sumnergeo's Triplogs • HikeArizona.COM

Guides 2
Routes 1
Photos 44
Triplogs 24

81 male

Joined Mar 26 2004
Houston, TX

Centella Trail #334

Centella Trail #334

Tucson, AZ

Hiking		Nov 02 2011
		sumnergeo • Triplogs 24

Hiking	1.90 Miles	180 AEG

Hiking	1.90 Miles
	180 ft AEG

no routes

no photosets

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no linked trail guides

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Recovery from Horseshoe II Fire:

A volunteer USFS crew of four worked out from Long Park to Tub Spring on the Centella Point trail. We logged out the trail almost to the saddle with Bear Wallow trail and improved the tread where it needed it the most. At Tub Spring, we built a diversion dam to keep overwash into the spring box.

On October 17th, we cleared several logs off the Centella trail and continued doing the same on the Bear Wallow trail (#333) toward Round Park. We bailed and cleaned out Bear Wallow spring box and built a diversion dam. We bypassed the final 100 yards of blowdown into Round Park but the C-REC crew took care of this on the 18th.

The fire burned hot south of Bear Wallow Spring so there is significant gullying and downslope movement along this part of the trail.

Bear Wallow Spring

Dripping

	Bear Wallow Spring	Dripping	Dripping
	Better flow than dripping but less than a quart a minute. Cleaned out and built diversion dams. Significant burn above the spring so anticipate downslope movement over the next couple of years.

	Tub Spring	Dripping	Dripping
	Cleaned out and protected from downslope erosion.

_____________________

it's the only earth we have

1 archive

Nov 02 2011

Guides 2
Routes 1
Photos 44
Triplogs 24

81 male

Joined Mar 26 2004
Houston, TX

Tucson, AZ

Hiking		Nov 02 2011
		sumnergeo • Triplogs 24

Hiking	6.30 Miles	1,100 AEG

Hiking	6.30 Miles
	1,100 ft AEG

no routes

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Recovery from the Horseshoe II Fire:

On the 18th, our volunteer USFS trail crew of four backpacked to Aspen Saddle and started clearing the trail down to Ojo de Agua Fria. On the way we put up a sign for Anita Park on a very burned post along with signs and new posts at Junction Saddle for Chiricahua Peak and the Crest trail toward Sentinel Peak.

Surprise, on the trail to Ojo Agua Fria, the southernmost of the C-REC crews, all seven of them came down behind us and cut off all the logs except a 37 inch monster on top of the tank. We worked on tread and sawing out the log. At the spring box, we shoveled off gravel and protected the area from additional overwash. On top of the world, we can see Venus setting in the west and Jupiter rising in the east after sunset plus the lights of Sierra Vista and Douglas seemingly well-confined, unlike the sprawl of Tucson or Phoenix.

October 19th. Work continued on cutting the huge Douglas Fir off the tank, running a new hose, cleaning and repairing the tank and getting the flow restored. Over 3 gallons per minute, so it only took about 25 minutes to fill but at 44 degrees, no one seemed keen on bathing. We returned to Lookout Tree Saddle and found the trail down to Headquarters Spring and spent an hour cleaning out the tank, setting a hose in place to bring in fresh water and enjoying the quiet glade below the spring. Back to Aspen Saddle by 11 and we walked the Crest trail to Eagle Spring where we spent an hour shoveling off gravel and lifting debris out the tank and spring box. We built a diversion chute to keep additional gravel and rocks from washing into the spring. Slightly warmer at 55 degrees but too muddy from all our digging to consider washing up!

We continued on to Deer Spring on the Snowshed Trail (#246) where we did the same cleanout as the other springs but noted the large hole on the side that kept the spring box from filling up. Note to bring some cement to make enough mortar the repair the spring box. Overwash and gullying in the trail from Eagle Spring to Junction Saddle and up to Snowshed Saddle.

On the 20th, we felt the windy blasts all night and broke camp quickly and packed out to Round Park for breakfast and to clean out Booger Spring. Where did that name come from? The spring box is as deep as the combi tool is long, over four feet, so lifted out some stones and organic matter. We built a diversion channel, again to keep stones from sluffing into the spring and cleaned out the creek below the spring. Note, with forty feet of pipe, we could run the overflow into the trough. With that done, we completed the hike to Rustler Park, lunched, then drove down to Sunny Flats for a two-night stay in #8.

	Anita Spring	Dripping	Dripping
	looks good

	Bear Wallow Spring	Quart per minute	Quart per minute
	Cleaned out and built a diversion dam to keep gravel off the spring box

	Booger Spring	Quart per minute	Quart per minute
	Plenty of water. Cleaned out the spring box and installed diversion dams to keep downslope erosion from getting into the spring.

	Deer Spring	Dripping	Dripping
	good water but a hard spring to find. It is above the trail and the trough has the same color as the welded tuff - gray.

	Eagle Spring	Dripping	Dripping
	shoveled gravel off spring box and out of tank, installed a diversion dam above spring. It is below the trail about 30 feet and easy to miss.

	Headquarters Spring - Chiricahua	Dripping	Dripping
	We flagged the trail down to spring (lots of deadfall), cleaned out the tank and installed a short pipe from spring to tank.

	Ojo Agua Fria	Gallon + per minute	Gallon + per minute
	Cleaned out tank and ran a new pipe from spring box to tank; built a diversion dam above spring box. This is the best spring along the Crest Trail in the Chiricahuas. It is about 1/2 mile down from the crest but it has water!

	Tub Spring	Dripping	Dripping
	Cleaned and protected the spring box. Flow is about a pencil stream.

