.

Again, we fought the horrible catclaw trail and headed back to our camp. Along the way I heard a Chumley voice in the not too far distance. It was good timing and we had caught up with Chumley, Patrick and Blanco on their hike in. Eventually the entire group rendezvoused at our camp and we had quite a large group around the campfire.

On Sunday morning 9L and I had bfast and got ready to hike out while the others were planning day hikes since they were staying for an extra day. After a brisk and uneventful hike out we returned to the Jeep and made our way to AZ Wilderness for beers and food.

Autumn Foliage Observation Substantial

_____________________

Oct 09 2015

slowandsteady

Routes 67
Photos 966
Triplogs 694

51 female

Joined Jan 05 2012
Phoenix,AZ

Powers Garden backpack Oct 9-12, AZ

Hiking		Oct 09 2015
		slowandsteady • Triplogs 694

Hiking	30.00 Miles	7,000 AEG

Hiking	30.00 Miles
	7,000 ft AEG

no routes

no photosets

Linked

Partners

HAZ - Event

	AZ_Step	BiFrost
	chumley	clairebear
	FOTG	John9L
	johnlp	Tough_Boots

Great to get in the Galiuros and see Powers Garden and Mine.

I followed the crew in on the East Divide Trail with a trip up to Kennedy Peak and then on to Powers Garden.

On day two I made the trip up and back to the Powers Cabin and Mine.

On day three I hiked out on the Tortilla Trail.

_____________________

Oct 09 2015

BiFrost

Guides 4
Routes 491
Photos 10,890
Triplogs 1,257

55 male

Joined Nov 20 2012
Phoenix, AZ

Tucson, AZ

Backpack		Oct 09 2015
		BiFrost • Triplogs 1,257

Backpack	36.75 Miles	8,118 AEG

Backpack	36.75 Miles	2 Days 6 Hrs 12 Mns
	8,118 ft AEG

Linked

8 linked trail guides

South Field Canyon Trail #294A

Partners

7 partners

HAZ - Event

	chumley	clairebear
	FOTG	John9L
	Jonnybackpack	slowandsteady
	Tough_Boots

Great weekend in the Galiuros with awesome group. We hiked in on the East Divide Trail and did a drive by of Kennedy Peak. The peak had great views but the East Divide Trail as others have mentioned was in rough shape from recent heavy rains and major erosion on the steep slopes resulting from fire damage. Much of the trail on the slopes either side of the peak were completely washed out so it was slow going. Once down in Rattlesnake Canyon the trail improved and easy walking to Powers Garden.

After relaxing night of hanging out by the fire with the group we headed out on various day hiking adventures. Chumley, Johnlp, Patrick, Lee, Kathy and I headed for Powers Garden and Mine to check it out. Very cool cabin and mine with the history making it even more interesting. We spent some time exploring the mine checking out the old mining relics of the past and the impressive tunnel.

Hiking back from the mine we split up on the West Divide Saddle with Chumley, Patrick and I heading up West Divide Trail towards Grassy Peak. The goal was to hike West Divide Trail and check out South Field Canyon. West Divide Trail was fairly easy to follow despite being overgrown because it was on top of the ridgeline. Near the end of the ridgeline we found some areas that had been trail cleared by trail crew who just happened to be in Powers that weekend. Once off the ridgeline we headed down South Field Canyon and back to Powers Garden for another relaxing evening around the fire. That night the trail crew stopped by and we had the opportunity to chat and thank them for all their hard work.

Next morning headed out Tortilla Trail which is in much better shape than the East Divide Trail. Great wide expanse views on the way out...best views of the Galiuros range and surrounding ranges of the weekend.

