lanewinblade's Triplogs • HikeArizona.COM

Photos 100
Triplogs 15

49 male

Joined Nov 04 2009
Gilbert, AZ

Pinto Peak, AZ

Hiking		Mar 20 2021
		lanewinblade • Triplogs 15

Hiking	13.80 Miles	2,042 AEG

Hiking	13.80 Miles
	2,042 ft AEG

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This one has been on the To Do list for three years but a myriad of reasons (raging Pinto Creek flood waters, out of shape hiking partners, etc) have always seemed to defeat me. Not this time Pinto Peak. Took West Pinto Creek to Campaign Creek up to the saddle. The saddle was as far as we made it on the last attempt in February but nothing was stopping me this time. The off trail section from the saddle to the base of Pinto Peak is a route finding nightmare, but post fire, is a dream compared to what that brush used to be. Once you make the base, the push up to the top is steep but not terrible. The views from the top were well worth the wait and the three rock walls were an added bonus. Anyone know what these walls are (ruin, creative hikers?).

After finally reaching the peak, we were feeling impervious to pain so we decided to descend down the southeast face of Pinto off trail to try and hook up with the Cuff Button trail. You can see the trail from the top of the peak so route finding was basically following the path of least resistance. This was actually quite rewarding as, again, post fire, the bush whacking was minimal and we spotted a few ruins uncovered by the fire on the way down. I would not recommend this route up, but down absolutely!

Cuff Button was hit and miss and definitely needs some trail loving attention. The Miles Trailhead area had many campers, some with horses and mules that appeared to be doing some trail maintenance.

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Benchmark

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Mar 21 2020

South Fork - Gold Ridge Loop

Photos 100
Triplogs 15

49 male

Joined Nov 04 2009
Gilbert, AZ

Payson, AZ

South Fork - Gold Ridge Loop

Payson, AZ

Hiking		Mar 21 2020
		lanewinblade • Triplogs 15

Hiking	13.10 Miles	2,920 AEG

Hiking	13.10 Miles
	2,920 ft AEG

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First time to this trio of trails, definitely will not be the last. The original plan was to go up Gold Ridge and back down South Fork but the running water in South Fork lured us in. Just a beautiful hike...the creek was flowing, the flowers were blooming the weather could not have been more perfect and we never saw another sole the entire day. We made it about 5 3/4 miles or so up South Fork before the trail simply disappeared. Spent quite some time trying to locate it again but were never successful which was incredibly frustrating considering how close we were to the road at the top. Oh well, the trip back down was twice as nice and even saw some waterfalls on the way out that were hidden from the other direction. The Mazzies are in full bloom and flow right now!

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Jan 25 2020

Photos 100
Triplogs 15

49 male

Joined Nov 04 2009
Gilbert, AZ

Globe, AZ

Hiking		Jan 25 2020
		lanewinblade • Triplogs 15

Hiking	3.90 Miles	2,160 AEG

Hiking	3.90 Miles
	2,160 ft AEG

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Decided to take some friends on a short, but rewarding hike. I did not let them in on what our destination was, only that the trail was a climber but well worth the effort. I hiked this trail 4 years ago and it was difficult then and, at sometimes for a person that is not a big fan of heights, down right terrifying. Why did I do this again...oh, that's right the destination.

After teetering along the rocky cliff above the second set of larger waterfalls, the trail really disappears through a couple of creek crossings. By the time we reached the final ascent out of the creek bottom and up towards the ruins, the group was tired. However, upon first sight of the ruins, everyone's morale was uplifted. Cool to see the looks on their faces when they saw the ruins, especially when some really had to look hard just to see them. Spent some time at the ruins, had lunch and made our way back down to the trail head. The road into this area is still there and just as narrow as always.