	Upper Rustler Spring	Gallon + per minute	Gallon + per minute
	Flowing well; burned slope above so will need to continue to keep overwash away from spring, spring box and cistern.

_____________________

it's the only earth we have

2 archives

Oct 21 2011

Guides 2
Routes 1
Photos 44
Triplogs 24

81 male

Joined Mar 26 2004
Houston, TX

[ checklist ] Booger Spring Burnt Stump Spring - SE Chiricahua

Tucson, AZ

Hiking		Oct 21 2011
		sumnergeo • Triplogs 24

Hiking	6.80 Miles	3,420 AEG

Hiking	6.80 Miles
	3,420 ft AEG

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Recovery Horseshoe II:

This was a bit of a gonzo day. Our volunteer USFS trail crew of three left the South Fork trailhead with a single goal: restore Burnt Stump Spring to a usable spring. We figured 5 1/2 miles and a 3000 foot climb. We left at 7 and got back at 5 with about 1 1/2 hour to dig out the spring. Sunny and bright with scattered clouds.

The entire South Fork has either been backburned or burned. Either way, the under story was cleaned out (and some of the poison ivy got whacked). Tree trunks were blackened and locally the white oaks and silver leaf oaks on the hillsides were fire killed. But mostly it was the same old South Fork with lots of grasses and flowers and living trees. The maples were just starting to color at 6,000 feet elevation. The trail was in good shape although we did cross a tangle about three miles in. Going up the Chute to the Burnt Stump Basin had a few big trees across the trail but the trail was easy to find.

The worst result of the fire in South Fork is the erosion. Many but not all of the pools were filled with gravel. The creek merrily flowed where there were once deep pools. Sigh.

We reached Burnt Stump Spring by 11:30. Only the corner of the tank was visible beneath rocks and gravel. For an hour and a half we cleaned out the metal tank, built a diversion channel, and generally did what we could before leaving at 1 to get back to the trailhead at 5. The hillside above the spring burned lightly so there are still grasses, bracken, and raspberries along with big Apache Pines. With that cover, there shouldn't be too much additional erosion into the spring drainage.

I don't see Burnt Stump Spring on the Spring List. This is an important spring for the southeastern Chiricahuas: 31.81538333 109.2368667 7980 55 degrees fast seep 6-ft metal tank

I'll try to attach a photo or two if I can figure out how to do it.

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Trail Maintenance

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

	Burnt Stump Spring - SE Chiricahua	Dripping	Dripping
	Cleaned out the 6-ft stainless steel tank; flow about a pencil width. Deep enough for siphon.

_____________________

it's the only earth we have

Mar 22 2011

Guides 2
Routes 1
Photos 44
Triplogs 24

81 male

Joined Mar 26 2004
Houston, TX

Tucson, AZ

Backpack		Mar 22 2011
		sumnergeo • Triplogs 24

Backpack	6.80 Miles	3,420 AEG

Backpack	6.80 Miles	5 Days
	3,420 ft AEG

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Trip Report: South Fork (#243), March 23-26

Trail Head, 31.868906, 109.187983, 5280 feet

Four days to finally complete the opening of the South Fork trail

Tuesday, March 22
Seven of us backpacked in about six and a half miles to "High Camp" at 8200 feet and about one mile from the Crest Trail and 700 feet lower in elevation. Along the way we cut out a 20 inch Arizona pine that lay chest high across the trail and a thousand feet below the campsite (around 7200 feet). Cool and sunny weather with water in the creek but low flow. Normally at this time of year, it is a challenge to make the thirteen crossings over the first four miles without getting wet. With little rain or snow this winter, it was not a problem.

Wednesday, March 23
Our campsite was good but not exactly flat so we had to do a bit of grooming to prepare sites for our bags and tents but at least no one slid down hill during the night. We spent the first day working our way out of the woods into the burned area. For the first 3/8 of a mile, we could locate the old trail and it was a matter of cutting out downfall, grubbing out raspberry bushes and improving the tread. For a quarter mile, to a prominent welded tuff outcrop, we laid out a new trail and spent the rest of the day clearing to a newly installed switchback.

Thursday, March 24
From the switchback below the outcrop we worked our way south and across the drainage and picked up traces of the trail coming from the crest. Each of us had a role: Zac and Jody cut out the big logs with the two-man bucking saw while John and Jim shifted smaller logs off the trail and cut ones that couldn't be moved with pruning saws (Coronas) and the 3 1/2 -ft D-handle saw. Walter and Dirk and Brad dealt with the tread and constructed an elegant crossing complete with bulwarks across the drainage. We worked our way northwest to the switchback at the outcrop and then back to the southwest to link up with the trail we had cleared in September 2010

Friday, March 25
With our final push we connected with the trailed cleared last year and, finally, had the South Fork Trail open and findable from the Trailhead to the Crest. We spent some time looking for PK Spring south of the crest but turned back at lunch without success. According to our GPS, we were about 500 ft away but wanted to get back to clear out some logs close to High Camp. As we were clearing a log a couple of hundred feet from south of our camp, down the trail came six backpackers from Philadelphia. They appreciated the newly completed trail!

Saturday, March 26
After packing for the hike out, we still had several logs below the Burnt Stump junction to deal with so we cut those out on our way back to the Trailhead. We left one 8-inch aspen log across the trail otherwise the trail is now cleared from the trailhead to the Crest for the first time in 17 years.