_____________________

1 archive

Oct 09 2015

John9L

Guides 6
Routes 183
Photos 5,612
Triplogs 1,647

male

Joined Mar 12 2004
Scottsdale, AZ

Powers Garden & Cabin - Galiuro Mountains, AZ

Backpack		Oct 09 2015
		John9L • Triplogs 1,647

Backpack	28.16 Miles	5,729 AEG

Backpack	28.16 Miles	3 Days
	5,729 ft AEG

no routes

Linked

linked

Partners

	BiFrost	chumley
	clairebear	FOTG
	johnlp	Jonnybackpack
	slowandsteady	Tough_Boots

Our original plan was to head to the LCR for a few days in the Grand Canyon. That plan fell through because a storm dumped a ton of rain up north and flooded the LCR with muddy water. We decided to reschedule and settled on Powers Cabin. Claire, Kyle and I drove up on Friday morning and started hiking in. The others will head in on Saturday morning and will stay one day longer.

The dirt road to the Deer Creek trailhead is roughly 36 miles and is in excellent condition. We made good time and started hiking before noon. The first mile was relatively easy. Our plan was to take the East Divide Trail towards Kennedy Peak. Right before the intersection we talked to some people on horseback who said that route suffered major damage from a fire and the rains have washed out the switchbacks. We decided to keep it simple and head in on the Tortilla Trail and this turned out to be a good choice. The going was relatively easy but we had to fight our way through tall grass and be on the lookout for the correct route. Carrying a GPS with the route loaded helped keep us on track. At one point we passed a herd of cattle that was a tad aggressive & angry at us passing. Kyle kept Lily on a leash and we pushed through.

The next few miles ticked on by as we dropped into a drainage and then wrapped around to the high point to the west. There was lots of water out there as there was heavy rain the week before. After the high point we started the drop towards Powers Garden. We made good time and eventually walked up on the cabins. We noticed several tents in the field. This turned out to be a trail crew working on the West Divide Trail. We picked a campsite to the southeast of the garden nestled in the trees. It was a perfect site with lots of shade, a fire ring and close to the creek which had a good flow of clear water.

The three of us settled in for the night with a fire and yummy dinner. The next day we slept in and then had breakfast. Kyle decided to hang out near camp while Claire and I made the hike to the south to see Powers Cabin. We started off on the road and made good time as we crossed the creek several times and admired this beautiful canyon. There was lots of bear scat but we didn’t see any bears. The hike to the cabin is about 5.5 miles and most of it is fast travel. We topped out just above the cabin and that’s where the fun begins. It’s .4 miles to the cabin and you drop 400 ft but the trail has lots of catclaw to fight through. Claire and I were both wearing shorts and our legs were cut to shreds! It’s was borderline awful! With much effort we reached the cabin and admired the area. We both felt the history of this area after watching The Powers War a few months ago. Four men were killed here in a shootout back in 1918. That must have been quite a sight in this remote part of the Galuiro Mountains. We soaked everything in and checked out the mine and then had some lunch.

After visiting the Powers Cabin we made the return. The catclaw wasn’t as bad on the return up to the high point. From there it was very easy going back toward the garden. Along the way we ran into Chumley and Patrick who were on their way in via the East Divide Trail. They said the route was really overgrown and tough to follow. The washouts on the switchbacks were nasty. Claire and I were both glad we opted for the Tortilla Trail. We all returned to Powers Garden and the rest of the group trickled in as well. There will be twelve of us camping tonight. We all settled in for the evening an enjoyed another campfire. It was a very relaxed evening. Everyone who joined us was really tired after the tough hike in. Pretty much everyone turned in before 10pm.

We woke fairly early on Sunday morning and enjoyed coffee & croissants (Thanks Chumley!). The rest of the group was prepping for day hikes while Claire and I packed up to return to Phoenix. I had to work on Monday. We started hiking a little before 9am and made good time on the hike out via the Tortilla Trail. The going was a little easier considering we pushed a lot of the grass out of the way on the hike in. Claire and I took a few breaks and eventually were back at the jeep in the early afternoon. From there we made the long drive out and stopped for dinner & beers at Arizona Wilderness Brewery.

Powers Garden and Cabin are a wonderful destination with fascinating history. The Galiuro Mountains are rugged and beautiful and one of the highlights of southern Arizona. I’m really glad we made the trip and hope to return another day.

