Cave Creek TH to Spur Cross TH Shuttle • Hike • Arizona • All Triplogs • HikeArizona.COM

Phoenix, AZ

Hiking		Dec 03 2022
		xsproutx • Triplogs 31

Hiking	12.50 Miles	1,700 AEG

Hiking	12.50 Miles
	1,700 ft AEG

no routes

no photosets

Linked

none

no linked trail guides

Partners

none

no partners

Quick overnight trip; I wanted to do a little recon for a larger trip I have planned that included checking out the water situation since I've only been up to this one once before. I started in the seven springs area and hiked in around 5 miles before turning back and camping around the Big Maggie May area. Cave Creek is running nicely and it was a pretty great camp site for my hammock. Was hoping there would still be a little color left but all the leaves have dropped so no luck on that front.
Question: Cave Creek is running nicely here. I don't have much experience with this creek but I see the USGS gauge near Spur Cross shows it at two feet. Can I expect it to have water in the creek bed from here to there?

Big Maggie May

Medium flow

Mar 13 2022

Frostshocknoob

Routes 228
Triplogs 215

36 male

Joined Sep 05 2014
Phoenix, AZ

Phoenix, AZ

Hiking		Mar 13 2022
		Frostshocknoob • Triplogs 215

Hiking	10.85 Miles	1,984 AEG

Hiking	10.85 Miles	5 Hrs 4 Mns	2.39 mph
	1,984 ft AEG	32 Mns Break

no photosets

Linked

linked

Skull Mesa from Spur Cross TH

Partners

none

no partners

_____________________

Jan 04 2022

The_Eagle

Guides 41
Routes 1,627
Photos 14,983
Triplogs 2,762

69 male

Joined Jan 20 2009
Far NE Phoenix,

Skull Mesa from Spur Cross TH

Phoenix, AZ

Hiking		Jan 04 2022
		The_Eagle • Triplogs 2,762

Hiking	12.29 Miles	2,974 AEG

Hiking	12.29 Miles	5 Hrs 6 Mns		2.74 mph
	2,974 ft AEG	37 Mns Break	12 LBS Pack

Linked

linked

Skull Mesa Trail #248

Partners

partners

Bobzilla

Route Recorded on Route Scout | Pop | Map | Popup | MapDEX

Rob had never been to the top of Skull Mesa and we were looking for a bit of a workout, nearby.

Perfect weather for the climb up. We sook the short cut trail on the way up and Cottonwood #247 to Cave Creek Trail #4 on the way back. I like this selection, because the shortcut trail gives you a steady climb, where the Cottonwood Trail does more roller coasting. The views on the Cottonwood trail are better IMHO. So going down, you get to enjoy them more.

We passed a few hikers on the way up, including Beatrice from Switzerland. She was looking for some help finding her way to the #248 trail to the top. Up top, we had some lunch and chatted with her for awhile. She and her husband have been traveling the USA to determine where they want to retire. They've settled on the valley. She's an avid hiker.

All trails were in great shape and easy to follow. With a little work, we were able to keep our feet dry on all Cave Creek crossings on the return trip.

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Point

_____________________

There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness."
Dave Barry

1 archive

Nov 21 2021

ScaredyCat

Guides 2
Routes 208
Photos 93
Triplogs 205

male

Joined Aug 08 2020
Phx az

Phoenix, AZ

Hiking		Nov 21 2021
		ScaredyCat • Triplogs 205

Hiking	13.87 Miles	1,267 AEG

Hiking	13.87 Miles	7 Hrs 39 Mns	1.99 mph
	1,267 ft AEG	40 Mns Break

no photosets

Linked

linked

Partners

none

no partners

Route Recorded on Route Scout | Pop | Map | Popup | MapDEX

Had this 1 on my radar for a while. Actually got someone to agree to do this. Yes it requires some set up but u r able to cover so much more ground this way. We both had lots of fun with this 1. Already planning the next car chain outing.

Much beauty to behold during the early portions of this outing. Feels like u have left PHX far behind. Not overly difficult. During the middle section, the trail becomes difficult to follow. At 1 point we tried following cows.

U truly get away from it all out here. We saw no one the last 10+ miles.