GPS for Upper South Fork Trail attached

_____________________

it's the only earth we have

Sep 19 2010

Guides 2
Routes 1
Photos 44
Triplogs 24

81 male

Joined Mar 26 2004
Houston, TX

Tucson, AZ

Backpack		Sep 19 2010
		sumnergeo • Triplogs 24

Backpack	6.30 Miles	1,100 AEG

Backpack	6.30 Miles	4 Days
	1,100 ft AEG

no routes

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Price Canyon Trail #224

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Big News - Crest Trail (270 and 270C) now cleared of downfall from Barfoot Lookout to Sentinel Peak.
Seven of us backpacked from Rustler Park to Aspen Saddle. This was a volunteer trail crew with six volunteers and Zac, the Trails Ranger for the southern Coronado National Forest.
We spent our first day (Sunday) clearing the Crest Trail 270C from Junction to Aspen Saddles. This was less than a mile of trail but with some massive trees and difficult clearing. We set up our basecamp on Sunday night at Aspen Saddle and walked the trail to Ojo Agua Fria for water and found even more large trees blocking the way.
On Monday, we continued clearing 270C from Aspen to Junction Saddle but the trees were deadfall and relatively easy to clear. From Junction Saddle out to Sentinel Peak, a Forest Survey crew had cleared the trail the week before but the tread made walking difficult from the Price Canyon trail junction out to the South Fork trail junction (about 1.5 miles). We arrived at the South Fork junction at 11:20 and the rain hit us. With cloud-to-cloud lightning - we hoped - we waited out the rain in a copse of trees downslope on the south side of the ridge. With the shower out of the way, we worked our way down the trace of the South Fork trail. We chopped out raspberries and also ate some. We moved and shoved off smaller logs and cut out bigger ones to the switchback, about 150 yards to the northeast and started clearing the next leg to the northwest before calling it a day and heading back to Aspen Saddle. We flagged and located the trail to the northwest into a drainage and then along the southeast-facing hillside to just below a rock outcrop so are encouraged that we may someday be able to get the trail open once again.
With concern about more storms, we decided to clear the trails around Chiricahua Peak on Tuesday. We started on 270D, from Aspen to Chiricahua Saddle and had that cleared by 10 o'clock. Working back up 270B toward Junction Saddle, we cleared some nasty tangles and also a huge Douglas Fir so even though there are a number of "step-overs" left, the trail is easily passable for hikers heading out to Monte Vista. Rains hit again around noon but only lasted about an hour. We got water at Anita Spring and found enough dry wood at Aspen Saddle to enjoy a campfire.
It rained overnight so our hike out on Wednesday was in cloud and drizzle. Even with packs and tools, we made the walk back to the Long Park trailhead in 90 minutes.

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Richardsons Geranium Western Dayflower

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Trail Maintenance

Autumn Foliage Observation Isolated

Wildflowers Observation Extreme

	Booger Spring	Gallon per minute	Gallon per minute
	Good flow and trail cleared; Anita spring had water but low flow. Ojo Agua Fria good flow but trail obscured in places

Hillside Spring

Quart per minute

_____________________

it's the only earth we have

Jun 05 2010

Guides 2
Routes 1
Photos 44
Triplogs 24

81 male

Joined Mar 26 2004
Houston, TX

Tucson, AZ

Backpack		Jun 05 2010
		sumnergeo • Triplogs 24

Backpack	6.30 Miles	1,100 AEG

Backpack	6.30 Miles	14 Days
	1,100 ft AEG

no routes

Linked

linked

Bootlegger Trail #257

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Trail work - June 5-19, 2010

Brief Summary
Cleared for foot and horse
Long Park to Flys Saddle (42D)
Lower portion of North Flys Peak Trail (337)
Crest Trail (270) from Rustler Park to Aspen Saddle
Bootlegger from Rustler Park to jct with Rock Canyon Trail (275)
Greenhouse from Crest to Cima cabin and barn (248)
Chiricahua Peak (270A)
Bear Wallow (333)
Centella - Tub Springs (334)
Anita Park (but not to spring) (359)
Booger Spring (347)
Cleared for foot
Junction Saddle to Chiricahua Saddle (270B); Chiricahua Saddle to Paint Rock (270B) to Monte Vista lookout

Work Phases
June 5 & 6, Clearing Crest trail outside the Wilderness from Rustler Park and Long Park TH (w/ chainsaw): John, Walter, Jim, Jean, Ron, and Tom - 2.2 miles - dark blue
June 7, Bootlegger tread and brushing (only two trees since John and Greg had removed most last fall); John, Jim, Jean, Ron, Tom, Charley, Mel, Joe and Donna - 0.8 miles - light green
June 8-10, Clearing Crest trail from Flys Saddle to Cima Cabin; Jim, Jean, John, and Ron - 1.9 miles - orange-red
June 13-18 (Sierra Club Trip, one day joined with Portal Hiking Club members); John, Jim, Jean, Joe, Gary, Rachel, Anne, Zoe, Zac, Joe M, Donna, Carol, Barbara, Lorraine, Greg; Cleared Crest from Cima Park to Aspen Saddle; Anita Park; Chiricahua Peak, Booger Springs (north) Bear Wallow, Centella, Tub Springs and half-way up Flys Peak on north side - 5.1 miles - magenta

Of Note
o Biggest tree was a 30 inch (or 29 inch) ponderosa on the Bear Wallow Trail that Zac, Rachel and Zoe polished off with two cuts in less than 40 minutes (20 minutes to get off the trail)
o Toughest stretch was south on the Crest from Junction Saddle with nine of us working to open up about 500 feet of trail
o Two trips out Centella Point to view the Horseshoe fire as it worked its way along the west flank of Portal Peak
o Eb's tireless sawing
o Joe and Gary tossing logs off the trail
o Stars and more stars with the dark of the moon
o Anne's rumpedehumps
o Gary's fires
o Joe's blisters (12 miles in new boots!!)
o Rachel and Zoe's 12 pounds of books
o Butts on the ground with lots of sap to make certain the stains are permanent