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Camp-fire Campsite

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Powers Cabin Powers Garden Powers Mine

Autumn Foliage Observation Substantial
Lots of foliage in bloom

_____________________

2 archives

Apr 29 2015

chumley

Guides 94
Routes 840
Photos 22,055
Triplogs 1,993

52 male

Joined Sep 18 2002
Tempe, AZ

Power's War Movie FilmBar Phoenix, AZ

Hiking		Apr 29 2015
		chumley • Triplogs 1,993

Hiking

Hiking

no routes

no photosets

Linked

linked

Partners

7 partners

HAZ - Event

	BiFrost	clairebear
	Grimey	John9L
	juliachaos	slowandsteady
	tibber

Absolutely fantastic movie. The Q&A/discussion afterward with the key players in the film really made it great. : app :

If you haven't seen it, keep an eye on their website for future showings. I might go to the 6/4 screening at Tempe Marketplace to see it again! :y:

It was great to see a good group of HAZzers out ON the town instead of out of town!

We should do that again :pk:

_____________________

I'm not sure what my spirit animal is, but I'm confident it has rabies.

Nov 09 2012

RedwallNHops

Guides 1
Routes 269
Photos 613
Triplogs 1,360

50 male

Joined Dec 22 2003
Tucson, AZ

Tucson, AZ

Backpack		Nov 09 2012
		RedwallNHops • Triplogs 1,360

Backpack	32.77 Miles	7,446 AEG

Backpack	32.77 Miles	3 Days
	7,446 ft AEG

no routes

no photosets

Linked

linked

Partners

none

no partners

3day 2night backpack into Power's Garden. Hiked in via the Tortilla trail, dayhiked to the shootout cabin and mine on the layover day and hiked out via Kennedy Saddle(and peak on Sunday).

Autumn Foliage Observation Moderate

Wildflowers Observation Isolated

_____________________

Mar 16 2012

RedwallNHops

Guides 1
Routes 269
Photos 613
Triplogs 1,360

50 male

Joined Dec 22 2003
Tucson, AZ

Tucson, AZ

Backpack		Mar 16 2012
		RedwallNHops • Triplogs 1,360

Backpack	32.77 Miles	7,446 AEG

Backpack	32.77 Miles	3 Days
	7,446 ft AEG

no routes

no photosets

Linked

linked

Partners

partners

TUB - Group

GrottoGirl

Wildflowers Observation Isolated

_____________________

Mar 16 2012

GrottoGirl

Guides 3
Routes 569
Photos 11,976
Triplogs 1,634

50 female

Joined Sep 18 2009
Tucson, AZ

Tucson, AZ

Backpack		Mar 16 2012
		GrottoGirl • Triplogs 1,634

Backpack	32.77 Miles	7,446 AEG

Backpack	32.77 Miles	3 Days
	7,446 ft AEG

Linked

linked

Partners

partners

TUB - Group

RedwallNHops

I got home Thursday night around 10 pm and we headed off to go backpacking at 6:30 AM Friday morning. There were 5 in our Tucson Backpacking meetup group hiking out to Powers Garden. Another group was going to go from the Tucson Backpackers but the weather forecast scared them off. For us, it just added to the adventure.

Originally, we were going to do the Tortilla trail first while our packs were the heaviest but because we since were expecting snow on Sunday we decided it would be best to reverse our route. We headed up the East Divide trail to the Kennedy Peak saddle. One of the trail descriptions we had read described part of this trail as a long brutal slog uphill. I was surprised to find that I handled it quite well - only needing a couple pictures stops

Joel and I did Kennedy Peak and got 360 degree views that included Mt. Graham in the Pinalenos and Red Field Canyon in the Galiuros. The jar indicated that the peak isn't frequented very often.

We continued down to Corral Springs. This spring was described as being within the "corral" but I didn't see a spring box. I did find a couple of pools a little way up the drainage which could have been caused by seepage. Does anyone know?

We descended down into Rattlesnake canyon and then headed to find a camp. When we were getting close, I noticed a nice camp complete with a fire ring. While we were discussing whether to continue further a group on horses came by. They told us that they had filled up the cabins and also there was a boy scout group near the corrals. This sealed the deal and we set up our camp.