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Jan 04 2020

Rock Creek Trail #195 - Superstitions

Photos 100
Triplogs 15

49 male

Joined Nov 04 2009
Gilbert, AZ

Rock Creek Trail #195 - Superstitions

Globe, AZ

Hiking		Jan 04 2020
		lanewinblade • Triplogs 15

Hiking	3.80 Miles	1,040 AEG

Hiking	3.80 Miles
	1,040 ft AEG

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Original plan was to finally conquer Pinto Peak, but our recent rains spoiled those plans. We started down West Pinto Creek but a mile down the trail, the only clear path ahead was crossing the creek. It was 28 degrees and I didn't feel like spending the rest of the 8 miles in wet, cold boots. Pinto is really flowing right now and it is super muddy and hard to even see the bottom to determine the depth. Headed back to the trail head and decided to wander up what I thought was a decommissioned Rock Creek Trail. To my surprise, someone has really done some nice work on this trail and, even though the signage for the trail is gone, the trail is well cairned and brush free up to a little past the falls. Shortly before the old corral, the trail literally disappears back into the brush. I back tracked several times to see if I missed a creek crossing or portage up and around the canyon....poof, the trail is gone. Nonetheless, beautiful hike along a flowing Rock Creek and nice to see the falls with the significant flow.

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Sep 04 2019

Photos 100
Triplogs 15

49 male

Joined Nov 04 2009
Gilbert, AZ

Black River (lower section frm Wildcat Bridge), AZ

Hiking		Sep 04 2019
		lanewinblade • Triplogs 15

Hiking	19.00 Miles	900 AEG

Hiking	19.00 Miles
	900 ft AEG

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Haven't been back to the Black River since the Wallow Fire, wasn't sure what to expect. Great to see that most of this canyon was untouched by the fire. The beauty of this area was preserved and made for a great Labor Day weekend hike. We started at Wildcat Crossing bridge and worked our way upstream crossing the river a total of 18 times each way...some crossings were waist deep. The trail was easy to follow with the occasional bushwhack here and there near the river crossings. My two buddies took turns falling into the river, one on the way in and the other on the second to last crossing on the way out. We saw more rattlesnakes on the way out (two) than I've seen all year hiking near the valley...drove 5 hours to be scared by two snakes!

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1 archive

Mar 18 2017

Bull Basin Trail #270 - Superstitions

Photos 100
Triplogs 15

49 male

Joined Nov 04 2009
Gilbert, AZ

Bull Basin Trail #270 - Superstitions

Globe, AZ

Hiking		Mar 18 2017
		lanewinblade • Triplogs 15

Hiking	5.10 Miles	1,700 AEG

Hiking	5.10 Miles
	1,700 ft AEG		20 LBS Pack

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Decided to take the family out on a hike close to town but, because of the abnormal temps, wanted some shade. Decided on Bull Basin as I heard recent reports of trail maintenance and boy were those reports right. This trail is now the gem of this area, brush free and enjoyable once again. Sadly though, once we topped out, the sun made this a less than bearable trip. We decided to turn around and have some lunch back down by the creek in the shade.

Definitely want to hike this one all the way thru to the Paradise Canyon junction via Government Hill to see if the trail maintenance continues. If anyone has done this section recently, let me know!

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Feb 11 2017

Photos 100
Triplogs 15

49 male

Joined Nov 04 2009
Gilbert, AZ

West Pinto Creek, AZ

Hiking		Feb 11 2017
		lanewinblade • Triplogs 15

Hiking	4.70 Miles

Hiking	4.70 Miles	4 Hrs	1.18 mph

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We've hiked about everything else in this area and were looking for something a little off the beaten path...without all the bushwhacking that goes hand in hand with this area. Read some triplogs regarding the Cuff Button trail and it screamed bush whacking but from those triplogs found some related tags regarding the hike up West Pinto Creek from Horrel Ranch back to the Miles Trailhead area. Awesome....I'm in.