Problem Areas
o Crest trail from Rustler Park to Bootlegger Saddle has tread problems below the cliffs (above the Guard Station and about 1/4 mile south of the Bootlegger Trial junction). An hour of pick-mattock should solve it in the short term but might be a candidate for some rock to stabilize the slumping. Crew of four, two hours
o Bootlegger trail from the Saddle down to the junction with Rock Canyon and Rattlesnake trails has downfall but the tread is in good shape. It is outside the Wilderness Area. Crew of four, eight hours
o Flys Peak trail - north and south - has significant deadfall, especially on the south side. Crew of four, 12 hours.
o Monte Vista trail has significant downfall, mostly green: 46 trees between Junction Saddle and Chiricahua Saddle, four will need a crosscut; 18 trees between Chiricahua Saddle and Raspberry Ridge Junction that can be handled with a big Corona or D-handle; 26 trees between the junction and the Lookout, most of these are within 1/4 mile of the junction on the north side of Raspberry Peak. The tread needs work within 3/8 mile of Junction Saddle. Crew of four, two days.
o Crest trail from Aspen to Juniper Saddle probably has significant deadfall based on what we saw elsewhere on the Crest trail. Crew of four, eight hours.
o The trail from Barfoot Lookout down to Barfoot Park has several trees across it. Crew of four, two hours.

_____________________

it's the only earth we have

Sep 11 2009

Guides 2
Routes 1
Photos 44
Triplogs 24

81 male

Joined Mar 26 2004
Houston, TX

Tucson, AZ

Backpack		Sep 11 2009
		sumnergeo • Triplogs 24

Backpack	6.80 Miles	3,420 AEG

Backpack	6.80 Miles	5 Days
	3,420 ft AEG

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Babad Do'ag

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Trip Report: South Fork (#243), September 11-15, 2009

Trail Head, 31.868906, 109.187983, 5280 feet

Five days in South Fork - three days a rainy and humid rain forest and two days a lush and sunny glade filled with pools, a bear, and coatimundis.

Friday, Sept 11.
Five of us backpacked in about two hours (four miles) to a likely camp site on the east side of the creek. Heavy rain made it a slog but the rain let up while we set up camp and had dinner.

September 12, Saturday
We started up the side canyon from South Fork - the canyon has no name on any map but I'm calling it Burnt Stump Canyon since the South Fork Trail (243) joins the Burnt Stump Trail (366) at the top of the canyon (in Burnt Stump Basin). During the day we removed all logs (about 20) and brushed the two miles of trail from the South Fork toward the junction with Burnt Stump Trail in the Basin. We dropped our trail signs and returned to our base camp.

September 13, Sunday
We headed back up to the Basin and put up a sign at the South Fork and Burnt Stump junction. We brushed and cut logs off the trail to better define it. Under threatening skies, we walked and brushed the ¼ mile of the Burnt Stump Trail to the spring. From the spring, it is another ¼ mile to the Horseshoe Ridge Trail. At the spring, there is a lower trail and an upper trail about 50 ft apart. The spring is on the upper trail and is a metal tank in the drainage. The clouds coming over the crest delivered hail and rain while we filled our bottles and headed back to the trail junction for lunch. After lunch, we cut out the remaining deadfall below the junction. We left one large log that might be better handled with a crosscut, not our D-handle saw, and some smaller logs where yellow jackets convinced us that we needed to be somewhere else.

September 14, Monday
Everyone else left so I spent a lazy day of exploring and drying out after three days of on and off rain. I removed a 21-inch log about ½ mile above Maple Camp and returned tools to the TH. Still a couple of months until RedRoxx44 can work her photographic magic on the big tooth maples in their brilliant colors.

September 15, Tuesday
I left my camp at 6, reached the junction with Burnt Stump at 8 and continued up the South Fork trail to the Crest Trail. I flagged and marked the trail for about a mile and a half above the South Fork-Burnt Stump trail junction until I lost it on the south side of the drainage at 8200 feet and found it again about ½ mile farther at 8700 feet. I reached the junction with the Crest Trail at 10 and put up signs for Crest Trail and South Fork Trail. I walked the Crest Trail to the saddle between Finnicum and Sentinel Peaks and located the trail to PK Spring and flagged it through the first switchback. Returned to camp and then walked out to TH. Lots of rasberries to collect on the way to the crest.

Wildflowers Observation Moderate

_____________________

it's the only earth we have

Jun 12 2009

Guides 2
Routes 1
Photos 44
Triplogs 24

81 male

Joined Mar 26 2004
Houston, TX

Tucson, AZ

Backpack		Jun 12 2009
		sumnergeo • Triplogs 24

Backpack	6.30 Miles	1,100 AEG

Backpack	6.30 Miles	7 Days
	1,100 ft AEG

no routes

Linked

7 linked trail guides

Chiricahua Peak from Rustler Park TH

Flys Peak Trail #337

Centella Trail #334

Price Canyon Trail #224

Bear Wallow Trail #333

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Trail work - June 3-12, 2009, Sierra Club Service Trip

Summary
For trails noted, cleared of all downed logs. Brushing and treadwork accompanied clearing the trails of trees. About 15 miles of trail worked. If last year's estimate of trees per mile holds, we cut out or moved over 200 trees from the trails. Largest tree was 25 inches (green Douglas Fir on Bear Wallow trail).
Work accomplished over seven days with eight to twelve people. Sierra Club Service Trip.

