azmike's Triplogs • HikeArizona.COM

Guides 4
Routes 20
Photos 544
Triplogs 22

male

Joined May 23 2004
San Diego, CA

Ermahgerd Canyon

Ermahgerd Canyon

Phoenix, AZ

Canyoneering		Dec 08 2013
		azmike

Canyoneering	5.70 Miles	2,600 AEG

Canyoneering	5.70 Miles	8 Hrs		0.71 mph

	2,600 ft AEG		30 LBS Pack

Intermediate Canyoneering - Difficult or dangerous; Tech Climb; rope reqd; descent anchor; exit technical;

B - Up to light current; wading/swimming; possible wet/dry suit

III - Normally requires most of a day

Linked

none

no linked trail guides

Partners

none

no partners

We left the Hieroglyphics trailhead around 8:30 AM and reach the canyon entrance 2 hours and 20 minutes later with only one break. We entered the canyon from the west fork with the 250 ft. rappel. There was no evidence that anyone had rappelled in from this location. We did see webbing in the east fork where we knew the canyoneers that did the first descent entered the canyon.

There was a trickle of water down the first rappel, which made it slick in some areas. The rappels in the canyon were all pretty easy with no difficult starts. There were a few pools of water we waded through but no swimmers and nothing above our chest. Even though the water was a little bit chilly, we weren't in the water long enough to need wetsuits. Some of the pools were in full sun.

After the last rappel, we hike about 3/4-mile to the Lost Goldmine trail, which was easy to find. We finished at the TH around 4:30 PM. It was a good day to be in the canyon.

_____________________

Nov 24 2013

Guides 4
Routes 20
Photos 544
Triplogs 22

male

Joined May 23 2004
San Diego, CA

Phoenix, AZ

Canyoneering		Nov 24 2013
		azmike

Canyoneering	1.80 Miles	523 AEG

Canyoneering	1.80 Miles	2 Hrs	0.90 mph

	523 ft AEG

Linked

none

no linked trail guides

Partners

none

no partners

Lots of water in the canyon following the rains. There were a couple swimmers where wet suits were needed. The water was cold and flowing.

_____________________

Nov 09 2013

Guides 4
Routes 20
Photos 544
Triplogs 22

male

Joined May 23 2004
San Diego, CA

Reavis Falls Hike

Globe, AZ

Reavis Falls Hike

Globe, AZ

Backpack		Nov 09 2013
		azmike

Backpack	13.80 Miles	3,169 AEG

Backpack	13.80 Miles	23 Hrs		0.60 mph

	3,169 ft AEG		12 LBS Pack

no routes

no photosets

Linked

none

no linked trail guides

Partners

none

no partners

I'll start by saying that there was no evidence of water from any of the three springs on the hike in, however there was lots of water in Reavis Canyon from Reavis Falls to the campsites where the trail meets the creek. There were large pools of water everywhere and the water was trickling down the canyon from the falls. We filtered water about 50 ft from our campsite. Our campsite was near where the trail into the canyon meets the creek.

There were two groups planning to do an overnight near Reavis Falls. I led the group that hiked in from Reavis 109 North by way of the Falls route described by "Reavis Falls Hike". The second group led by Nate did the technical route. This second group left early Saturday morning from the Reavis 109 North TH and hiked past the Frog Tanks turnoff and dropped into Reavis Creek about 0.9 miles north of the 109 and Reavis Gap trail intersection. They worked the creek doing 5 rappels culminating in the final 200 ft rappel down Reavis Falls. We were planning to meet them Saturday night about 0.5 miles downstream of the Falls where there is an established campsite.

My group (1st group) left the TH around 12:30PM on Saturday and hiked along Reavis 109 about 3.5 miles to the turnoff to Reavis Falls. In the past this turnoff was marked by a cairn but now someone has erected a wooden signpost that reads "Reavis Falls Trailhead". This trail leads you on a short but steep uphill climb to a saddle and long downhill hike to the Reavis Canyon and the creek below. We did this hike in November and there was no evidence that the 3 springs were producing water. However, there was plenty of water in Reavis Creek.

The route down to Reavis Creek is well traveled and easy to follow. Once we reached the creek, we found two good campsites with fire rings on the east side of the creek. Water was abundant near the campsite. There were lots of fall colors as well.