Road to Spur cross fine for cars. Drive to 7 Springs is rough but peeps do take cars.

Autumn Foliage Observation Moderate
Impressive Fall colors in areas tho inconsistent.

Sep 11 2021

GrangerGuy

Guides 34
Routes 138
Photos 931
Triplogs 111

68 male

Joined Dec 26 2018
Phoenix, AZ

Phoenix, AZ

Hiking		Sep 11 2021
		GrangerGuy • Triplogs 111

Hiking	10.86 Miles	1,824 AEG

Hiking	10.86 Miles	6 Hrs 46 Mns		1.81 mph
	1,824 ft AEG	46 Mns Break	15 LBS Pack

Linked

linked

Partners

none

no partners

This is a beautiful hike. Need more people out here to keep the trails from fading away.

Got an 4:30 AM start on this so I could finish before it got really hot. The road in looks like it was recently bladed and is in good shape. Where Trail 247 leaves Trail 4 and crosses the creek, the preferred route is a little uncertain. Once across the creek, however, route finding is not difficult. If you look closely at my GPS track near Skunk Tank, you will see that I got off the trail for a while. Once I found it, I came back to the deep cut so I had a good track. Recommend staying to the left of the deep cut when leaving skunk tank, then cross it to stay on the best trail. Quite a bit of catclaw on the route. Long pants recommended at this time. Good water flowing in Cave Creek all along.

	Skunk Tank	1-25% full	1-25% full
	There was muddy water in the tank.

	Skunk Tank Canyon	Pools to trickle	Pools to trickle
	There were pools in the canyon just below Skunk Tank.

Nov 15 2020

kaiboxer

Routes 7
Photos 3
Triplogs 35

51 male

Joined Sep 12 2006
Phoenix, AZ

Phoenix, AZ

Hiking		Nov 15 2020
		kaiboxer • Triplogs 35

Hiking	6.00 Miles	1,700 AEG

Hiking	6.00 Miles	23 Hrs		0.26 mph
	1,700 ft AEG		31 LBS Pack

no routes

no photosets

Linked

none

no linked trail guides

Partners

none

no partners

Third time taking kids into this area. A great hike to find out if they will like backpacking. Relatively flat, nicely shaded, a number of places to make camp, and water in the creek all three times.

Autumn Foliage Observation Moderate
There were cottonwoods and oaks changing still.

	Big Maggie May	Light flow	Light flow
	The creek here is flowing.

	Little Maggie May	Dry	Dry
	I've never know what Little Maggie May is, but the creek is flowing nicely right now.

	Seven Springs Wash	Pools to trickle	Pools to trickle
	There was water along the western side of the CCC Campground, and flowing over the road.

_____________________

Apr 13 2019

rayhuston

Guides 1
Routes 448
Photos 4,407
Triplogs 939

68 male

Joined Mar 09 2012
Gilbert, AZ

[ checklist ] Desert Mariposa Indian Paintbrush Microseris New Mexico Thistle Saguaro - Crested

Phoenix, AZ

Hiking		Apr 13 2019
		rayhuston • Triplogs 939

Hiking	7.07 Miles	708 AEG

Hiking	7.07 Miles	4 Hrs 10 Mns	1.92 mph
	708 ft AEG	29 Mns Break

no routes

Linked

none

no linked trail guides

Partners

none

no partners

A college buddy, Reed, is in town this weekend. We had one day to make the most of it. I think we did.

We had breakfast at 8am at Butters in Scottsdale, close to his hotel, then headed for the Cave Creek trailhead. My first time on this trail so I hoped to enjoy it just as much as I knew he would. The goal was to see a couple of crested saguaros. We saw one, but not without the assistance of three other hikers we came across.

My buddy is a talker. At the 3 mile mark, he wasn't as talkative as he was earlier so I decided to turn us around. He didn't argue. A short while later, we ran into the three hikers, Annie, Paula and Judy, who were on their way to the saguaro. Annie said it was less than a quarter mile away. We both wanted to see it, so we decided to join them.

Glad we did. It was a wonderful sight to see and four of us were seeing it for the first time. Amazing. We turned around there and hiked back with our new acquaintances, whereupon we came across a Gila monster. A bonus!