We camped at the Miles Trailhead area the first night, leaving a car here for the shuttle. Took another vehicle back down to the Horrel Ranch intersection with Pinto Creek and began hiking the creek. Previous reports indicate that there is an old jeep trail and a lot of cattle/game trails to follow and they are mostly correct. The recent storms really flooded this basin out so the jeep trail is there, the trick is finding it again after it crosses the creek. The trail seems to be there for the purpose of running and maintaining a fence line so if you follow the fence line, you'll find the jeep trail.

I can say I am glad we took this adventure as the hiking was easy going and the scenery was wonderful. The creek was still flowing quite well from the recent storms and there were quite a few "swimming holes" that might require some more exploring this summer. Saw two of the largest whitetail deer I've ever seen and A LOT of pig tracks and wallers, but no pigs.

Once you reach about the half way point, there is an old cattle feeding trailer that essentially marks the end of your jeep trail and from this point on, you are relying on cattle trails and the creek bed. The canyon narrows and the trail really disappears due to the flooding so boulder hopping and creek crossing becomes the norm. As you near the end (back towards the Miles Trailhead area) there are a couple of substantial waterfalls that require some navigational strategy to get around. The first waterfall requires a steep, uphill climb via the north side of the canyon through, of course, some thorny brush to get around. My dog has a weird fear of heights and this was by far his least favorite part of the hike. The second waterfall still has a trail that goes up and around via the south side of the canyon. Again, the flooding took out the beginning of this trail but I knew it was there from previous trips to this very swimming hole in the summer.

This is one of those hikes that starts out a little ho-hum and ends up getting better and better every step of the way. Definitely going back when the air gets a little warmer to enjoy some of these deeper swimming holes.

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Jan 23 2016

Photos 100
Triplogs 15

49 male

Joined Nov 04 2009
Gilbert, AZ

Globe, AZ

Hiking		Jan 23 2016
		lanewinblade • Triplogs 15

Hiking	3.90 Miles	2,160 AEG

Hiking	3.90 Miles	4 Hrs	0.98 mph
	2,160 ft AEG

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WOW...what a conundrum of a hike. Been wanting to cross this one of the list for awhile and I am glad I can say I did. After reading many of the triplogs on this hike, I felt as though I was was mentally prepared for what should be a short, tough but rewarding hike. All very true, however, I was not prepared for how hard this short hike is.

The trail started off very well maintained and I thought to myself, "this trail isn't so bad, it's a climber but at least there is a well defined trail." We reached the first waterfall and spirits were high. It all went downhill (only figuratively though) from there. After scrambling through a tiny hole in a rock to get through the first waterfall, we scrambled over a very narrow ledge to get past the second, taller waterfall. This was a little dicey and I knew it would not be fun coming back down. From here, that well defined trail is a thing of the past and it became time to cairn hunt. Boulder hopping...not fun. Snow covered slick rock...not fun. A steep climb up a muddy trail with a seep flowing down it...not fun. Once you finally reach the last creek crossing and begin your ascent up the last hill towards the ruins, the real pain begins. Steep, slick and bushy to sum it up. Devil's Chasm is a real torture chamber of a hike. It starts off nice and only gets tougher, but the pay off is definitely worth the pain. Those ruins were amazing and the original inhabitants new the key to real estate...location, location and location.

Coming back down was all about not breaking our necks. Every step had to be well thought out and anything and everything that could be held onto was used. I would imagine this trail would not be as treacherous were it not wet from snow melt and/or covered in snow, but January seems to be the time to go if you're not into rattlesnakes.

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May 16 2014

Photos 100
Triplogs 15

49 male

Joined Nov 04 2009
Gilbert, AZ

Aravaipa Canyon

Aravaipa Canyon

Globe, AZ

Backpack		May 16 2014
		lanewinblade • Triplogs 15

Backpack	11.00 Miles	200 AEG

Backpack	11.00 Miles	3 Days
	200 ft AEG		35 LBS Pack

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First time thru Aravaipa but won't be the last. What a gem. I applied for a permit 5 years ago and had to give it away due to last minute travel for work and have been wanting to check this one off the list ever since. As with all trips I plan, the weather couldn't have been worse. It was hot, hot hot but the creek was refreshing. Setup camp at Horse Camp Canyon and day hiked Virgus Canyon. Almost stepped on a rattlesnake on the way out and saw two wild turkey hanging by the stream. By my count, there are 63 creek crossings from the TH to Horse Camp!