Luckily, there was some dead manzanita in the area so we had a nice, nearly smoke-free fire that night. We had some interesting conversation including some sample Bigfoot noises thansk to Chris.

That night, it did get a bit cooler than the 40 degree advertised point forecast on NOAA. But I was happy with my Neoair and 0 degree down bag. I even had it unzipped. A couple of the others were a bit chilled.

After breakfast we headed to Powers Cabin and Mine. Along the way we ran into another cabin which was in pretty decent shape. Around there we found some balls that looked almost like canon balls - any ideas?

We continued on to the Powers Cabin and Mine. The cabin is in good shape with a dirt floor. The rock fireplace is beautiful. The Mine is interesting. There was a gate in which you could just pull open. So, we went into the hillside. There was part of a track as well as ladders. Being skeptical, we didn't use the ladders. It's probably the wisest thing to do since help is a long, long ways away.

On the way back to camp, we spread out a bit. I wasn't worried since we had taken the same route to the Mine as we were taking back to camp. Plus, we had covered the last mile of it the afternoon before. Once we got to camp, we realized that we were missing a camper! We waited about a full half hour before we took off to look for her. We did find her about a half mile from camp. She had wondered back up the trail that we had came down the night before. She also had ran out of water. Lucky for her, she found a bottle of water (must of dropped out of the horse caravan) and she realized that she was gaining elevation and wasn't seeing the creek anymore.

After that excitement, Joel and I wandered down to check out the cabin area at Powers Garden. The cabins that the horse people had stayed in had been left in excellent shape. We did find that the cupboards were almost fully stocked with random foods people had left. The backside of the door of the cabin warned visitors not to leave food. Thankfully, the bears in the area haven't figured it out! Shh, don't tell them! Later, we discussed what we could make with the food and the best our group could come up with was "Eskimo Ice Cream" which we would make by mixing Crisco and Grape Jelly!

We got back to camp and found the rest of our party packing up. Since the cabin area had been vacated they decided to sleep in the cabin. With the weather forecast that we had seen, I didn't blame them. After about 10 minutes of standing my ground, I caved. The idea of not having to pack up the tent in the morning sounded wonderful.

That evening we had a (smoky-pine) fire. Chris threw on a mega-log at 7 pm. By 8 pm it was still almost it's full size. Joel went into the shed and brought out a parade of tools and whatnot. First came a large saw. He tried to saw the log - but without anyone holding it he got no where fast! Then came a double edged ax. He attempted to hack on it for a few minutes. I was so worried he'd hurt himself! He did manage to hack it into a few pieces using this method. Next he came with a bottle of lighter fluid. We made him spray it only on a stick (using a rock to collect the excess). In which then he tossed it in the fire and it did brighten things a bit. We then caught the excess on fire so that it would burn off. At some point, I did some night photography. While I was painting the tree and the cabin with my headlamp I noticed several sets of eyes not to far off. We had to make sure it wasn't Bigfoot, so we checked it out. We found that the eyes belonged to several deer.

Sleeping in the cabin was interesting. I'm not used to having 4 other people in a room with me since I'm either in a hotel by myself or at home or in a tent with Joel. I laid awake listening for a long time. At one point, one of our campers screamed. She quickly said it's only a nightmare. After that I think I finally drifted off.

We got up and found that the storm had yet to hit. We quickly packed and headed off before 8 AM. In about 20 minutes it started to rain. We put on pack covers and rain coats. We started our main climb of the day and it continued to rain. Then it either turned to sleet and/or hail. It was hitting my face and stinging, which was annoying. At nearly the top of the climb, we added some more rain gear. Then it turn to snow. We were lucky in that we didn't have any problems finding the trail. We knew to expect junctions and were prepared to know which way to turn. Joel and I had done this same trail about 3 years ago which helped immensely.

Throughout the hike-out we didn't really stop. It became what Chris always accuses me of "A Death March"... For once, I'll agree with him. We barely drank, we didn't eat, we didn't rest ... for nearly 9 miles! I did enjoy it though. Snow is always a novelty in Southern Arizona!