We hiked upstream for a 1/2-mile to check out the Falls and to see if the other group was rappelling down. There was lots of rocking hopping and scrambling up the creek but nothing too difficult. Cairns marked the route all the way to the Falls, but not much in the way of a trail to the Falls. The water was only a trickle down the Falls this time of year, but there was lots of water in the creek. We hiked back down to the campsite and waited for the other group to come down. They made it to camp at 6:30PM and said there were swimmers above the Falls. They also said that the needed every bit of their 200 ft rope to rappel down the Falls.

We hiked out the next morning, the same way we hiked in. It was a good day to be in the Supes.

Autumn Foliage Observation Substantial
Lots of fall colors in Reavis canyon below the falls. There was still good coverage from the trees. If you're looking to take some great colorful photos, now is the time to do it.

Cedar Basin Spring

Dry

Lime Mountain Spring

Dry

Maple Spring

Dry

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Aug 03 2013

Guides 4
Routes 20
Photos 544
Triplogs 22

male

Joined May 23 2004
San Diego, CA

Immaculate Canyon

Sedona, AZ

Immaculate Canyon

Sedona, AZ

Canyoneering		Aug 03 2013
		azmike

Canyoneering	13.00 Miles	1,700 AEG

Canyoneering	13.00 Miles

	1,700 ft AEG

Intermediate Canyoneering - Difficult or dangerous; Tech Climb; rope reqd; descent anchor; exit technical;

B - Up to light current; wading/swimming; possible wet/dry suit

III - Normally requires most of a day

Linked

none

no linked trail guides

Partners

none

no partners

We started out by climbing up the AB Young trail. Once on top, we followed the forestry roads to the drainage for Immaculate. The drop in was very easy to find although there are a lot of downed trees and brush in this drainage. That was no surprise though.

We encountered 10 rappels in the canyon with one drop having a tricky pull due to the crack in the wall. We were careful and it turned out not to be an issue. There wasn't much water in this canyon and wet suits were not required.

The exit in the canyon was required more bushwhacking that nearby canyons require. It was pretty thick with brush. Once we exited onto West Fork Oak Creek, we made a right turn and headed downstream to Call of the Canyon.

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Jul 21 2013

Guides 4
Routes 20
Photos 544
Triplogs 22

male

Joined May 23 2004
San Diego, CA

Shamrock Canyon

Shamrock Canyon

Payson, AZ

Canyoneering		Jul 21 2013
		azmike

Canyoneering	2.60 Miles	900 AEG

Canyoneering	2.60 Miles	6 Hrs	0.43 mph

	900 ft AEG

Intermediate Canyoneering - Difficult or dangerous; Tech Climb; rope reqd; descent anchor; exit technical;

B - Up to light current; wading/swimming; possible wet/dry suit

II - Normally requires a half day

no routes

Linked

none

no linked trail guides

Partners

none

no partners

Seven of us did Shamrock Canyon as part of the AHOTE Canyon Crawl event on the rim this weekend. We hiked over to the drop in of Shamrock encountering a couple short rappels before the long twisted rappel in the canyon. This rappel with a keeper part way down is interesting. Although not difficult, it was a little more technical than I was expecting in this canyon. The keeper is avoidable by stepping around it RDC.

This was a beautifully green canyon with a great deal of moss and fallen trees. Once we reached WCC, we hiked about a mile to the drainage on our left that is marked with a cairn. We continued past the cairn a couple hundred feet before climbing up that drainage. It was a steep and muddy climb with a lot of brush and fallen trees as obstacles. There is no trail. Falling rocks are a definite hazard in this drainage especially after a rain, so be careful. Once we climbed past the steepest part of the drainage, we continued to climb out the slope on our left to the road and our vehicles. We were lucky that we didn't get rained on as we climbed out the drainage. It would have made for a more difficult climb out.

