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8 triplogs
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Jul 12 2013
avatar

 Guides 27
 Routes 518
 Photos 5,861
 Triplogs 883

72 female
 Joined Jan 21 2006
 Eagar AZ
Black River - MainstemAlpine, AZ
Black River - Mainstem
Alpine, AZ
Backpack avatar Jul 12 2013
azbackpackr • Triplogs 883
Backpack14.51 Miles 2,497 AEG
Backpack14.51 Miles1 Day   18 Hrs   54 Mns   
2,497 ft AEG
 
Linked   none no linked trail guides
Partners partners
Athena
mountainlaurel57
Starting at Wildcat Crossing bridge, (FR 25) we hiked downstream, setting up a base camp for two nights. This was a fantastic trip, and it's going to take me a while to post up everything. We swam, explored and laughed ourselves silly. There were five of us women on the trip. On the second day we hiked downstream but didn't quite reach the reservation boundary. We lucked out that it didn't rain. It spit on us for a few minutes, but the rain stayed upstream, causing the river to rise a little bit overnight. However, the crossings were rarely more than knee deep. I lost count of crossings. We probably crossed more than 20 to 25 times during the course of the weekend, which is why I always call my trips to this place "The Black River Wade."

I'll be back again to explore more sections, since this is just about my favorite place in Arizona other than Grand Canyon.

Note: My camera battery died. Some of the photos are mine, others are Deb's, Laurel's and Patty's.
 Flora
 Flora [ checklist ]
[ checklist ]  Butterfly Weed
 Culture
 Culture [ checklist ]
[ checklist ]  Campsite
 Named place
 Named place [ checklist ]
[ checklist ]  Black River - Mainstem
wildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observation
Wildflowers Observation Moderate
Lots of monsoon flowers coming out now!

water 1 out of 5water 2 out of 5water 3 out of 5water less than max Conklin Creek Medium flow Medium flow

water 1 out of 5water 2 out of 5water 3 out of 5water less than max Snake Creek Medium flow Medium flow
_____________________
There is a point of no return unremarked at the time in most lives. Graham Greene The Comedians
A clean house is a sign of a misspent life.
 
Jul 07 2013
avatar

 Guides 27
 Routes 518
 Photos 5,861
 Triplogs 883

72 female
 Joined Jan 21 2006
 Eagar AZ
Black River - MainstemAlpine, AZ
Black River - Mainstem
Alpine, AZ
Hiking avatar Jul 07 2013
azbackpackr • Triplogs 883
Hiking7.00 Miles 451 AEG
Hiking7.00 Miles
451 ft AEG
 
Linked   none no linked trail guides
Partners none no partners
HAZ - Event
Scouting out the area downstream of Wildcat Crossing Bridge (FR 25) since I am leading a backpacking trip there next weekend. It sure is a super area! Looked for campsites and swimming holes, and found both. The river was mud-colored due to runoff from the Wallow Fire areas. Not much is burned down in this stretch--it's mostly all upstream.
 Flora
 Flora [ checklist ]
[ checklist ]  Western Poison-oak
 Culture
 Culture [ checklist ]
[ checklist ]  Cairn

water 1 out of 5water less than maxwater less than maxwater less than max Conklin Creek Pools to trickle Pools to trickle
_____________________
There is a point of no return unremarked at the time in most lives. Graham Greene The Comedians
A clean house is a sign of a misspent life.
 
May 24 2013
avatar

 Guides 27
 Routes 518
 Photos 5,861
 Triplogs 883

72 female
 Joined Jan 21 2006
 Eagar AZ
Black River - MainstemAlpine, AZ
Black River - Mainstem
Alpine, AZ
Backpack avatar May 24 2013
azbackpackr • Triplogs 883
Backpack13.40 Miles 750 AEG
Backpack13.40 Miles2 Days         
750 ft AEG
 
Linked   none no linked trail guides
Partners partners
TrailHappy
Wildcat Crossing Bridge (FR 25) upstream almost to Bear Creek.
Once again, the Black River delivers: beauty, solitude and isolation, wildlife, flowers, etc.
We spent only one night (having planned on two) due to a minor ailment (mine) and freezing temperatures at night (see ice on boots photo!! :o )

My friend, Petra from Yuma, and I drove to Wildcat Crossing Bridge and hiked up several miles and set up camp on one of the Black River's fine park-like flats. No campfires are allowed at this time, and we spent a rather chilly evening and cold night. The hiking (and wading!) itself was great, with new awe and wonder around every bend. At one point Petra spotted a large herd of Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep, about 18 of them! It appeared that they were waiting for us to get the heck out of there, (darned paparazzi), so they could approach the river for a drink of water.