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] HAZ Rides

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Powers Cabin

Wildflowers Observation Isolated

	Corral Spring	Dripping	Dripping
	More of a seep in the drainage behind the corral.

Powers Garden Spring

Gallon per minute

_____________________

Nov 22 2010

big_load

Routes 26
Photos 1,288
Triplogs 124

66 male

Joined Oct 28 2003
Andover, NJ

Tucson, AZ

Hiking		Nov 22 2010
		big_load • Triplogs 124

Hiking	10.00 Miles	500 AEG

Hiking	10.00 Miles	6 Hrs	1.67 mph
	500 ft AEG

no routes

no photosets

Linked

none

no linked trail guides

Partners

none

no partners

(See Powers Garden for writeup and photos)

_____________________

Nov 21 2010

big_load

Routes 26
Photos 1,288
Triplogs 124

66 male

Joined Oct 28 2003
Andover, NJ

Tucson, AZ

Backpack		Nov 21 2010
		big_load • Triplogs 124

Backpack	28.00 Miles	2,300 AEG

Backpack	28.00 Miles	3 Days
	2,300 ft AEG

no routes

Linked

linked

[ checklist ] Benchmark Camp-fire Dam - Power Plant Mine Shaft Mining Equipment Pioneer Industry Wooden Dwelling

Partners

none

no partners

The Hike
I wanted Mrs. big_load to experience the magic of this hike, but time dulled my memory of how demanding it can be for some people. It didn't help that she started out with unreported blisters from walking too far in the wrong shoes in NY. She did OK until the final downhill stretch into the garden, when she took a tumble on the switchbacks caused by favoring her blistered foot (that's when she spoke up about it). It was also cool and very windy all the way in.

She perked up a bit after talking to 15-person trail crew spending their last night at the garden after a month of tending to the West Divide Trail and some others to make a big loop. I fixed up her feet and we had a nice dinner up the hill where I camped a few years back, and a few hot chocolates perked her up some more. Still, I pretty much gave up on reaching the mine and shootout cabin the next day, especially since we were slow getting up.

After breakfast, she was ready to hike as far in that direction as time and feet allowed, and she was much happier with the comparative flatness and lack of rocks. She was so focused on the trail that she would have walked right past the ball mill site and first cabin. She didn't enjoy the downhill stretch to the mine, but seemed less worried than I was about making it back to camp before dark, even though we were an hour late getting there, but she was right and after a bunch of pictures we were back with an hour of light to spare.

She celebrated by building a fire after dinner, fulfilling her main reason for hiking. She wasn't used to how readily wood that dry flames up, but I knew she'd enjoy it. It seemed a bit chilly by bedtime. It seemed even more chilly in the morning. The tent was frosted over, inside and out. Our water was all frozen, or nearly so, except what was in our pillows. Based on how quick the last few swallows of coffee froze in my cup, I figure the low was in the upper teens.

The cool weather helped us going up the hill. It was a long slog out on the rocky trails, a lot more miles in three days than she was used to. We tried an and failed to visit the cemetery in Klondyke, but at least I know where it is now.

Epilog
After we got back, Mrs. big_load complained to anyone who would listen that it was the most grueling trip she'd been on, and that it wasn't worth the trouble since we didn't see anything all that special. Somehow, though, each discussion turned into a description of the wonders that you can only experience in this way, and she eagerly sent photos off to all her friends. I knew she would think it was a great trip once she forgot how much work it was.

General Info
Wildlife: We saw mule deer, a flock of turkeys at the garden, and some slightly menacing cattle near the high point of the return trip. There were was bear hair snagged on nails at the cabin by the ball mill. It looked like a good scratching spot.
Cabin and Water:The Powers Garden cabin has changed a lot since my last visit. The back room has been torn down (and apparently burned). A new water line runs from the spring to the cabin, and there is running water (for now) both inside and outside the cabin. I don't give it long, though. I verified that the cutoff valve that controls both taps has already failed, probably from freezing. Water was flowing pretty well.
Trail Info:Most trails are in pretty good shape, especially those worked by the crew. However, the trail that runs west from the saddle above the mine is thoroughly overgrown with Wait a Minute and other nasty stuff, to the point of being detectable only if you know it should be there. The crew said they offered to clear that one, too, but the Forest Service told them not to, so maybe it's going away.