_____________________

Mar 24 2013

Guides 4
Routes 20
Photos 544
Triplogs 22

male

Joined May 23 2004
San Diego, CA

Hose Canyon

Hose Canyon

Phoenix, AZ

Canyoneering		Mar 24 2013
		azmike

Canyoneering	2.00 Miles	1,600 AEG

Canyoneering	2.00 Miles	2 Hrs 30 Mns	0.80 mph

	1,600 ft AEG

Intermediate Canyoneering - Difficult or dangerous; Tech Climb; rope reqd; descent anchor; exit technical;

B - Up to light current; wading/swimming; possible wet/dry suit

II - Normally requires a half day

Linked

none

no linked trail guides

Partners

none

no partners

There are a couple options for this trip. You can park your vehicle in the campsite area just off Apache Trail Rd and hike the jeep road 1.5 miles to the drop in for Hose Canyon. This will make the trip a 5 mile lasso loop. The road is pretty rough and requires 4WD and high clearance even in dry conditions.

We elected to drive the road in my Toyota 4Runner and were able to park near the drop in to Hose Canyon about 1.5 miles from Apache Trail Rd. This made it a 2 mile loop hike. The jeep road runs along the west side of Hose Canyon near the drop in.

Down climbing into Hose Canyon is fairly easy as it is pretty wide at this point. We saw pockets of water below from the rains two weeks earlier. There were a couple down climbs and wades before reaching the first rap, which is 85 ft. from a bush on RDC. At the time there was no water flow other than a trickle. There was water at the bottom though.

The second rappel is 50 ft from a pretty bomber tree a few feet back from the drop. The anchor is high on the tree which makes for a pretty easy pull. You will need all of 50 ft. for this rap. We dual-lined a 120 ft. rope and there wasn't much on the ground although you could stop short and down climb a few feet. This rappel put you in the water where we had a deep wade.

We geared down at this point and hiked out towards Crucifix Canyon passing the south fork of Crucifix Canyon on our right first. There were a number of slimy green pools as we made our way down the canyon with lots of downed vegetation from recent water flows. Once in Crucifix Canyon, we headed downstream exactly 0.2 miles to the climb out on our left. The hiking was pretty easy in the creek with lots of green pools. It was easy to spot the break in the cliffs on our left and the climb out to the top. We could see a tricking waterfall which was our exit out of the canyon.

It was a great day to be in the Supes.

Mesquite Creek

Pools to trickle

Tortilla Creek

Light flow

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Mar 16 2013

Rock Creek Canyon - Mazatzals

Guides 4
Routes 20
Photos 544
Triplogs 22

male

Joined May 23 2004
San Diego, CA

Rock Creek Canyon - Mazatzals

Payson, AZ

Canyoneering		Mar 16 2013
		azmike

Canyoneering	6.00 Miles	2,500 AEG

Canyoneering	6.00 Miles	9 Hrs 30 Mns	0.63 mph

	2,500 ft AEG

Intermediate Canyoneering - Difficult or dangerous; Tech Climb; rope reqd; descent anchor; exit technical;

C - Strong current; wading/swimming; waterfalls; possible wet/dry suit

III - Normally requires most of a day

Linked

none

no linked trail guides

Partners

none

no partners

We camped Friday night at the trail head along Center Creek. Saturday morning at 8:00 we headed up the trail alongside Center Creek before veering off on the trail away from the creek and the long climb to the top of Rock Creek Canyon. We were on a good trail for almost the entire hike up the mountain until the last 0.25 mile or so. The fire had resulted in lots of erosion so the trail would disappear, but there were cairns to guide you to the top.

The weekend prior, there was a big storm that moved through the area. It dumped a lot of snow in the Mazatzals. It even snowed in parts of Phoenix. After the storm blew through, the temperatures rose into the 80's by mid-week, which resulted in a lot of snow melt in the mountains and a very strong water flow in the Rock Creek Canyon.

We did 8 rappels, all down waterfalls. We all wore 3mm wet suits which worked out perfectly. Temperatures were in the 70's with no clouds in the sky. The upper sections of the canyon get a lot of sun so it made for a warm day.

The 180 ft. waterfall rappel which is the third to last was exceptional. I had been in Rock Creek 6 weeks earlier and the water wasn't flowing as much as it was this day. The last two rappels are into pools of very cold water. These last two pools don't get much sun and are definitely the coldest in the canyon.

After the last rappel, the canyon opens up and we hike maybe 0.25 mile down the creek bed to a point where we started climbing out on the left. It was marked with ribbons on a tree. Just about 1/2 way up, there is a faint trail you can follow well below the ridge line . It will disppear and reappear often, but look for the colored ribbons on the trees. We hiked far enough on the trail that you can see Center Creek and the cars below to the left. It was a great day to be in the canyon.