The trail is in great shape. There is some tall grass that covers the trail in one spot. Light flow along most of the creek. Two wet crossings along the way, but plenty of rocks to hop across. Lots of wildflowers along the trail. The weather was perfect. A slight breeze kept us cool all day.

We finished up with Nachos at the Mountain View Pub in Cave Creek. Great day to be out. Great to get out my good friend after so many years.

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

Fauna

Fauna [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Gila Monster

Wildflowers Observation Moderate

_____________________

1 archive

Jan 21 2019

Routes 36
Photos 2,658
Triplogs 1,348

67 male

Joined Jul 28 2004
Scottsdale, AZ

Phoenix, AZ

Hiking		Jan 21 2019
		mazatzal • Triplogs 1,348

Hiking	9.90 Miles	1,120 AEG

Hiking	9.90 Miles
	1,120 ft AEG

no routes

Linked

linked

Partners

none

no partners

A little chilly when the breeze kicked up. Only saw a couple of people on our way back along trail 4
Good flow in Cave Creek.

Autumn Foliage Observation Isolated

Wildflowers Observation Isolated

_____________________

2 archives

Apr 01 2018

Yoder

Guides 8
Routes 70
Photos 3,208
Triplogs 273

59 male

Joined Oct 07 2017
Chandler, AZ

Spur Cross Loop

Spur Cross Loop

Phoenix, AZ

Hiking		Apr 01 2018
		Yoder • Triplogs 273

Hiking	7.60 Miles	1,608 AEG

Hiking	7.60 Miles	3 Hrs 47 Mns		2.31 mph
	1,608 ft AEG	30 Mns Break	5 LBS Pack

no routes

Linked

linked

Elephant Mountain Trail - Spur Cross

Limestone Trail #252 - Spur Cross

Tortuga Trail - Spur Cross

Partners

none

no partners

Full moon on the 31st, so we decided to do a night hike. We decided combine the Spur Cross, Elephant and Limestone segments along with a little dirt road walking to make a 7.4 mile loop.

Generally I like to do hikes I have done before when doing night hikes, and I had already done Elephant, and Tortuga before, and these are very well marked trails. I figured that the Limestone Trail segment would be similar in nature. That proved wrong, the Limestone segment proved to be a bit less traveled, and sections were not nearly as defined. Also the terrain was a bit more work.

3 or 4 times we lost the trail, but thankfully we had our GPS, and we quickly re-found the trail. The Limestone segment is odd in that many parts are well defined, while some areas, it seems to fade. Of course hiking at night may make finding the trail a bit more challenging! what made things a little harder is that it just seemed darker than normal with a full moon. Seems the clouds weren't helping in this respect. The Limestone trail is a bit more hazards than the other trails, short steep sections with lots of "rollers" - Stones about 1/2 fist size that like rolling out from under your feet when you step on them. Took my first fall-on-you-butt fall I have had in years on this trail.

But didn't suffer to much. Conclusion - Keep to the trails you have done before when night hiking. That being said, I think the Limestone trail may have some excellent views. I want to go back during the day to get some real photos, didn't get very good ones this time, I took the mono-pod instead of the tripod, so my exposures were limited to less than 2 seconds and even then they weren't great.

All-In-All I think this hike has great potential, and expect there is a lot less traffic on the Limestone section of this hike. For some reason this hike just seems like it covers alot more terrain than the other loops I have make in this area.

	Cave Creek - SPRCA	Light flow	Light flow
	At the corral area and going south for a while

_____________________

J. Yoder

1 archive

Dec 29 2017

KBKB

Guides 3
Routes 25
Photos 2,216
Triplogs 237

63 male

Joined Apr 22 2012
Fountain Hills,

Phoenix, AZ

Hiking		Dec 29 2017
		KBKB • Triplogs 237

Hiking	12.50 Miles	1,700 AEG

Hiking	12.50 Miles	6 Hrs 24 Mns		2.37 mph
	1,700 ft AEG	1 Hour 8 Mns Break	26.5 LBS Pack

Linked

none

no linked trail guides

Partners

none

no partners

On Friday, Dec 29, I led a party of five, counting myself, from the Cave Creek Trailhead to the Spur Cross Trailhead.