Trails Cleared
Long Park to Fly Saddle
North and South Fly Peak Trails (337)
Crest Trail (270) from northern Wilderness boundary to Junction Saddle
Chiricahua Peak (270A)
Junction Saddle to Chiricahua Saddle (270B); Chiricahua Saddle to Paint Rock (270B); we scouted eleven trees on the trail from Paint Rock to Monte Vista.
Aspen Saddle to Chiricahua Saddle (270D)
Junction to Price Canyon trail junction (270C); many small trees across trail from Price Canyon to South Fork jct.
Anita Spring trail (359)
Booger Springs trail from Round Park (347)
Greenhouse trail (248) to basin overlook from Cima Park and from lower trailhead to Upper Falls Overlook (heard from Portal Hiking Club that there is a tree across the trail above the overlook and the Cima watershed)
Bear Wallow (335). This included extensive clearing and total rework of portions of the trail around the spring south of the spring
Centella Point trail (334) from Fly Saddle out to overlook

Details
June 2 - Arrival of early group of seven in late afternoon at Rustler Park.
June 3 - carried supplies into Cima Cabin from Long Park and cut out one tree from Crest Trail north of Bootlegger Saddle; return via Bear Wallow to check trail conditions on east side of Flys Peak.
June 4 - hike to Cima with supplies and removed logs along Crest from Long Park to Cima Park; cleared blow down northeast of Round Park
June 5 - Anne and Terri to Willcox for groceries. Jody, Jim, Jean, John, Joe, Eb and Fred cleared logs off Flys Peak trails and out to Anita Park on Crest Trail.
June 6 - hike to Cima with produce purchased in Willcox on June 5. Prepare to depart from Rustler Park; rest of members of Service Trip arrive. Say adios to Eb.
June 7 - depart for Cima to set up camp; afternoon doing safety training, cutting log below Cima Cabin, Cleared logs out Crest Trail to Anita Park and Springs (no water in the spring) and out to Aspen Saddle.
June 8 - Continue out the Crest Trail toward Sentinel Peak. Smaller group clears logs off trail to Chiricahua Peak. Cleared trail to Price Canyon junction and beyond. About a mile of uncleared trail remains to South Fork junction.
June 9 - Light rain so five of us walked down Greenhouse trail and took out one log while enjoying the natural conditions. Joe scouted the trails around Chiricahua Peak and in the afternoon, six of us (Fred, Jody, Joe, Jean, John) cleared trail for about ½ mile from Aspen Saddle toward Chiricahua Saddle.
June 10 - Cleared trails from Aspen and Junction Saddles out to Chiricahua Saddle. Lunch, then a smaller group out to Monte Vista but removed trees from trail out to Paint Rock.
June 11 - Returned to Round Park and worked the Bear Wallow trail to the junction with the Centella Trail. Cut out trees, tread work, brushing, and trail reroute south of the spring. Ended at big Douglas Fir.
June 12 - Back to the big fir and with Zac's help, Terri and Jeanie did an underbuck - 25 inches, a tough one. Cleared trees and lopped out Centella Trail with a break on the overlook. Could see to the Florida Mountains south of Deming; fires in the Peloncillos and Animas Ranges. Returned to Flys Saddle with lunch at Tub Springs cut out a number of trees and brushed as we went. Returned tools and gear to Zac's truck at the Long Park Trailhead.
June 13 - Broke camp and hiked out to Rustler Park and se dijimos adios.

Wildflowers Observation Light

	Anita Spring	Dry	Dry
	usually running but stagnant in early June; other springs: Bear Wallow, Tub, Eagle, Booger, Kuniper all had some flow; flow in Cima Creek at Cabin

Booger Spring

Quart per minute

_____________________

it's the only earth we have

Jun 10 2009

Chiricahua & Monte Vista Peak Loop

Guides 2
Routes 1
Photos 44
Triplogs 24

81 male

Joined Mar 26 2004
Houston, TX

Chiricahua & Monte Vista Peak Loop

Tucson, AZ

Hiking		Jun 10 2009
		sumnergeo • Triplogs 24

Hiking	15.20 Miles	3,500 AEG

Hiking	15.20 Miles
	3,500 ft AEG

no routes

no photosets

Linked

linked

Chiricahua Peak from Rustler Park TH

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We didn't do the loop, but the out and back from the Crest Trail.

Members of the 2009 Sierra Club Service Trip cleared the trails to Chiricahua Saddle from Junction Saddle and from Aspen Saddle. None of us had walked the Aspen Saddle Trail down to Chiricahua Saddle and deemed it a gem. Switchbacks down the southwest side of Chiricahua Peak are a shady delight.

Trail down from Junction is now clear of all trees but there are numerous washouts following a controlled burn 2 1/2 years ago. Perhaps next trail crew can work on the tread.

After lunch in Chiricahua saddle, we continued out the trail toward Monte Vista and cleared all logs to Paint Rock. From there, half the group returned to basecamp at Cima Cabin and the rest made the walk to MV lookout (11 trees reported on the trail). After the light rain of yesterday, visibility was as good as it could ever be: Huachucas, Santa Ritas, San Jose in Sonora - fabulous.

Wildflowers Observation Moderate

	Anita Spring	Dry	Dry
	something is wrong - this is usually a good spring

	Booger Spring	Quart per minute	Quart per minute
	running well; trail cleared from Round Park

	Eagle Spring	Quart per minute	Quart per minute
	sign on east side of trail missing; spring is easily missed since it west and below the trail about 30 feet. If you are walking on the inside of the trail, may not see it! Who took the sign?!