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Feb 01 2014

Photos 100
Triplogs 15

49 male

Joined Nov 04 2009
Gilbert, AZ

Haunted Canyon #203

Haunted Canyon #203

Globe, AZ

Hiking		Feb 01 2014
		lanewinblade • Triplogs 15

Hiking	8.30 Miles	2,040 AEG

Hiking	8.30 Miles	4 Hrs		2.08 mph
	2,040 ft AEG		10 LBS Pack

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Fifth time I've hiked this trail and second time with the wife and daughter. This time we started at the East end of the trail and were immediately surprised at the lack of water in the creek. I know it has been a LONG time since we've seen precipitation but this is usually a pretty reliable creek. Along the 1.5 miles of road walking at the beginning the trail there were a few puddles and once we hit the actual trail, we never saw water again. We made it just short of the cabin before the rain clouds came rolling in and we high-tailed it back to the car. It started raining just as we made it to the car and I was glad we turned around when we did!

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Jan 28 2014

Little Cherry Creek Trail

Photos 100
Triplogs 15

49 male

Joined Nov 04 2009
Gilbert, AZ

Little Cherry Creek Trail

Globe, AZ

Backpack		Jan 28 2014
		lanewinblade • Triplogs 15

Backpack	12.60 Miles	3,115 AEG

Backpack	12.60 Miles	2 Days
	3,115 ft AEG		25 LBS Pack

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Great hike into a remote part of the Greenbacks. Thanks to the great directions originally posted by ssk44, we managed to stay on trail even when the actual trail seemed to be the least logical choice. Although this area hasn't seen precipitation in awhile, both Tin House and Cherry Creek springs are still flowing quite well. Tin House Spring is a much nicer area to call camp but going all the way to end of the trail is worth the views. The trail up the switchbacks and down the other side of the mesa is in pretty rough shape. Nothing but ruts and ankle-twisting rocks, but outside of this, the trail is in great shape. Look forward to exploring this area some more.

	Cherry Creek Spring	Gallon per minute	Gallon per minute
	Flowing but not as well as Tin House.

	Tin House Spring	Gallon + per minute	Gallon + per minute
	Great flow out of this spring.

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May 24 2013

Barnhardt - Sandy Saddle Loop

Photos 100
Triplogs 15

49 male

Joined Nov 04 2009
Gilbert, AZ

Payson, AZ

Barnhardt - Sandy Saddle Loop

Payson, AZ

Backpack		May 24 2013
		lanewinblade • Triplogs 15

Backpack	15.00 Miles	4,735 AEG

Backpack	15.00 Miles	3 Days
	4,735 ft AEG		30 LBS Pack

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Car camped at the trailhead on Thursday evening and awoke to absolutely perfect weather. We started up Barnhardt Canyon and didn't see another person the entire day (weird for a holiday weekend). Made the right turn at the Sandy Saddle junction and it quickly became apparent that this trail had not been used in awhile. There were many times where the Mazatzal Wilderness map, a lucky cairn spotting and some dead reckoning came into play to keep us on the trail (a bad omen of things to come). Setup camp at the junction of a dry wash and Barnhardt Creek just West of Castersen Seep. As a side note, I grew up in the midwest and could spot poison ivy from a mile away...but I have never seen poison oak. Needless to say, I know what it looks like now!