After doing this one, I now realize why I don't do more hikes requiring a shuttle - there's a lot of driving involved. Our hiking time was around six and a half hours and my driving time was over four and a half hours. Just driving from Spur Cross to Cave Creek takes about an hour - and you (or someone in your party) has to do it twice.

But, driving aside, it's a great hike.

We chose to follow Cave Creek #4, then hiked Road 48 which eventually turned into the Spur Cross Trail.

There were a number of creek crossings - all of the early ones crossed water. Rock / boulder hopping got us across without getting or feet wet - at least not much.

I loaded the official route for this hike onto my GPS watch. We never really needed it though as the trail is easy to follow the entire way. The distance is accurate too - I ended up with 12.55 miles on my watch. The AEG is a bit puzzling though; I ended up with only 1037 feet on my Suunto Ambit 3.

_____________________

Nov 25 2017

Routes 36
Photos 2,658
Triplogs 1,348

67 male

Joined Jul 28 2004
Scottsdale, AZ

Phoenix, AZ

Hiking		Nov 25 2017
		mazatzal • Triplogs 1,348

Hiking	9.90 Miles	1,120 AEG

Hiking	9.90 Miles
	1,120 ft AEG

no routes

Linked

linked

Partners

none

no partners

Quick trip round this loop - first time counter clockwise.

_____________________

1 archive

Nov 25 2017

kaiboxer

Routes 7
Photos 3
Triplogs 35

51 male

Joined Sep 12 2006
Phoenix, AZ

Phoenix, AZ

Backpack		Nov 25 2017
		kaiboxer • Triplogs 35

Backpack	5.61 Miles	300 AEG

Backpack	5.61 Miles	21 Hrs		1.40 mph
	300 ft AEG		34 LBS Pack

no routes

no photosets

Linked

none

no linked trail guides

Partners

none

no partners

Nice short hike to get out of Phoenix. In the 80s in November -- ridiculous --- but got chilly last night. Second time taking my son out here, there are great spots to camp by the creek around 2.5 miles in. Won't be the last time we take this short trip.

	Lopez Tank	26-50% full	26-50% full
	Not sure where Lopez tank is, but there is flowing water in Cave Creek here.

	Quien Sabe Creek	Dry	Dry
	Dry

	Seven Springs Wash	Dry	Dry
	Dry, was dry 2 months ago too.

_____________________

Nov 21 2017

Cave Creek Indian Ruins at Chalk Canyon

Routes 36
Photos 2,658
Triplogs 1,348

67 male

Joined Jul 28 2004
Scottsdale, AZ

6L Ranch Loop, AZ

Hiking		Nov 21 2017
		mazatzal • Triplogs 1,348

Hiking	12.00 Miles	1,540 AEG

Hiking	12.00 Miles	6 Hrs 20 Mns	2.12 mph
	1,540 ft AEG	40 Mns Break

no routes

Linked

linked

Spur Cross Trail

Metate Trail - Spur Cross

Partners

partners

jhelfers

From Spur Cross we followed Cave Creek out to 6L ranch and then east to join trail 4 and back to Spur Cross.

Saw one deer and when we were almost back at Spur Cross we met Widowmaker and Rowdy. Nice to see you again.

I've never seen the area this dry.