	Tub Spring	Quart per minute	Quart per minute
	running well; trail cleared from Flys Saddle out to Centella Point

_____________________

it's the only earth we have

Apr 13 2009

Guides 2
Routes 1
Photos 44
Triplogs 24

81 male

Joined Mar 26 2004
Houston, TX

Horseshoe Pass

Horseshoe Pass

Tucson, AZ

Hiking		Apr 13 2009
		sumnergeo • Triplogs 24

Hiking	5.00 Miles	1,900 AEG

Hiking	5.00 Miles	6 Hrs	0.83 mph
	1,900 ft AEG

no routes

Linked

none

no linked trail guides

Partners

none

no partners

Four of us headed up South Fork to cut back brush from the Burro that goes from Maple Camp to Horseshoe Saddle. Steve, Tony, Mel and I lopped until our arms drooped (or dropped) and we almost cleared the trail to the ridge high above the South Fork. We found one serious wash out about ½ mile above Maple Camp that will need more than just a few rocks to fix. Another perfect spring day.

_____________________

it's the only earth we have

Apr 11 2009

Guides 2
Routes 1
Photos 44
Triplogs 24

81 male

Joined Mar 26 2004
Houston, TX

Tucson, AZ

Hiking		Apr 11 2009
		sumnergeo • Triplogs 24

Hiking	6.80 Miles	3,420 AEG

Hiking	6.80 Miles
	3,420 ft AEG

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Walter and I walked the South Fork to relocate trail in the upper portions of the trail, below Sentinel Peak. A light drizzle kept us in and out of our rain clothes but by the time we reached the bowl below Sentinel Peak (in the vicinity of the yet-to-be-discovered Burnt Stump Spring) we had snow pellets, sleet and snow. We located the trail from the ponderosa and fir with a blaze at around 7200 feet along the hill on the north side of the drainage (A huge log lies across the trail) to the switchback to the south and east on the other side of the drainage and up to the burned post that we think marks the trail junction of the South Fork Trail and the trail to Horseshoe Ridge. We took the trail to the west and north (trail to the Crest Trail) with more long switchbacks up to 8000 feet and almost to the bottom of the burn at 8200 feet. We moved logs, flagged, and marked the trail for anyone trying to get to the Crest Trail and Sentinel Peak. This is a much better way up than following the right-hand drainage that trends west northwest.

_____________________

it's the only earth we have

Apr 06 2009

Guides 2
Routes 1
Photos 44
Triplogs 24

81 male

Joined Mar 26 2004
Houston, TX

Tucson, AZ

Hiking		Apr 06 2009
		sumnergeo • Triplogs 24

Hiking	4.00 Miles	4,300 AEG

Hiking	4.00 Miles	8 Hrs	0.50 mph
	4,300 ft AEG

no routes

no photosets

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On Monday, April 6, eight showed up at the Visitor Center in Cave Creek at 6 am. The first decision was to move the meeting time back an hour to 7 am for the rest of the week. With tools and safety gear in hand, Zac, Carol, Steve, Walter, Rene, Tony, Brad and I drove to the Greenhouse trailhead. Thanks to Ray and Dori Brooks for spending 2 ½ days clearing the jeep trail from FR 42A to the trailhead. We cut and brushed our way about a mile and a half to a switchback just below the Falls Overlook. On Tuesday, the same eight returned and continued work up the steepest part of the Greenhouse drainage into the Cima drainage and into some of the gnarliest deadfalls to be found in the Chiricahuas. Of note, it took all eight of us and a block and tackle to remove a huge ponderosa from just below the ridge that separates Greenhouse and Cima drainages.

On Wednesday, seven of us decided to drive to Long Park and walk to Cima rather than make the 2500 foot climb from the lower Greenhouse. Like a well-oiled machine, we cut, moved, shoved and skidded all logs off the trail leaving only a single fir near Cima Cabin that will serve as practice for the crew that comes to the area in early June. There were a few logs on the Crest Trail, but not in the numbers we have seen in past years. It should be a matter of hours to clear the trail from Long Park out to Cima Park in June. Little evidence of snow also indicates that the upper Cima Creek will have low flow before the rainy season starts in late June.

Wildflowers Observation Moderate

_____________________

it's the only earth we have

Oct 10 2008

Guides 2
Routes 1
Photos 44
Triplogs 24

81 male

Joined Mar 26 2004
Houston, TX

Flys Peak Trail #337

Flys Peak Trail #337

Tucson, AZ

Hiking		Oct 10 2008
		sumnergeo • Triplogs 24

Hiking	4.00 Miles	600 AEG

Hiking	4.00 Miles	4 Hrs	1.00 mph
	600 ft AEG

no routes

no photosets

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A group of seventeen volunteers and FS trail rangers attended a crosscut saw certification class and for our "practical," we tackled the Flys Peak Trail from Flys Saddle to the peak and around the east side of Flys Peak to Bear Wallow Spring. With four crosscut saws and associated trail-clearing tools, we finished clearing the trails that the Sierra Club Service group had started in June 2008. Fine weather with threats of rain but we had a log-free trail by the end of the day! High winds on October 11 kept us from working through to Round Park on the Crest and Flys Peak trails.

Autumn Foliage Observation Moderate

	Bear Wallow Spring	Quart per minute	Quart per minute
	good flow; cleared large log that blocked the trail from Centella Point.