Center Creek

Heavy flow

Rock Creek

Heavy flow

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Mar 09 2013

Guides 4
Routes 20
Photos 544
Triplogs 22

male

Joined May 23 2004
San Diego, CA

Phoenix, AZ

Canyoneering		Mar 09 2013
		azmike

Canyoneering	1.80 Miles	523 AEG

Canyoneering	1.80 Miles	2 Hrs 45 Mns	0.65 mph

	523 ft AEG

Intermediate Canyoneering - Difficult or dangerous; Tech Climb; rope reqd; descent anchor; exit technical;

C - Strong current; wading/swimming; waterfalls; possible wet/dry suit

II - Normally requires a half day

Linked

none

no linked trail guides

Partners

none

no partners

Thunderstorms had moved into Phoenix Thursday night and it rained all day Friday and into early Saturday morning. As we drove to Tortilla Flat early Saturday morning, we could see the snow capped peaks of Four Peaks. We knew that Headdress would be full of water and it was likely that all three rappels would be waterfalls. We were right.

Seven of us parked at the overflow parking lot just east of Tortilla Flat at about 8:30 AM. We hiked west up the paved road about a quarter mile until we came up on the chain link fence on the side of the road. At this point, we started climbing south up the hill to the first small ridge. There's a use trail that starts at a small white National forest sign and it ends at the top of this small ridge. We started southwest along the ridge and then dropped into the drainage. We cross the drainage and continued climbing due south. A few groups I know of started climbing up towards the peak to the southwest. You do not need to climb up and to the west. The canyon begins due south of where you started on the use trail. The climb is only 500 ft.

Once we crossed this first major drainage, we continue south careful not to drop in too early. We made sure we circled around to the west of a large rock formation on our left (formation is a couple hundred feet high). We dropped in at this point.

The first rappel was 30 ft and it was a waterfall due to the recent rains. We put on our wet suits and rappelled into the water below. It was a swimmer. The second rappel is 15 ft down a waterfall and it was a swimmer, as well. We could have bypassed this rappel on LDC, but why. It's a waterfall rappel. The third and final rappel is right on top of the second rappel. It was also a raging waterfall however we were still able to climb down under the boulder to reach the start of the rappel. The alcove below was full of water, but you didn't need to rappel into the water. We rappelled to the ledge above it and down climbed. When we were there three weeks earlier, the alcove was dry.

Once we finished the last rappel we spent the next 25 minutes rock hopping down the creek to the road. There were a number of pools of water as we worked our way down the creek.

We finished in about 2 hrs 45 min. It was a great day to be in the Supes.

_____________________

Mar 03 2013

Guides 4
Routes 20
Photos 544
Triplogs 22

male

Joined May 23 2004
San Diego, CA

Parallel Play Canyon

Parallel Play Canyon

Payson, AZ

Canyoneering		Mar 03 2013
		azmike

Canyoneering	6.00 Miles	2,400 AEG

Canyoneering	6.00 Miles	8 Hrs 30 Mns	0.71 mph

	2,400 ft AEG

Intermediate Canyoneering - Difficult or dangerous; Tech Climb; rope reqd; descent anchor; exit technical;

C - Strong current; wading/swimming; waterfalls; possible wet/dry suit

III - Normally requires most of a day

Linked

none

no linked trail guides

Partners

none

no partners

We started at the trailhead around 8 AM and followed a pretty well-defined trail to the drainage where we dropped into the canyon at the first rappel. There was a little bit of snow on the ground at the higher elevations but only patches of snow. Once we dropped in, we could see a huge waterfall up canyon a half mile or so. We would have had to do some serious bush whacking to get to it. We left it for another day and just started hiking down the canyon.

The water was flowing fast in the canyon. We knew that all raps would be over waterfalls. There were four raps in the canyon. The best of the three was the second rap which was either a two-stage or three-stage rap. The waterfall was raging on this one. We had to rappel down 100 ft or so to a ledge. The ledge required us to pitch hard to our right while on the rope. There was an anchor on a BFR at the ledge. You could easily put several people on this ledge. From there we rapped down between two granite walls about 150 ft to a really cool alcove. There's another anchor about 120 ft down. It's there to make the rope pull easier on the second stage. I would at least have the last person down make this a three-stage rap.

