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Hiking | 6.00 Miles |
850 AEG |
| Hiking | 6.00 Miles | 3 Hrs | | 2.00 mph |
850 ft AEG | | 3 LBS Pack | | |
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| no partners | | December 1st & December 4th, 2012 - Hiking the "SMITH-RAVINE" #297 Trail in Prescott, Arizona. I can't believe that this was my first experience using this trail! I didn't realize what a gem this trail was. I think I may have held off because I had heard, that about the first 1.5 miles was all burnout from a fire sweeping through the area a few years back (I thought that it may be somewhat depressing). Well, I am glad that I got over that, and decided to go for it anyway!! The trailhead is just about on the 5 mile marker on Walker Road. Take the first right after that 5 mile sign. Nice little area for parking and you know you're in the right spot because of the clearly marked Prescott National Forest Signs. Trail #297 (Smith-Ravine) is an "out-n-back" hike. 3 miles in and 3 miles out (total 6) it ends at F52. (There are some other routes if you want to travel farther... Look at your maps) Anyway, today we (my very awesome dog and hiking companion) just did the out-n-back. This hike starts out heading up.... (The elevation change in about 1000 feet) I believe the mountain top is about 7200 ft. The first 1.5 miles or so.... The terrain definitely looks as though it experienced a big fire. But, I noticed that mother -nature is trying to come back strong.... Lots of new growth!!! Bees were abundant, which is always a good sign? This first part was not as bad as I thought it would be. Even with the burnout, the green forested Bradshaw Mountains' are all around you. Once you get out of those 1.5 miles... You begin to see a change... Much more shade. The area is FILLED with Pine trees, Oaks, NATURE! ..... It truly is BEAUTIFUL! There was small animals heard through the dry leaves and lot' of birds. Also, there were a lot of "other animal" signs along the way too... Lot's of foragers, scat, etc... My hike was soooooooo Peaceful!! The Solitude is... Well,??? Fantastic!!! I ran into NOBODY! No Hikers, nor mountain bikers.... I felt like I was in a bit of a forest fairyland!! (On second day - 4th, I did come across a group of 5-6 hikers... All of them together heading up, while I was heading down... The leading lady asked me a cute question: "There still is a Dairy Queen at the end of this trial.. Right???" I told her, "Yes... I just had a Blizzard before heading back down." - NOT!!!! The trip took me about 3.0 hours total.... My Trailblazing, hikin' buddy - "Bubba - LUCY ROSE" keeps me going at a medium to strong pace!!! This is a great day hike for anybody around the Prescott area who wants a nice getaway. For travelers... Check out this Prescott hike!!!! PS: The weather right now in the area is PERFECT!!!!  |
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