	Tub Spring	Quart per minute	Quart per minute
	good flow after a wet summer

_____________________

it's the only earth we have

Oct 08 2008

Guides 2
Routes 1
Photos 44
Triplogs 24

81 male

Joined Mar 26 2004
Houston, TX

Tucson, AZ

Hiking		Oct 08 2008
		sumnergeo • Triplogs 24

Hiking	15.00 Miles	4,300 AEG

Hiking	15.00 Miles	2 Days
	4,300 ft AEG

no routes

no photosets

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Trip Report: Snowshed Trail (#246), October 8-9, 2008

Trail Head, Herb Martyr lower parking lot, 31.87255, 109.23475, 5832 feet

Basin to Snowshed to Crest Trail, ~7 miles, 3500 feet in elevation

Steve Tolzman, his dog Igor and I left the trailhead at 2:00 pm on Wednesday with plans to backpack to Pine Park (3 miles from TH and at 8000 ft) and make a dry camp. The hike up Basin Trail (#247) to Snowshed Trail was uneventful although we did move several small trees off the trail and pruned back and cut branches from the crown of an oak tree that completely blocked the trail. Once we finished our work we were able to worm our way through without having to go off trail or shed our packs. We reached Pine Park around 4:30 on a calm and pleasant warm afternoon. Too bad there's no water otherwise this might qualify as the best camping spot in the Chiricahuas.

On Thursday, we left our camping gear and headed up Snowshed Trail toward Deer Springs. This is about 2.7 miles with a climb from 8000 to 9200 feet. The first 1 ½ miles are easy although there are some steep pitches in the first ½ mile from Pine Park. This trail was cleared and worked in the Fall of 2005 so there are a couple of trees down but the trail is in good shape and easy to follow. A fire in June 2008 caused some downslope erosion over the last portion of good trail. Once across a gully, the trace of the trail from 1 ½ to 2 ½ miles from Pine Park is marked with stones on logs and flagging but still requires a high degree of alertness to keep on-trail. From 2 ½ miles from Pine Park or 3/8 of a mile below Deer Spring the trail was cleared in June 2008.

It took us 1 ½ hours to negotiate the 1 mile of bad trail. After filling our water bottles at Deer Spring and admiring the aspen colors on the facing slopes, we returned to Pine Park in about 2 hours and then back to the Herb Martyr trailhead.

The associated GPS track is for the bad stretch of trail above Pine Park and below Deer Spring.

Here is the track for the one mile of uncleared trail:
N31.83416 W109.26707 8920 ft
N31.83440 W109.26619 8920 ft
N31.83421 W109.26613 8899 ft
N31.83481 W109.26524 8858 ft
N31.83505 W109.26408 8816 ft
N31.83537 W109.26320 8783 ft
N31.83648 W109.26337 8754 ft
N31.83717 W109.26269 8738 ft
N31.83800 W109.26179 8697 ft
N31.83789 W109.26081 8653 ft
N31.83774 W109.25984 8620 ft
N31.83777 W109.25963 8592 ft
N31.83874 W109.25913 8551 ft
N31.83961 W109.25851 8533 ft
N31.83980 W109.25752 8505 ft
N31.83978 W109.25743 8485 ft
N31.83978 W109.25743 8496 ft
N31.83989 W109.25644 8496 ft
N31.84050 W109.25668 8477 ft
N31.84105 W109.25749 8470 ft
N31.84174 W109.25813 8492 ft
N31.84271 W109.25780 8489 ft
N31.84271 W109.25780 8472 ft

Autumn Foliage Observation Moderate

	Deer Spring	Quart per minute	Quart per minute
	spring box and tank filled to overflowing

_____________________

it's the only earth we have

8 archives

Jun 07 2008

Guides 2
Routes 1
Photos 44
Triplogs 24

81 male

Joined Mar 26 2004
Houston, TX

Tucson, AZ

Hiking		Jun 07 2008
		sumnergeo • Triplogs 24

Hiking	6.30 Miles	1,100 AEG

Hiking	6.30 Miles	7 Days
	1,100 ft AEG

no routes

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Chiricahua Wilderness Area - Sierra Club Service Trip, June 5-14, 2008

With twelve of us on the Service Trip plus the Trails Ranger, we cleared:

- Crest Trail of all downed timber from Rustler Park to Juniper Saddle (6 + miles); members of the Bozeman Engine Crew helped with some of the big logs outside the Wilderness Area.
- Trail from Long Park TH to Fly Saddle (< 1 mile)
- Trail to Chiricahua Peak from Crest Trail (1 mile)
- Trails to Anita and Booger Springs ( about ½ mile total)
- Snowshed Trail from Juniper Spring to switchback about ½ mile below Deer Spring (1 ½ miles)
- Trails to Fly Peak; south side cleared and about half of the north side (1 ½ miles)

Still many logs on the north trail to Fly Peak - perhaps next year. Didn't quite get the Snowshed Trail completely cleared down to Pine Park.

_____________________

it's the only earth we have

Apr 05 2008

Guides 2
Routes 1
Photos 44
Triplogs 24

81 male

Joined Mar 26 2004
Houston, TX

Ash Spring Trail #247A

Ash Spring Trail #247A

Tucson, AZ

Hiking		Apr 05 2008
		sumnergeo • Triplogs 24

Hiking	2.00 Miles	400 AEG

Hiking	2.00 Miles	1 Hour	2.00 mph
	400 ft AEG

no routes

no photosets

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Basin Trail #600

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triplog: Ash Spring Trail (#247A), April 5 2008

Trail Head, Herb Martyr lower parking lot, 31.87255, 109.23475, 5832 feet

I started this 2-mile loop late in the day after working on and walking the Basin Trail. It was another perfect day and the slanting light made it all the better. I walked it in the reverse direction, first to FR713 to the trail intersection; the trail contours south to the spring and old homestead (check out the old apple tree - still has a few flowers). This first half is all in live oaks and pinyons with some junipers, yucca and a few century plants. Past the spring, the trail enters the valley with Cima Creek. Just past the gate near the spring, keep an eye out for the best pine drops I've seen in the Chiricahuas. This is also birding country.