After the final rap, we geared down and started hiking down Park Creek. There's a lot of scrambling across large boulders which makes for a little more difficult exit especially with the vegetation.

Once the canyon opens up and about a mile before the trailhead, we started to climb out of the creek bed on LDC. It was much easier and faster to hike above the creek. We just followed the creek to the trailhead. It was a great day to be in the canyon especially with all the water.

	Park Creek	Heavy flow	Heavy flow
	Lots of water in Park Creek. UP canyon there were a number of waterfalls.

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Feb 23 2013

Coyote Buttes North - Wire Pass TH

Guides 4
Routes 20
Photos 544
Triplogs 22

male

Joined May 23 2004
San Diego, CA

Southwest, UT

Coyote Buttes North - Wire Pass TH

Southwest, UT

Hiking		Feb 23 2013
		azmike

Hiking	6.40 Miles	340 AEG

Hiking	6.40 Miles	3 Hrs 45 Mns	1.71 mph

	340 ft AEG

Linked

none

no linked trail guides

Partners

none

no partners

Lucky was able to score 6 permits for the Wave in February. We camped at the Paria Canyon Guest Ranch near the highway and several miles south of the turnoff from the highway to Wirepass TH. Temperatures in the morning were in the 30's but it warmed up nicely until the storms rolled in that afternoon.

We hiked about an 1.5 hours from the TH parking lot to the Wave. The day started out nicely with clear skies but by that afternoon the temperatures dropped and it started to snow. The winds probably hit 35+ mph at the Wave. We were reminded how the Wave was formed when the winds picked up the sand and sandblasted us. That was painful.

The Wave is amazing place. It was definitely worth doing even if it takes awhile to get permits.

_____________________

Jan 05 2013

Guides 4
Routes 20
Photos 544
Triplogs 22

male

Joined May 23 2004
San Diego, CA

Boulderfest Canyon

Boulderfest Canyon

Phoenix, AZ

Canyoneering		Jan 05 2013
		azmike

Canyoneering	0.50 Miles	500 AEG

Canyoneering	0.50 Miles	3 Hrs	0.17 mph

	500 ft AEG

no routes

Linked

none

no linked trail guides

Partners

none

no partners

Four of us set out Saturday morning to paddle across Canyon Lake, climb to the top of Boulder Fest and work our way down the canyon doing 3 rappels before paddling back across Canyon Lake. We parked at the picnic area just off of US88 where we launched our rafts around 9:15AM. The water was a little choppy but we were able to make it across Canyon Lake in our Supai pack rafts in about 30 minutes. Once we reached the other side, we deflated our rafts quickly before the 20 minute climb to the top.

The climb was pretty rocky and steep but short. We climbed directly up the ravine. Once at the top, we started the down climb to the entrance to the canyon. The down climb was a pretty short and an easy hike. There are 3 short rappels in the canyon with a few pools of standing water at least when we were there. No wet suits required. We didn't get wet. The last rappel is the longest and the most fun. Once we did the last rappel, we had a very short hike to the water where we inflated the rafts and paddle back across Canyon Lake to the picnic area. It took us 20 minutes to get back across the lake. Watch out for boats though. I wasn't too worried they would run us over. I was more concerned with them creating a wake that would flip us. The water that day was pretty cold. Make sure you dry bag your gear and always wear an appropriate PFD.

This is a cool little canyon that you can knock out in a morning.

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Feb 04 2012

Sierra Canyon - North Fork

Guides 4
Routes 20
Photos 544
Triplogs 22

male

Joined May 23 2004
San Diego, CA

Sierra Canyon - North Fork

Phoenix, AZ

Canyoneering		Feb 04 2012
		azmike

Canyoneering	5.40 Miles	1,000 AEG

Canyoneering	5.40 Miles	5 Hrs 10 Mns	1.05 mph

	1,000 ft AEG

Intermediate Canyoneering - Difficult or dangerous; Tech Climb; rope reqd; descent anchor; exit technical;

A - Dry or little water; shallow or avoidable water; no wet/dry suit

III - Normally requires most of a day

Linked

none

no linked trail guides

Partners

none

no partners

Several of us started out around 8:30AM from the dirt pull out along Apache Trail Rd. We boulder hopped our way downstream for about a half mile before we started climbing up the first major drainage into Fish Creek on our right (east). After making it to the top of Horse Mesa Flats, we hiked by the first fork into Sierra Canyon which is the traditional route into Sierra described on HAZ. We kept hiking on the same approach as we had done earlier in the year to Tango Canyon but as we approached the north fork of Sierra, we dropped in.

