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| Hiking | 12.00 Miles |
1,500 AEG |
| | Hiking | 12.00 Miles | | | |
| 1,500 ft AEG | | | | |
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| no partners | | Birds, Bees, Butterflies and Blooms. Oh yeah, there was also a Lake and a Reptilian Amputee. I thought Bart was a Roller Coaster, but I soon realized that's it's a much shorter ride.  I got a good look at the whole thing from both sides though, which was interesting.
I guess I timed this one about right since it sounds like the Day and Camping Areas are going to be closing. Judging from what I saw at SB Cove, I totally get it. I parked at Rattlesnake Day Use and decided to get Palo Verde done first since it's longer. Good Call. At 6:30 there were a few cars in the parking lot, but not a soul to be seen. If you don't count the Bass Fishermen actually on the lake, I didn't run into another soul for the first 4 hours. This was totally a Photography Hike, as the Birds and the Blooms kept me pretty occupied. If you're into Brittlebush, Lupines and Chuparosa, this Hike's for you. A few sparse patches of Poppies in the first half out and Owl Clover made a showing towards the SB Cove end. Got a Hat Trick of Cardinals before I was even halfway to SB Cove.
When they built this Trail, it's pretty apparent they wanted to keep you on the Lake Side of everything. That means up and down every ridge and in, out and around every inlet and cove. As a Crow flies, the distance is probably less than a mile.  I made a mistake and wore the wrong shoes. Trail is hard packed with that fine little scree that makes balding Trail Runners lose their grip occasionally. But I never went down, at least not intentionally. This puppy was a bit more of a workout than I expected, but it was all good. The Weather has been hard on this Trail and it could use some Love at some point. Took my first long break overlooking SB Cove. Wasn't quite halfway yet, but after seeing how SB Cove looked, it was good spot. Continued on after the break, but didn't go quite all the way in to the Recreation Area itself. Started running into people and the Recreation Area was an absolute zoo. Turned around and found an alternative trail that skipped the last peninsula and tied back into the main trail. Cut about 3/4 of a mile off on the return. I was happy since I'm not a fan of Out and Backs anyway. Always looking for loop options, even if tiny. The Weather was so interesting. Started out the morning with blue, cloudless skies and then by the time I hit SB Cove, big puffy clouds were coming in pretty fast. By the time I got back to Rattlesnake, it was overcast completely. 1/2 mile out from Rattlesnake I started running into people, but only a couple until the Day Use Area itself. Several people fishing off the dock but everyone was spread out there. A lot more people milling around. For some reason, Turkey Vultures were really frequenting this area and swooping in really low. Almost like they were used to being fed by the Fishermen? I don't know, but I swear they were almost taking off people's heads on the dock. I was getting shots of them below me from the parking lot. Apparently they really like hanging out with the crowds as I found their perch later.
Took a long break at the Escape and decided I had just enough daylight left to do Jojoba, so off I went. It was getting dark quicker due to the clouds. Ran into several people doing this trail. For a short trail, it was super nice. Great views all the way. I lost the trail towards the end going through a wash, but picked up a use trail that tied back into it. Found the right trail down to the wash on the way back. Another mini loop. On the way back there's another trail out to a large peninsula and I took that out and back a ways. Didn't go clear to the end of it due to time. From the looks of the sky, there would be no sunset over the lake on this day. Got to the Escape just before dark and drove on out. 2 miles out on Bartlett Dam Road and the sky lit up over Carefree/Cave Creek, but it was short lived and I didn't stop for it.
It was a good day. Got a workout, camera got a workout and I probably set a record for the amount of Images I took on a hike. Tough shooting conditions in a way, the wildflowers were spread out and competing with a lot of different flora and tons of foxtails. After going through all these Photos, I think I'm about bloomed out. Glad I got to finally do these Trails and in a banner wildflower year, I'll probably do them again. They might be nice for a Sunrise/Sunset and/or Storm Shoot too. 
Totally done trying to cull photos, sorry. I can't spend anymore time on it right now. So it's a Bomb of a Set. |
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Wildflowers Observation Substantial
Lots of Brittlebush and Lupine. Some Chuparosa mixed in for some nice reds. A few Sparse Poppy Patches and Owl Clover makes a nice appearance in places. A few other types of blooms too. |
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| Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty & well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, totally worn out & proclaiming, "Wow What a Ride!" |
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Route Editor
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Route 
. There’s been recent trail maintenance along the ATV trails.
The half-moon was bright enough for us to hike back without flashlights 