On the second day we arose, finding ice on my boots. I was kind of sick (no I was NOT hung over, didn't even drink--maybe that's the problem!) But I recovered by about 10 a.m. and was able to have my breakfast. We decided to leave our backpacking gear and just day hike upstream a few more miles.

Our destination was Bear Creek, but once we had gotten fairly close to it we reached an area that had been rearranged by the Wallow Fire (on the south side of the river only) and I was a bit confused about where we were. Anyway, we were tired and ready to get back, so we turned around, hiked back to our big packs and headed for the car. All in all, a great overnight backpack, but could easily be done by a strong hiker in a day. We saw a total of 5 people, all of them fly fishermen standing thigh-deep in the river.

This area gets so little traffic that in the midsection there is almost no trail, and you have to watch for the big cairns to find the best places to cross the river. You have to cross the river many times, which is why I call it "The Black River Wade."
 Flora
 Flora [ checklist ]
[ checklist ]  Claret Cup Cactus  Rocky Mountain Iris  Western Poison-oak  Wood's Rose
 Fauna
 Fauna [ checklist ]
[ checklist ]  Bighorn Sheep  Silver-spotted Skipper  Western Tent Caterpillar
 Culture
 Culture [ checklist ]
[ checklist ]  HAZ Gear
 Meteorology
 Meteorology [ checklist ]
[ checklist ]  Fire Burn Area & Recovery
wildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observation
Wildflowers Observation Light

water 1 out of 5water 2 out of 5water 3 out of 5water less than max Centerfire Creek Medium flow Medium flow

water 1 out of 5water 2 out of 5water less than maxwater less than max Fish Creek Light flow Light flow
_____________________
There is a point of no return unremarked at the time in most lives. Graham Greene The Comedians
A clean house is a sign of a misspent life.
 
Apr 14 2013
avatar

 Guides 27
 Routes 518
 Photos 5,861
 Triplogs 883

72 female
 Joined Jan 21 2006
 Eagar AZ
Black River - MainstemAlpine, AZ
Black River - Mainstem
Alpine, AZ
Hiking avatar Apr 14 2013
azbackpackr • Triplogs 883
Hiking1.00 Miles 200 AEG
Hiking1.00 Miles
200 ft AEG
 
Linked   none no linked trail guides
Partners none no partners
I hiked down the creek that runs off Becker Tanks, between Bear Creek and Beaver Creek. I parked right there at the T intersection where FR 26 hits FR 24.

FR 24 toward Bear Creek is gated off right now. I heard it's closed because they can't keep the landslides from happening, due to Wallow Fire erosion. I suppose you can walk into the area, but I saw enough recently fallen trees where I was hiking to make me pretty nervous about hiking in fire areas.

I had planned on hiking along the river, and brought my sandals for crossing it, but the water was running fairly fast and high, so that crossing it did not look like a safe proposition.

We'd had high winds for several days, and I noticed many live trees down, especially on the flats across the river. So, not just the trees from the fire are falling.

In the area where I hiked the fire damage is spotty but you can sure see where there was a lot of flooding after the fire.

A reminder, the Wallow Fire started Memorial Day weekend 2011, burned over 500,000 acres, and wasn't out until July.

water 1 out of 5water 2 out of 5water less than maxwater less than max West Becker Tank 26-50% full 26-50% full
_____________________
There is a point of no return unremarked at the time in most lives. Graham Greene The Comedians
A clean house is a sign of a misspent life.
 
Sep 18 2010
avatar

 Guides 27
 Routes 518
 Photos 5,861
 Triplogs 883

72 female
 Joined Jan 21 2006
 Eagar AZ
Black River - MainstemAlpine, AZ
Black River - Mainstem
Alpine, AZ
Backpack avatar Sep 18 2010
azbackpackr • Triplogs 883
Backpack11.00 Miles 900 AEG
Backpack11.00 Miles2 Days         
900 ft AEG
 
Linked   none no linked trail guides
Partners none no partners
Went on a short overnight backpacking trip with people from White Mountain Conservation League, USFWS Mexican Wolf Recovery Project, TRACKS hiking club, and Defenders of Wildlife. We accessed the Black River via the Bear Creek Trail. The hike leader was Don Hoffman, who BUILT the Bear Creek Trail.

The purpose of the hike was to visit the site where Aldo Leopold killed a she-wolf in 1909 and wrote about it over 30 years later in A Sand County Almanac. He wrote that he "saw the dying green fire in her eyes" and as a result of his experience he began to change his perspective on predator control as a land management tool. Leopold is truly the father of modern conservation practices, having written textbooks on the topic. He is also revered as one of the most inspiring environmentalists of the past 100 years.