There was very little water in the canyon with some water in the potholes as we made our way down the canyon encountering 4 rappels on our way to Fish Creek. It was a great day to be in the Supes.

_____________________

Jan 22 2012

Guides 4
Routes 20
Photos 544
Triplogs 22

male

Joined May 23 2004
San Diego, CA

Quartz Canyon

Quartz Canyon

Phoenix, AZ

Canyoneering		Jan 22 2012
		azmike

Canyoneering	5.00 Miles	1,947 AEG

Canyoneering	5.00 Miles	6 Hrs 30 Mns	0.77 mph

	1,947 ft AEG

Intermediate Canyoneering - Difficult or dangerous; Tech Climb; rope reqd; descent anchor; exit technical;

A - Dry or little water; shallow or avoidable water; no wet/dry suit

III - Normally requires most of a day

Linked

none

no linked trail guides

Partners

none

no partners

We had a large group on this trip, 10 in total and took what we believed to be a shorter route using Peters Canyon on the approach to the ridge overlooking Quartz Canyon. After working our way through Quartz Canyon we returned down Peters Canyon to the vehicles. This made it a lollipop loop.

We parked at the overflow dirt parking lot on the east end of Tortilla Flat near the museum building. We started off by taking the Tortilla use trail on the east end of the parking lot past the gate. This use trail dumped us into the Tortilla Creek after about 10 minutes of hiking. We continued hiking up the creek bed until we reached Peters Canyon, ~0.5 mile from the end of the use trail. We veered right off of Tortilla Creek and into Peters Canyon. We continued up Peters Canyon for another 0.65 miles to a steep drainage on the right. This drainage is marked with large white boulders and some slick rock. This is the drainage just north of Quartz Canyon.

This is the toughest part of the trip. You will climb 1,200 ft up this drainage to the ridge. Quartz Canyon is just to the south over the cliffs as your are climbing. Climb to the top of the ridge to the southwest and you will be overlooking Quartz Canyon. Find a convenient place to drop into the Quartz Canyon and start hiking east down Quartz.

There may be some water in the canyon but you should stay dry as you make your way to the two rappels in this canyon. Both rappels are in the final 0.25 mile of the canyon. The first rappel is a 120 ft with a rest in a thigh deep pothole about halfway down. A few people in the group managed to walk hands and feet on each side of the wall while on the rope to avoid getting wet. The rest of us took the plunge. This rappel had a knot choke anchor which has been there for a long time but we didn't trust. We placed the webbing around a large boulder about 15 ft back from the edge. After stopping halfway down in the water, you'll continue the rappel over a lip with a free hang to the bottom.

You won't hike very far until you reach the second rappel which is a nice 100 ft descent down a slightly angle wall. We anchored off of a boulder several feet back from the edge. All natural anchors in this canyon. Let's keep it that way.

From there you will hike for a few minutes until you exit out to Peters Canyon from Quartz Canyon. Make a sharp left turn down Peters Canyon for 2.25 miles, backtracking the approach in from Tortilla Flat until you reach the use trail and then the vehicles.

This is a nice little canyon with a strenuous climb on the approach, but well worth it.

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Jan 21 2012

Robbers Roost Canyon - Tonto NF

Guides 4
Routes 20
Photos 544
Triplogs 22

male

Joined May 23 2004
San Diego, CA

Robbers Roost Canyon - Tonto NF

Phoenix, AZ

Canyoneering		Jan 21 2012
		azmike

Canyoneering	4.00 Miles	2,000 AEG

Canyoneering	4.00 Miles	5 Hrs 30 Mns	0.73 mph

	2,000 ft AEG

Intermediate Canyoneering - Difficult or dangerous; Tech Climb; rope reqd; descent anchor; exit technical;

A - Dry or little water; shallow or avoidable water; no wet/dry suit

II - Normally requires a half day

no routes

Linked

none

no linked trail guides

Partners

none

no partners

This trip to Robbers Roost takes the traditional route up from the Carney Springs TH but instead of returning through Peralta TH, we did three rappels as we worked our way down the canyon below Robbers Roost. The longest rappel being 240 ft.

