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| Hiking | 11.85 Miles |
5,117 AEG |
| | Hiking | 11.85 Miles | 8 Hrs 14 Mns | | 1.71 mph |
| 5,117 ft AEG | 1 Hour 19 Mns Break | 12 LBS Pack | | |
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| partners | | Yesterday, I suffered a very mild heat stress, so today I would take no chances and would re-gear for the heat; big ol' hat, 3 liter Camel, spare 3 liter Camel, 1+ liters in bottles, tossed the survival kit out of my pack and was ready to rip.
I met up with Roy at 7:45 and we departed. We hit the trail at around 9:00 as I recall and began our upward march. Only a short way in, a mist began to fall, then subside, then repeat... The atmosphere was extremely pleasant and the lighting was perfect for enjoying the views. And what views they are. We had the perfect conditions all the way to the top, or I should say almost to the top :/ Just after Armour Spring, we were so focused on the ground and finding the trail, that we failed to notice the squall that had developed over head. Then with only a few seconds notice, it hit! We quickly dropped pack and geared up for rain, and with the peak only a few hundred yards ahead of us, we stupidly trudged on  At the peak, it was more wind than rain, so we took a quick photo-op and signed the register before making a hasty retreat. Upon our departure, the rain:wind ratio inverted, then the whole thing just went ^2. I can't speak for Roy, but as for my self, fear was keeping me warm and vertical(or seemingly so). It wasn't until Armour Spring, that the weather gave in and we could assess our situation and it was far less than we had hoped or planned for. ...But aside from that; soaked, cold, numb, hungry, tired and giggling like a couple of drunk teenagers, we made our way back to the TH.
That was one wild ride!!!
Thanks Roy for the adventure and for driving down. I'll see you on Friday... |
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Route Editor
Route Scout
](https://hikearizona.com/dex2/images/smilies/eusa_wall.gif "Brick wall")
. Things were straightforward up until the last saddle where we missed the cairn which marks the normal route to the peak. Instead we went over to the left where it looked less brushy and more rocky. This was rough, particularly without long pants. After about 120 yards and in quite a carved-up condition we came to a rocky outcrop. There for the first time we spotted cairns leading forward, but the route didn't appear to ease up, and we decided we couldn't reasonably press on. No great disappointment cause the views of Madera Canyon, Wrightson, and Elephant Head were already great. There was another cairn leading back, and the route it marked was an absolute walk in the park compared to the way we'd come up. Back at the saddle we took a few minutes to build up the cairn we'd originally missed. Gotta try again soon with proper attire and a better idea of the way.
From Florida Saddle it was up along the Crest Trail for about 0.3 mile to the junction with the Armour Spring Trail. Followed this over to Armour Spring, where the unmarked Four Springs Trail starts. From here it is a short ways to McCleary Saddle, where the cairned hikers route to the peak takes off up the ridge. Didn't spend much time on top because it was pretty warm, plus there was a nice big cloud developing nearby which let me know I should get off the peak. Sure enough, when I stopped at Armour Spring on my way down, it started raining lightly. But NO THUNDER, so it was pleasant. Continued raining lightly as I headed back down the switchbacks, but stopped before I got out of the pines. The wildflowers were fantastic during the entire hike. I had kind of forgotten what a great hike this is. Nice to see it again. 