Autumn Foliage Observation Isolated

_____________________

Nov 01 2017

Oregon_Hiker

Guides 9
Routes 473
Photos 8,433
Triplogs 626

79 male

Joined Dec 07 2010
Phoenix, AZ

Cave Creek #4 to Rock House, AZ

Hiking		Nov 01 2017
		Oregon_Hiker • Triplogs 626

Hiking	9.90 Miles	1,011 AEG

Hiking	9.90 Miles	7 Hrs 11 Mns	1.57 mph
	1,011 ft AEG	53 Mns Break

Linked

linked

Partners

none

no partners

This was my first hike of the fall season in the Cave Creek area. My Michigan snowbird neighbor and part time hiking buddy was back in town for a few weeks and itching for a hike. So we headed to Seven Springs for an out-and-back hike down the Cave Creek #4 trail to the Rock House. We started the hike at the pull out for the side road (FR24B) to the old Ashdale Ranger Station instead of starting at the official trail head thus reducing the round trip distance by 0.8 miles. Lower Cave Creek at Spur Cross is dry but there was water flowing in this upper part of the canyon from the Seven Springs area through most of the narrows on the south side of Cramm Mountain. At that point the water disappears underground and the creek was dry after that. The pools in the narrows all had water and several are deep enough for taking a refreshing dip if one is so inclined (we weren't). Fall foliage was pretty much nonexistent. The cottonwoods were all still green but I'm more of a fan for green than for fall colors. I've gotten kind of burned out on desert scenery but this hike was still a real pleaser with the trees lining the creek, the emerald green pools of water in the narrows and the forests of saguaro on the south facing walls of the canyon. Those emerald green pools at the base of Cramm Mountain were the inspiration for the name (Emerald Lode) of the first prospecting claim filed there in 1877. The mountain was named for Richard Cramm, one of the two prospectors who made that claim and who settled down at the base of the mountain to work it.

The trail is starting to get a little overgrown with catclaw Acacia bushes after passing the junction with the Skunk Tank trail. There is evidence of some pruning along the trail before that junction. When we stopped at the Rock House for lunch I noticed that Jackie's dark blue pants were now decorated with tiny tufts of lighter colored fabric thanks to her catclaw encounters. She seemed to take this misfortune in stride even when I suggested that perhaps the tiny tufts might start a new fashion trend. I never thought to take any photos of the Rock House because I've been there several times before. [ photo ] It dates to historical times and was built with rocks re-purposed from the ruins of an ancient Indian village. Scattered Indian pottery sherds and bits of broken glass from old whiskey bottles give clues to the past inhabitants of this site. One story I've heard on the Rock House origins is that it was a stage coach/freight wagon way station along an old wagon road that continued on a route through Bloody Basin. It is supposed to have connected to the old military road that passed through New River to Fort Whipple near Prescott. I've found evidence of the old road bed where it climbed up out of Cave Creek near the 6L Ranch, passes near the Rock House, then crosses the creek and angles up the north side of the canyon a short distance west of Cramm Mountain. Another possible explanation for that old road bed is that it was built in the late 1800s to provide access to the mining activity at Cramm Mountain and the Rock House was a miner's shack. I have been unable to verify either of these possibilities despite a visit to the Cave Creek Historical Museum and reading a couple of local history books on the area.

Autumn Foliage Observation Isolated
Very isolated

_____________________

4 archives

Feb 27 2017

norm5715

Routes 25
Photos 19
Triplogs 36

male

Joined Jan 27 2014

Spur Cross toward Skull Mesa, AZ

Hiking		Feb 27 2017
		norm5715 • Triplogs 36

Hiking	8.23 Miles	1,310 AEG

Hiking	8.23 Miles	4 Hrs 3 Mns	2.16 mph
	1,310 ft AEG	14 Mns Break

no photosets

Linked

linked

Partners

none

no partners

The group of 10 hikers set off toward Skull Mesa. Our intent was to go about 8 miles(4 miles in and 4 miles out). We did not plan to go the entire 6 plus miles to the mesa.

The weather was cool and comfortable.

We had to cross Cottonwood creek 6 times in each direction. One crossing generally has a bridge to make it easier to get across the stream, however, due to expected rain, the bridge was removed. The water was quite high and crossing, at times was difficult. Go figure, water in Arizona.

About 30 minutes after our turn around point (4 miles) it began to rain. The slippery rocks and higher water made crossing the creek more difficult.

A few of us decided to wade through the creek by the last couple crossing. Footing on the main was safe and easy to navigate, even in the rain.

I'm always amazed at the beauty of the desert, even when the conditions aren't perfect and can't wait to do the hike again.

