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| Hiking | 13.55 Miles |
2,418 AEG |
| | Hiking | 13.55 Miles | 7 Hrs 10 Mns | | 2.00 mph |
| 2,418 ft AEG | 24 Mns Break | | | |
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| no partners | | I've hiked all of this passage already, except for the almost half mile from the Rim Road to the General Springs TH. I save all my GPS tracks of every hike I do on my computer, so I can't have that gap when I look at my AZT progress. Also, even though I've hiked all the Highline Trail portion of this passage, I seem to have lost the track for that. it turns out they've done some extensive maintenance and re-routes on that section, but more on that later. 
I started from the Washington Park TH and headed up the Colonel Devin to my main goal. I did this hike with my wife and kids 14 years ago  , so it was interesting to be back again. Crazy how time flies. I think the kids did better then they would today, as they no longer have the patience to spend a day with a parent on a vision quest dayhike.
Less than a half mile in there was a cow next to the trail in the vegetation. Not used to seeing that. the beginning up this trail was very cool, almost chilly, and very shady. the vegetation as well as being in a canyon with the sun low in the sky helped with this. the creek was running nicely, which made for the rare pleasant experience of hearing running water while hiking in AZ. Very big contrast from Phoenix right now.
As I got higher the weather stayed cool and the wind picked up. I made it to General Springs, walked a bit further up the trail to make sure my tracks overlapped, and headed back. I also checked out the cabin, which is in very nice shape. On the way back down the trail, the wind was still pretty strong which made me have to take off my hat at times to avoid losing it. 
Went up to check out the railroad tunnel like we did in 2011. I forgot how dicey the trail is at the final ascent, very loose dirt and rock and nearly vertical. I checked the triplog from then and I noted the conditions as the same then. I have very dim memories and can't imagine now how we got the kids up and back along that section  .
From the railroad tunnel back to the trailhead was when I saw the most foot traffic. Lots of people on their way up. Saw 3 deer a half mile from the TH, 2 young bucks in felt and one doe. I hid behind a tree because I saw them first but I was soon spotted. They all stood and stared at me giving me time to get pics until I decided to start walking, then they bolted.
Ate lunch in my car at the trailhead and then headed out on the Highline westbound to get a track of the AZT that I've made by hiking it. I originally split the overall track at the 3 mile mark planning to only do 3 miles out and back. With the cooler weather than I expected, I decided to make it a 4 mile out and back. I did both a 4 mile out and back and got to the exact point where I had split the track at 3 miles. Why? Because this section of the Highline/AZT has several re-routes which after only 3 miles adds an extra mile. Some of these reroutes made sense. there was less elevation gain and in at least one case better views. However, I think even on the AZT website, the maps that show this passage are nearly the same as the AZT26 track on HAZ, which can give misleading info for the length of the hike if you're planning a dayhike. I was fine, but I can see how this has potential to cause problems for planning purposes.  On the way back I paid attention and hiked the old alignment, which is still there and still hikeable even with the sticks and rocks in place to try to hide it. 
The views to the south along the Highline here of the vast ponderosa forest were a highlight. Very cool to see that after being in the desert heat so much lately. The other highlight was crossing Chase Creek, which is more of a small stream. There is sign there that states that fishing is not permitted. After seeing that I looked into a pool by the trail crossing and noticed several very small trout swimming there. I can't imagine anyone wanting to try to fish for something so small, but the sign is there for a reason obviously.  |
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