Back to the parking lot in less than an hour, with after cutting out a good-sized silver leaf oak near the junction with the Herb Martyr Trail (#247).

_____________________

it's the only earth we have

Apr 05 2008

Guides 2
Routes 1
Photos 44
Triplogs 24

81 male

Joined Mar 26 2004
Houston, TX

Basin Trail #600

Basin Trail #600

Tucson, AZ

Hiking		Apr 05 2008
		sumnergeo • Triplogs 24

Hiking	3.00 Miles	500 AEG

Hiking	3.00 Miles	5 Hrs	0.60 mph
	500 ft AEG

no routes

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Trail Head, FR 42, 31.89947, 109.23878, 6263 feet

This is oak, pinyon, juniper, and yucca country. A friend from Portal and I started early on another perfect early Spring day to enjoy the view and do some trail work on the Basin Trail (#600). We spent half a day brushing, improving the tread and clearing a couple of large trees from the trail. The creek coming down from Centella Point (North Fork of Cave Creek?) was running well but no problem to cross. The ceanothus was in early bloom otherwise not too many flowers. Since the trail runs along the west side of the Cave Creek Basin there are perfect views of Silver Peak, Portal Peak, Sulphur Peak, Snowshed Ridge and Snowshed Peak. Footing treacherous through shaley areas - good fosssils in the limestones; limestone, sandstone and shale of the Bisbee Formation. The Greenhouse Trail Creek was also running but the drainage coming from Welch Seep was dry.

It's about three miles to the jeep trail (FR713) that runs from FR 42A to the Greenhouse (#248) trail head, so our out and back took the morning. With the work we did on the Herb Martyr and Ash Spring Trails (#247 and 247A) earlier in the week, the combined trails from FR 42 to Snowshed Ridge (about 8 miles) are now clear of downed timber.

Wildflowers Observation Isolated

_____________________

it's the only earth we have

Apr 04 2008

Guides 2
Routes 1
Photos 44
Triplogs 24

81 male

Joined Mar 26 2004
Houston, TX

Tucson, AZ

Hiking		Apr 04 2008
		sumnergeo • Triplogs 24

Hiking	6.00 Miles	800 AEG

Hiking	6.00 Miles	6 Hrs	1.00 mph
	800 ft AEG

no routes

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Trail Head, FR 42D, 31.90592, 109.27708, 8370 feet

Low 30s overnight at Herb Martyr. Drive to Rustler Park was uneventful but the last mile of road to the trail head is rougher than most jeep trails. One car in the parking lot so headed out around 8, bound for Cima Cabin with a load of white gas for the volunteer trail crew that will be here in June. Went up the road to the turnoff to Boot Leggers Saddle and followed the Crest Trail (#270) to Cima Saddle and the Greenhouse Trail (#248). Made the seven mile round trip in four hours because I moved every small log off the trail on the way in and carried out a pack's worth of trash that was on trail between Round Park and Cima Saddle. Clearly some illegal traffic through the area in the last few months.

Perfect weather with views across the Sulphur Springs Valley to the west and Cochise Head to the north Many yellow-eyed juncos - do they ever leave? - and four cows keeping the tread in good shape. I think I counted five cows when we were here in November 2007 and am surprised that they didn't leave the high country with the snow. Two little icy patches near Round Park; quite a contrast from floundering through deep soft snow at this time last year. Springs might be iffy come June.

Met the dad and two sons in Bootlegger Saddle and heard their tales of a really cold night.

Counted over 30 trees across the Crest Trail between Bootlegger and the cabin. Returned via the Long Park trail head and found a big blowdown outside the Wilderness Area. Looked like a tornado touched down with trees lying every which way.

_____________________

it's the only earth we have

Apr 03 2008

Guides 2
Routes 1
Photos 44
Triplogs 24

81 male

Joined Mar 26 2004
Houston, TX

Tucson, AZ

Hiking		Apr 03 2008
		sumnergeo • Triplogs 24

Hiking	5.00 Miles	1,700 AEG

Hiking	5.00 Miles	6 Hrs	0.83 mph
	1,700 ft AEG

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no photosets

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Trail Head, Herb Martyr lower parking lot, 31.87255, 109.23475, 5832 feet

Ray Brooks and I left the trail head at 6 am with the intention of clearing the Basin Trail (#247) from Herb Martyr to the junction with the Snowshed Trail (#246). Weather was perfect: clear, sunny and cool. Both Cima and Cave Creek were running well but we had no problem crossing them. We carried loppers, a 21-inch pruning saw and a D-handled bucking saw to clear the anticipated six or so large logs (Douglas Fir and Ponderosa Pine) that I had noted were on the trail in 2007. It turns out that several more large trees had fallen in the interim plus an even larger number of 4 -- 6 inch silver leaf oaks from the 1994 Rattlesnake fire. So we walked, moved off the smaller stuff and cut out the bigger stuff as we worked our way up the trail toward Snowshed Ridge.

We got to about 7500 ft, about 2 ½ miles from the trail head and 0.2 miles from the Snowshed Trail by mid afternoon. We cut out the last large blowdown and decided that we had done enough for one day.

One unusual sight was an F-15 that flew down canyon below us at around 2:30 in the afternoon. It brought back memories of sonic booms that were once routine in the Chiricahuas several decades ago; something that is likely a no-no these days.

Camped at Herb Martyr campground and hiked the remaining trails in the Cave Creek Basin: Ash Fork and Basin. Dark skies and lots of stars.

_____________________

it's the only earth we have

Mar 30 2008

Guides 2
Routes 1
Photos 44
Triplogs 24

81 male

Joined Mar 26 2004
Houston, TX