_____________________

Jan 17 2017

survivordude

Routes 61
Photos 1,008
Triplogs 224

44 male

Joined Aug 19 2009
The Basin

Phoenix, AZ

Hiking		Jan 17 2017
		survivordude • Triplogs 224

Hiking	10.60 Miles	1,904 AEG

Hiking	10.60 Miles	6 Hrs 29 Mns	1.97 mph
	1,904 ft AEG	1 Hour 6 Mns Break

Linked

linked

Partners

none

no partners

Had an extra day off and didn't want to go too far so thought I would check out Cave Creek area. Went with the buddy Zeke who is not much of a hiker but wanted to get out after a tough week. Didn't see anyone else on the trail the entire time. We started at Seven Springs Campground and followed the Cave Creek trail. This was an excellent hike on mostly flat ground right near the creek the whole time. After about 2 miles, the trail crept out of the undergrowth to a ledge above. There was a lot of water in the creek which created several small but cool looking waterfalls. Just after 4 miles in, We turned left on the Skunk Tank Trail. This promptly started switchbacking its way up the hill. It was a pretty easy climb for me but Zeke was slowing down a bit so I let him lead and he actually made a pretty good pace. Stopped near Skunk Tank for some lunch and then continued on up the hill. The rest of the loop around was up on the hill, nothing too exciting, but there were far reaching views. Most of the hiking was through remnants of a burnt out forest. Once full and green, now mostly just the shrubs are thriving. There were tons of tracks out there. Everything from deer to javalina, coyote, and racoon or ringtail critter tracks. Also I saw 2 more real Arizona Cardinals when 2 months ago, I didn't think they truly existed in AZ!

Fauna

Fauna [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Cardinal

_____________________

“There is nothing that exists outside the thought of the immediate moment.”

Oct 15 2016

Nightstalker

Routes 189
Photos 7,244
Triplogs 1,742

57 male

Joined Apr 25 2011
Goodyear, AZ

Phoenix, AZ

Hiking		Oct 15 2016
		Nightstalker • Triplogs 1,742

Hiking	11.30 Miles	2,049 AEG

Hiking	11.30 Miles	6 Hrs 9 Mns		2.22 mph
	2,049 ft AEG	1 Hour 4 Mns Break	14 LBS Pack

no routes

Linked

linked

Partners

none

no partners

I've been wanting to do some hikes up in this area for ages! Today was the day! Texted my hiking buddy Maria and the plan was set. Stopped at the Circle K in Cave Creek and picked up a Tonto Pass and pulled into the trailhead parking lot just past 7am to a blustery 46 degrees! Trail was well marked and easy to follow. There was water in places along Cave Creek and a canopy of trees. We did the loop counter clock-wise following trail 4 all the way to the Skunk Tank junction. At the junction we met up with fellow hikers Melissa and Bob, the owners of the lone car in the parking area when we arrived. We hiked with them for a ways up Skunk Tank trail, but they were burning calories at a faster pace and we bid our new trail friends adieux. Skunk Tank trail is the hard part, lots of up, a couple of downs and more ups! Breathtaking scenery as you climb out of the surrounding canyons. I will definitely to do more hikes in this area!

_____________________

1 archive

Jan 14 2016

AZWanderingBear

Guides 27
Routes 61
Photos 2,620
Triplogs 700

69 male

Joined Jan 23 2008
Phoenix, AZ

Phoenix, AZ

Backpack		Jan 14 2016
		AZWanderingBear • Triplogs 700

Backpack	12.10 Miles	1,408 AEG

Backpack	12.10 Miles	2 Days
	1,408 ft AEG		35 LBS Pack

no routes

Linked

linked

Partners

partners

AZBeaver

There was ice on the ditch water driving out to Seven Springs. This trip was going to be cold, wet too from the looks of everything. Two Gregory packs rode in the back of the Jeep. My old Baltoro was showing its wear well. The spanking new blue Deva was spotless. The trailhead had a surprising number of cars for a weekday, a couple with Canadian tags even.

MJ shouldered her Christmas present Deva and set off up the trail all smiles and anticipation for her second ever backpacking trip. We hit mud, a lot of mud, in the first mile. But the creek was flowing nice and it's a pretty trail. The crossings were all manageable despite a pretty good flow down the creek channel. Met some hiking group of 15 or so returning to the trailhead, thus all the cars.

Hadn't ever been to the campsite that we hoped to use. It's a bit off the trail but by the creek. I had vague directions from another hiker. But we found it quick enough. Nice sand beach, a big tree with exposed roots for sitting on and holding gear, plenty of clear flowing water, nice view, and lots of firewood although it was wet like everything else.