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Apache Plume

Fauna

Fauna [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Coues White-tailed Deer Cow Tarantula Wild Turkey

Geology

Geology [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Unidentified Geology

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Powers Cabin

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Oct 15 2010

Carioca43

Routes 1
Photos 150
Triplogs 35

58 male

Joined Nov 03 2008
QC AZ

Tucson, AZ

Backpack		Oct 15 2010
		Carioca43 • Triplogs 35

Backpack	26.00 Miles	2,300 AEG

Backpack	26.00 Miles	3 Days
	2,300 ft AEG

no routes

no photosets

Linked

linked

Rattlesnake Canyon - Galiuros

Partners

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I have been planning this with my boys for some time. We made to the Mesa late and camped on top. The next morning we started out from Rattlesnake Mesa. Road was too rough to make to the Powers Hill boundary. So we hiked in. Enjoyed the hike in. Canyon is rugged and gorgeous. I enjoyed riparian diversity was very glad some recent trail work had been done to clear a path through some overgrown areas. Our biggest challenges were finding dry paths (rock hopping)across Rattlesnake Creek & then the bugs hammered the boys as we closed in on the Garden. Lots of animal tracks and scat. The bears want you to know they are there. My boys soon begin calling them treats as we would step over them. I am guessing approximately 500 - 750ft. They eat acorns and juniper berries predominantly.

We found the cabin unoccupied so we settled in. Enjoyed the fire ring & exploring the facilities.

Day 2: We headed out to Powers Cabin. Hike through Rattlesnake Canyon was much the same but we took the trail to the spring and then worked our way up Boulder hopping until we got back onto the trail. Headed up the canyon at the turnoff & began the ascent through the manzanita. Stopped at the Saddle for lunch and then headed down the steep mesquite catclaw path to the Cabin. On the way we checked out the Ball Mill and bear paw prints on the water tank the cabin was cool too. Then we found the mine and the old Ingersoll Rand Tractor (I am guessing it kept the roads passable back in the day) Then up and around the Shootout Cabin. Tried to take as much in as possible and share with my 13 year old boys the history. We are friends with the great nephew of one of the lawmen that was killed here.

Made much quicker time back to the Garden cabin and settled in for the night.

Day 3: Opened the door to 4 Cous Deer browsing in the garden 2 were skittish but the other 2 even came closer while we were quiet and watched. Packed up and headed out.

Love the ruggedness of this area and the fact we went 3 days without seeing anyone was good too.

Autumn Foliage Observation Light

Powers Garden Spring

Gallon + per minute

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2 archives

Mar 29 2008

RedRoxx44

Guides 5
Photos 26,458
Triplogs 807

female

Joined Feb 15 2003
outside, anywher

Tucson, AZ

Backpack		Mar 29 2008
		RedRoxx44 • Triplogs 807

Backpack	26.00 Miles

Backpack	26.00 Miles	2 Days 4 Hrs

no routes

Linked

none

no linked trail guides

Partners

none

no partners

From Jackson Cabin/Muleshoe via Redfield Canyon to Hooker Cabin to Cedar Flat, over the Divide, past Long Tom mine and cabins, into Keilberg Canyon and to Power Mine and Cabin.
Doing some personal research into the escape route ridden by the Powers as they left the cabin and out to Redington. Looked for an old route in main Keilberg Canyon; found a bushwack route probably not suitable for horses. Think Grassy Ridge via Grassy Peak was one way. However looked around the old cabin too and found more evidence of a different approach than present.
Great route, fair water and a little flowers. Nice visit home.

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Wooden Dwelling

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Nov 15 2005

big_load

Routes 26
Photos 1,288
Triplogs 124

66 male

Joined Oct 28 2003
Andover, NJ