We parked the vehicle at the Carney Spring TH just off of Peralta Rd. There was just three of us on this technical canyoneeering trip, so we felt like we should make good time getting through the rappels. An AHOTE group of 20+ had started out just before us on a Ridge Line hike with a key exchange in the middle.

We hiked up Carney Springs to the mesa and Boulder Saddle. We then headed east along the top towards Robbers Roost. There's not much of a trail but cairns lead the way to the Roost. Once we arrived at the Roost, we did an optional rappel down into the Roost just because we wanted to.

I won't count that rappel. Once in the Roost, we encountered a 10-12 ft rappel and then a short down climb.

Making our way down from there we reached a 80 ft 2-drop rappel. The only difficulty with this rappel was negotiating around a prickly pear cactus halfway down. We managed to get around it without much trouble.

Now the fun starts. :tt:

In front of this 80 ft rappel is the canyon just below Robbers Roost where we would find the final rappel. We bushwhacked for about 0.5 miles until we reach the 240 ft rappel. Long pants are mandatory as the cats claw is thick. Be careful not to hike over the 240 ft rappel. It is pretty well obscured by brush on the left side.

We used a 30 ft piece of webbing to anchor to a boulder straight back from the edge. The rappel is a pretty nice one with a gradual slope through most of the rappel. We had no issues on the retrieval. You can easily see this rappel from the Carney Springs trail. As you're hiking up the trail, the rappel will be on the right and is marked black from the waterfall. It was dry when we were there.

After the 240 ft rappel, we then bushwhacked over to the Carney Springs trail and back to the vehicle.

Photos and more details at http://canyoneering-sw.blogspot.com/

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Jul 24 2010

Cabin Loop - Mogollon Rim

Guides 4
Routes 20
Photos 544
Triplogs 22

male

Joined May 23 2004
San Diego, CA

Cabin Loop - Mogollon Rim

Payson, AZ

Backpack		Jul 24 2010
		azmike

Backpack	18.70 Miles	950 AEG

Backpack	18.70 Miles	2 Days

	950 ft AEG

no routes

no photosets

Linked

none

no linked trail guides

Partners

none

no partners

This was an overnighter for our group. We backpacked in to Barbershop Springs on Saturday morning. The climbing was pretty easy with a lot of rolling hills type climbing. The storms moved in after lunch and then later in the afternoon. This is definitely one the best areas on the Rim. I think the meadows really make this trip worth it. There were lots of flowers blooming.

The trail was difficult to follow in several locations. There are forestry roads everywhere and it seemed like the trail crossed several of them.

_____________________

Jul 10 2010

Guides 4
Routes 20
Photos 544
Triplogs 22

male

Joined May 23 2004
San Diego, CA

Ash Creek Trail #307

Tucson, AZ

Ash Creek Trail #307

Tucson, AZ

Backpack		Jul 10 2010
		azmike

Backpack	9.00 Miles	5,200 AEG

Backpack	9.00 Miles	2 Days

	5,200 ft AEG

no routes

no photosets

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partners

drewboy

After a long drive up the mountain from Safford, we arrive at the Ash Creek TH around 11AM on Saturday. Our plan was to camp Saturday night at Oak Flat and then return Sunday morning to the TH.

The trail was littered with fallen trees so it was slow going for the first mile. I talked with a friend familiar with the area and he said that there was so much snow up there during the spring that it caused many of the trees to fall. It looked like they had been sheared off.

We took the lower slide rock route which is about half way down to Oak Flat. We did not take the well marked high route that the horses travel. At slide rock, you have to cross the creek and continue traveling on the opposite side.

Traveling along Ash Creek was incredible. In just a matter of a few hundred yards you could go from scrub oak and manzanita to aspen and ferns. The climate change was absolutely amazing. It was like hiking through a tropical forest.

