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| | | Manning Camp and Spud Rock via Grass Shack, AZ | | | |
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Manning Camp and Spud Rock via Grass Shack, AZ
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| Backpack | 31.19 Miles |
7,111 AEG |
| | Backpack | 31.19 Miles | 34 Hrs 50 Mns | | 2.05 mph |
| 7,111 ft AEG | | 27 LBS Pack | | |
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| no partners | | Steven and I backpacked into the Rincons. The plan was to take Douglas Spring Trail all the way to Grass Shack and spend the night there, then hike up to Manning Camp and explore the high country a bit before heading back down to Douglas Spring Campground, then hike out the following morning. It would have been nice to stay at Manning Camp the second night, but the campsites were all reserved and I needed to be back in Tucson, showered, by noon.
Friday morning at 8 we started at DS trailhead. Even then it was quite warm, making it a bit of a sweat-fest to DS Campground. I'd only filled my 3/4 liter water bottle to keep the water carry down. There was quite a bit of water below Tina Larga so I tanked up there, had lunch at DS campground and got more water, then proceeded to Cow Head Saddle. Neither of us had been on DS trail past Cow Head before, so that was new. It was much more lush than I expected.
We made it to Grass Shack mid-afternoon, and had the entire campground to ourselves. There was plenty of water in the creek, and it is a truly remarkable place to camp in the backcountry. I mean, there are bear boxes and a bathroom, miles from the nearest road. Since Grass Shack is on the AZT, it gets a lot of use (or at least the bathroom does). There was a bit of a Matterhorn effect in the WC, leading us to wonder how on earth the Park service cleans out the pit. Do they airlift a pump truck? Should you visit, BYOTP.
At dinnertime, it was apparent that neither of us had planned our meals particularly well and we were going to be short on calories, particularly Steven.
Speaking of calories, I saw two deer and a whole bunch of bunnies around Grass Shack. Last year we attempted this itinerary, but at the time the Park service had closed the campground due to mountain lion activity. I can see why big kitties might be active in the area.
Saturday morning was cool, cloudy, and breezy. The cloud decks were below the peaks, and we hoped to make it to elevation before they burned off. We broke camp a bit after 7 and made it to Manning just after 10, so we made decent time but it wasn't fast enough to catch the clouds before they lifted.
Manning was definitely being used, as there were about a half dozen official-looking tents pitched around, and the cabin was open with lots of equipment set up. Nobody seemed to be around except a couple backpackers who left about the same time we arrived.
The falls and pool near Manning were going strong; seeing the falls cutting through the rock and cascading into a series of giant pools was pretty cool.
After scarfing a few bars and snack items we proceeded to Spud Rock. It's a pretty sweet view up there, one of the best in Southern Arizona IMHO. Spud was super windy though, so we didn't stay too long.
Since Steven didn't have enough food for the trip, he decided to hike all the way out instead of camping at Douglas Spring. It had been warm overnight at Grass Shack, and both of us figured it would be even warmer at DS. I figured I'd be pretty tired and would probably camp, but as we descended I started thinking about how nice a hot shower and a regular bed would be over sweating in a tent all night. Though my feet lodged a formal protest against the notion, when I reached DS campground just before 3pm I determined I could rest for 30 minutes and make it back to the car by 7. So I filtered water, ate whatever I had left that didn't require cooking (except a couple bars), and took my shoes off. Steven left before I did, so I hiked out solo. I briefly considered camping again, but then what's another 6-1/2 miles, anyway? And a 20-mile day would be kinda impressive.
About halfway I met a snake on the trail. A little stripey guy with no rattle, perhaps two feet long at most. It refused to move. I tapped my trekking poles near it to see if I could gently encourage it to leave the trail, and no response. Finally I stepped over it, and all it did was stick its tongue out at me. Cheeky fella.
Sure enough, I made it to the parking lot by 7pm, in time for sunset. It was a long day. |
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Wildflowers Observation Moderate
Lots of flowers below Cow Head Saddle. Carpets of little yellow flowers interspersed with purple and green seed heads of grasses. Manzanita are blooming profusely. Quite a few Sego Lilies, and the cactus are starting in on it too. |
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Manning Camp Spring |
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| |  Beautiful cascading waterfalls into a huge pool. | | | |
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Route Editor
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Route 
They said the road to Miller Creek has been really bad lately, so that left Douglas Spring as the only option.