We dropped the packs and had a quick snack. The main purpose of the trip was to get MJ comfortable with some skills for some upcoming backpacking trips without me. So she did the things she wasn't comfortable with and I did the other stuff. Kept a distant but watchful eye on her and got in a ton of wood just in case the night got a little too cold.

With all the wet wood I thought it would be a good challenge to make a one-stick fire. The concept of a one-stick fire is to get everything you need in the way of tinder, kindling, and fuel from a single small piece of wood. Cut a two foot length of standing dead mesquite roughly an 1.5 inches in diameter. The wood was wet outside still but a little better when I split it. Processed it down into the components I needed. The shavings caught a spark from my fire steel on the third strike. The feather sticks caught, but the whole thing was pretty anemic for a while. Kept pushing oxygen into the little flame. The building heat helped against the moisture. Pretty soon the flame was knee high and we were gonna be warm.

MJ worked the stove for a three course rehydrated meal replete with an after dinner cocktail. Hung by the fire for a while, but one side was toasty while the other chilled. The sleeping bags sung their siren song about 8. We alternated waking each other up with our snoring for the next 11 hours. But at least we didn't freeze.

MJ had nursed the fire back to life and even had the water heating for a hot chocolate/coffee combo morning brew by the time I mustered the courage to leave my warm down-filled cocoon and face the morning cold. After breakfast we hiked southbound visiting a few of the trail highlights MJ had never seen. Doubled back and broke down camp and started the slog back to the Jeep. With only one short refreshment break we were back in 2+30. Trail was still pretty muddy in places. There's a lot of water out there right now.

We accomplished what we set out to do. She got some confidence. We mastered the cold. And the first of hopefully many nights out under the stars in 2016 is in the books.

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Sacred Datura

Autumn Foliage Observation Isolated
Willows in a pretty gold along the creek.

	Big Maggie May	Light flow	Light flow
	Nice flow into the creek

	Bronco Creek	Medium flow	Medium flow
	Good flow into Cave Creek

	Quien Sabe Creek	Pools to trickle	Pools to trickle
	Plenty of filterable pools from recent rains

	Seven Springs Wash	Heavy flow	Heavy flow
	Good flow from recent rains

	Skunk Tank Canyon	Pools to trickle	Pools to trickle
	Lots of standing pools from recent rains

	Walnut Spring Canyon	Heavy flow	Heavy flow
	Lots of water flowing

_____________________

All you have is your fire...
And the place you need to reach

1 archive

Jan 14 2016

AZBeaver

Photos 326
Triplogs 124

71 female

Joined Jan 04 2014
Phoenix, AZ

Phoenix, AZ

Backpack		Jan 14 2016
		AZBeaver • Triplogs 124

Backpack	12.10 Miles	1,408 AEG

Backpack	12.10 Miles	2 Days
	1,408 ft AEG		32 LBS Pack

no routes

no photosets

Linked

none

no linked trail guides

Partners

partners

AZWanderingBear

This is the second time in my life I've backpacked. It was a wonderful overnight trip. Got a new Gregory Deva 60 backpack for Christmas. It is no longer a virgin (nor am I, of course). Check out the write up on AZ Wandering Bear for more details on our trip. He is a much better writer than I. He teaches me SO MUCH!!!! The creek water was flowing so nicely. Our camp spot was perfect on a sandy beach with plenty of firewood and level ground to pitch our 2-person tent. I was worried about how cold it would get and it did get mighty cold--36 degrees--but the fire kept us warm. Went to bed early (8 p.m.) snuggling in our sleeping bags and then the snoring started from my partner -- do bears snore in the woods? AZ Wandering Bear certainly does. At least I did not freeze to death and not sure anyone has ever died from snoring.

_____________________

1 archive

Nov 22 2015

Routes 36
Photos 2,658
Triplogs 1,348

67 male

Joined Jul 28 2004
Scottsdale, AZ

Phoenix, AZ

Hiking		Nov 22 2015
		mazatzal • Triplogs 1,348

Hiking	9.90 Miles	1,120 AEG

Hiking	9.90 Miles
	1,120 ft AEG

no routes

Linked

linked