At Oak Flat, the area opened up some but not as much as I had imagined. There weren't as many hanging spots as I had imagined, but we managed. You will know when you have traveled past Oak Flat because it opens up into manzanitas and low desert flora. It is a big change in climate and terrain.

Although the hike description warned of the strenuous climb out, we found it to be moderate. The climb from Oak Flat up to the half-way point is definitely the hardest. It is all climbing. I found that the mileage did not seem to be accurate from the trail description. It seemed longer than 4 miles down to Oak Flat. We backpacked out from Oak Flat to the Ash Creek TH in less than 3 hours with only a few instances to take pictures.

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Dec 31 2009

Guides 4
Routes 20
Photos 544
Triplogs 22

male

Joined May 23 2004
San Diego, CA

Gateway Loop Trail - MSP

Gateway Loop Trail - MSP

Phoenix, AZ

Hiking		Dec 31 2009
		azmike

Hiking	4.40 Miles	625 AEG

Hiking	4.40 Miles	2 Hrs	2.20 mph

	625 ft AEG

no routes

no photosets

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This is a great hike for kids. I took my two kids (ages 11 and 18) and my two nephews (ages 4 and 14) on this hike. The 4 year old had no problem on the hike and was able to make it up to the saddle with only limited carrying on his dad's shoulders.

We did this loop CCW. The hike to the saddle is pretty easy with a little bit of moderate climbing. The views on the saddle are really nice where there are lots of good photo ops. The hike is well marked with signs describing the distances along the way. There is also a nature trail that describes the vegetation in the area.

I would definitely recommend this hike for kids and family/friends visiting from out of town, and who are not familiar with hiking in Arizona. It is a good hike to familiarize them with the desert.

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Feb 18 2007

Dripping Springs Super Loop

Guides 4
Routes 20
Photos 544
Triplogs 22

male

Joined May 23 2004
San Diego, CA

Dripping Springs Super Loop

Phoenix, AZ

Hiking		Feb 18 2007
		azmike

Hiking	19.00 Miles

Hiking	19.00 Miles	6 Hrs 56 Mns	2.74 mph

no photosets

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partners

drewboy

We did this hike as a day hike taking the counter-clockwise route. Our goal was to accomplish the hike in under 7 hours which we did. We maintained a blistering pace, which I wouldn't necessarily recommend for most.

We weren't able to start until just after 9AM because Peralta Rd was closed due to the Dutchman Marathon. Once we got started, we moved pretty quickly on Dutchman and then onto Coffee Flats. The trail was in pretty good shape and there were no problems on this stretch of the trail until we reached Reeds Water where we found a windmill that needed to be oiled. The windmill at Reeds Water is just to the left (north) of the trail, but at Reeds Water we passed through a barbed wire gate to Randolph.

Heading into Randolph we spent most of our time in the creek bed. At this time of year there was lots of water in the creek. Eventually, we reached Dripping Springs where the creek turns decidedly north as we started on the Red Tanks Trail. We spent the next couple of hours bushwhacking and fighting off chollas and catclaws. This trail is a bit rough. There are a few parts all the way into the Hermans Cave area where the trail disappears, but with the help of the cairns it was pretty easy to find the trail again.

Shortly after Hermans Cave, we picked up Whiskey Springs for which there is a sign. After some ups and downs, we picked up Dutchman and then onto Peralta TH.

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Jan 27 2007

Weaver's Needle Loop from Peralta TH

Guides 4
Routes 20
Photos 544
Triplogs 22

male

Joined May 23 2004
San Diego, CA

Weaver's Needle Loop from Peralta TH

Phoenix, AZ

Hiking		Jan 27 2007
		azmike

Hiking	12.20 Miles	3,122 AEG

Hiking	12.20 Miles	5 Hrs 45 Mns	2.12 mph

	3,122 ft AEG

no routes

no photosets

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I've done this hike a number of times and I never get tired of it. This time we did this hike counter-clockwise which I think is easier. I don't mind climbing cardiac hill off of the TH, but going Peralta off of Fremont Saddle is just hard on the knees.

There was water in some parts of the stream beds and climbing up to Fremont there were patches of snow. This is another great hike in the Superstitions!

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Oct 21 2006

Canyon Lake TH to Peralta Trailhead

Guides 4
Routes 20
Photos 544
Triplogs 22

male

Joined May 23 2004
San Diego, CA