Because of recently found letters to his mother, pretty much the exact location where he shot the wolf has been found, over near the Caldwell Cabin. We hiked up-river, crossing many times, and then climbed the bluff (before reaching Beaver Creek) to the north side of the river. We then gathered at the bluff and took turns reading the essay "Thinking Like a Mountain" from the book. 10 backpackers attended, and 11 more day hikers arrived on Sunday for this very special event.

It was an interesting weekend, and a lot of fun, too.
 Fauna
 Fauna [ checklist ]
[ checklist ]  Dog
_____________________
There is a point of no return unremarked at the time in most lives. Graham Greene The Comedians
A clean house is a sign of a misspent life.
 
Jul 18 2008
avatar

 Guides 27
 Routes 518
 Photos 5,861
 Triplogs 883

72 female
 Joined Jan 21 2006
 Eagar AZ
Black River - MainstemAlpine, AZ
Black River - Mainstem
Alpine, AZ
Backpack avatar Jul 18 2008
azbackpackr • Triplogs 883
Backpack5.00 Miles 900 AEG
Backpack5.00 Miles2 Days         
900 ft AEG
 
Linked   none no linked trail guides
Partners partners
mikehikes
I call this one "The Black River Wade." Had fun with a small group on an easy backpacking trip. We camped two nights by the river, having accessed via Bear Creek Trail #66. We hiked upstream. After six or seven crossings we found the swimming hole I'd heard about, plus a rope bridge desperately in need of repair. Water was pretty cold. How come I'm the only one who ever swims these days?
 Fauna
 Fauna [ checklist ]
[ checklist ]  Osprey
_____________________
There is a point of no return unremarked at the time in most lives. Graham Greene The Comedians
A clean house is a sign of a misspent life.
 
Jul 13 2008
avatar

 Guides 27
 Routes 518
 Photos 5,861
 Triplogs 883

72 female
 Joined Jan 21 2006
 Eagar AZ
Black River - MainstemAlpine, AZ
Black River - Mainstem
Alpine, AZ
Hiking avatar Jul 13 2008
azbackpackr • Triplogs 883
Hiking5.00 Miles 900 AEG
Hiking5.00 Miles   4 Hrs      1.25 mph
900 ft AEG
 
Linked   none no linked trail guides
Partners none no partners
We accessed the river via the Bear Creek Trail #66, a short access route. Hiked downriver to first crossing, very leisurely pace, stopping a lot to take in the scenery. Very nice day, a few sprinkles, nice and warm and balmy. Ran into some backpackers and their unruly dogs on their way out, then we had to put out the fire in their messy camp when we got to it. Whatever happened to the ethical standard known as "Leave No Trace"? Or "Take only pictures, leave only footprints"? They said they were from Phoenix, four young people. Just in case they see this. Read a book on backpacking next time before you go.

The late-summer wildflowers are coming out. We saw quite a few yellow columbines.
wildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observation
Wildflowers Observation Moderate
_____________________
There is a point of no return unremarked at the time in most lives. Graham Greene The Comedians
A clean house is a sign of a misspent life.
 
Apr 20 2007
avatar

 Guides 27
 Routes 518
 Photos 5,861
 Triplogs 883

72 female
 Joined Jan 21 2006
 Eagar AZ
Black River - MainstemAlpine, AZ
Black River - Mainstem
Alpine, AZ
Hiking avatar Apr 20 2007
azbackpackr • Triplogs 883
Hiking2.00 Miles 900 AEG
Hiking2.00 Miles
900 ft AEG
 
Linked   none no linked trail guides
Partners none no partners
The Black River is up due to snow melt right now, so making the crossings on foot would be very cold and unpleasant. We hiked only a short distance upstream from Wildcat Crossing. We were reconnoitering for a future hike we are leading for a group. I have backpacked from Bear Creek to Fish Creek, and from Fish Creek to the Black River and upstream from there, in July a couple of years ago. The area is worth many return visits.
_____________________
There is a point of no return unremarked at the time in most lives. Graham Greene The Comedians
A clean house is a sign of a misspent life.
 
average hiking speed 1.25 mph

WARNING! Hiking and outdoor related sports can be dangerous. Be responsible and prepare for the trip. Study the area you are entering and plan accordingly. Dress for the current and unexpected weather changes. Take plenty of water. Never go alone. Make an itinerary with your plan(s), route(s), destination(s) and expected return time. Give your itinerary to trusted family and/or friends.

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