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| Hiking | 13.79 Miles |
2,708 AEG |
| | Hiking | 13.79 Miles | 8 Hrs 19 Mns | | 1.75 mph |
| 2,708 ft AEG | 26 Mns Break | | | |
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| partners | | I was enticed back to the JF/Tortilla THs with an offer I couldn't refuse...a ride. In a vehicle. Out and back on the notorious FS213. 
The day started early, since we knew there was a potential for it to be fairly long, what with the planned exploration of Trap Canyon. We jostled down the road, with the conversation touching on other interesting explorations in the area - it was definitely much more enjoyable than the last time I was on the road (walking!) We arrived at the trailhead, scaring off several desert cottontails as we headed off down the trail.
After a short walk up the JF Trail, we hit the junction for Hoolie Bacon. The area around Tortilla creek was as I remembered it, though this time it had a decent amount of flowing water (with marinating cow pies). Climbing out of Tortilla Creek, looking back, there were nice views of the snow frosted Four Peaks, and as we hit the saddle, there were nice views of Music and Herman's Mountains.
On our descent towards Trap Canyon, I was glad to discover that I'm not the only experienced desert hiker who can walk right past the designated trail - I only cackled in delight a little bit  and in fairness, the gents were talking amongst themselves and didn't make it far before figuring out they'd missed the curve in the trail.
Once we hit the mouth of Trap, Wally took the lead, blazing a path through the brush. The mouth of the canyon is plenty enticing, with neat geology to lure you in. Not too far down canyon, we were treated to a section riddled with metates/mortars - they were definitely more mortar shaped (circular openings, and some quite deep) than what I typically think of as metate shaped (oblong and shallow). Sadly, no sherds were found, but they could be buried under the copious amounts of sand that moves in with any large flow event.
After exploring the metate shelves, we made our way further down canyon until we hit a constriction between some house sized boulders and a pair of chockstones. The drop from the lower stone looked to be 8-10 feet and a challenge to upclimb (and the downclimb wouldn't have been particularly delightful either). We decided to turn around and return at a later date to see if we could explore Trap from the other side.
In lieu of exploring Trap, we decided to head towards Brad's Water to have a look at what remained in the area. The walk up Brad's Canyon towards Brad's Water is an exercise in finding the path of least resistance - sometimes finding a clear path on one of the benches, sometimes walking in the drainage itself, and sometimes picking your way through catclaw. Not far from Brad's Water are the remains of Brad's Cabin, which was really neat to see. The cabin remains include the concrete foundation and mortared walls along with an array of old tools including a pickaxe, some pliers, and an axe head, amongst other things.
After exploring the site, we headed back the way we came, stopping in a shady spot for lunch. The recent rains left the ground damp in places, and all that moisture certainly contributed to higher humidity levels. We were glad for the occasional breeze that kicked up as we made our way back to the trailhead (I swear there were more uphill sections that I recalled on the way in!).
It was a fantastic day to be out hiking with wonderful company - it was great to meet both Andy and Wally and get a chance to hear about their explorations in the area and elsewhere. |
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Wildflowers Observation Isolated
a singular strawberry hedgehog was spotted in bloom. |
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| Happier when hiking....I may not move fast (and I'm often distracted by wildflowers), but I'll get there eventually |
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Route Editor
Route Scout
and in fairness, the gents were talking amongst themselves and didn't make it far before figuring out they'd missed the curve in the trail. 
Route 
](https://hikearizona.com/dex2/images/smilies/eusa_wall.gif "Brick wall"){kind=small}
Wally advised there are remains of the cabin at a site just north of that, which is now an outer rock wall with an inner rock wall and concrete foundation. There are a ton of old tools and a bed still at the site. From there we found a nice lunch spot in the shade and started the uneventful hike back to the truck, where once we got to the top of Horse Ridge, Wally put the afterburners on and waited for us at the JF/Hoolie Bacon junction. Was pretty chilly at the start of the hike but got hot on the hike out as Hoolie Bacon has no shade at all from the sun. Saw a couple of backpackers at the Red Tanks/Hoolie Bacon junction asking about water and that was it for the day and no wildlife besides a couple of rabbits. Hoolie Bacon has a good amount of catclaw, most of it just off-trail some hangers will get you from time to time. I will have to try Trap from the Red Tanks side in the fall as the canyon is beautiful. Thanks, Wally, Andy, and S for joining, it's always a good time!
This trail does so early and often. Nature is reclaiming this one, and in my view, having a gps track is essential. There were periodic cairns, but standing at the cairn, it was often difficult to figure out which direction to go from there. Most of this trail is pretty blah by Superstition standards, with the exception of the initial jaunt through a brief canyon, and then on the back end, as you descend to the Dutchman junction. 
You'll also likely have some cactus spines that one of your significant others can help remove afterwards. Nitty Gritty Slitty Kitty!
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