Day 2 started out just as day 1 ended. We knew we were headed to Sandy Saddle, we could see Sandy Saddle, but finding the trail was the real problem. Cairn spotting became more of a sport than a luxury as we pushed through brush up the spine of the mountain leading us to Sandy Saddle. As we finally reached the saddle, we thought the worst was behind us and we were incorrect. The downhill section is even worse as the creek you follow has suffered severe flooding and the trail is gone. The choice between boulder hopping with a 30lbs pack or pushing through brush was constant. When we finally reached the Arizona trail, it looked like a 4-lane highway. Nice and wide and free of brush!

We setup camp at Chilson Camp and began the search for a water source. The map led us to the Chilson Spring which is inconveniently located 100 yards up a very steep mountain side. A pipe crossing the trail is your first clue, a green 5-gallon bucket on top of said pipe is your second clue and a green patch of vegetation just uphill from said bucket will be your final destination! The water was trickling through and it really tested the limits of my buddy's MSR filter.

On Day 3, we awoke to a deer in camp that awoke everyone with the exception of my guard dog. We walked up to Chilson Spring to filter more water and packed it out back to the car for a few well deserved cold ones (and then to Walgreens for some Caladryl!). Although I've day hiked the Barnhardt Canyon trail before, the Chilson Camp was definitely the highlight of this trip. A perfect little spot to setup base camp and day hike more of the Mazatzal Divide trail.

Fauna

Fauna [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Dog Mule Deer

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Campsite Hammock

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Chilson Spring Sandy Saddle

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Apr 06 2013

Photos 100
Triplogs 15

49 male

Joined Nov 04 2009
Gilbert, AZ

Paradise Trail # 271

Paradise Trail # 271

Globe, AZ

Hiking		Apr 06 2013
		lanewinblade • Triplogs 15

Hiking	2.70 Miles	1,509 AEG

Hiking	2.70 Miles	3 Hrs	0.90 mph
	1,509 ft AEG

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Haunted Canyon #203

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In case you wondering if this trail has finally been cleared of the overgrown brush, the answer is NO. We had previously backpacked this trail and it was a nightmare of brush, brush and more brush. This time we were day hiking and decided to the take Haunted Canyon up and Paradise Canyon down thinking it would be easier going down without a pack. WRONG. As nice as this loop is, I am not sure the trail is savable. The amount of scrubby brush that grows in this area is almost impossible to keep cut back. Might as well change the name of this trail to "Paradise Lost."

Wildflowers Observation Substantial
Beautiful blooms of every color

	Paradise Spring	Quart per minute	Quart per minute
	This stream is still flowing quite well and still spilling over the road.

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Aug 17 2012

Photos 100
Triplogs 15

49 male

Joined Nov 04 2009
Gilbert, AZ

KP Creek, AZ

Hiking		Aug 17 2012
		lanewinblade • Triplogs 15

Hiking	6.00 Miles	1,080 AEG

Hiking	6.00 Miles	4 Hrs	1.50 mph
	1,080 ft AEG

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KP South Fork

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Day hiked this trail in 2012 (just realized that I forgot to add the triplog) to see what was left after the fire. When you first pull off Hwy 191, you would believe that the area suffered substantial fire damage but that damage was really contained to the road. The KP Cienega campground is still there and beautiful as ever. The first 2 miles of this trail were untouched by the fire and are as beautiful as ever (small victories). However, as the Forest Service BAER report indicates, this trail suffered significant flooding damage and most of the trail from the 2-mile marker is gone. There is a wash that comes into KP Creek on the right at the 2-mile marker that used to be a trickle that you stepped over. This area is now a football wide and long of burnt trees and huge boulders. After some scrambling through dense brush, we finally connected with the trail as it climbs the west side of the creek right before you reach the North Fork and the waterfalls. Unfortunately, the North Fork of KP Creek was devastated by flooding and the one and only flat spot for camping at the base of the two waterfalls is no more. As this was one of my favorite hikes, I could stomach no more and decided to turn back. There is evidence that the fire damage becomes more significant downstream from the waterfalls.

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Jan 29 2010