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| Hiking | 11.75 Miles |
4,600 AEG |
| | Hiking | 11.75 Miles | 10 Hrs | | 1.34 mph |
| 4,600 ft AEG | 1 Hour 15 Mns Break | 20 LBS Pack | | |
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| no partners | | I've been meaning to post at least one triplog of my many adventures for the longest time, so I figured I'd finally take the opportunity to do so. Let me start off by saying that HAZ is an excellent resource for hikes throughout the state of AZ and beyond. I've used HAZ for almost a year now and it has furnished me with numerous epic hiking adventures such as The Superstition Ridgeline, Four Peaks Mother Lode, Cactus to Clouds, etc.
Anyways, now for the business part. This would be my third Ridgeline hike, but the summer temperatures added a new element of difficulty. To assist in an early start, we set up our shuttle the evening before the hike at the Carney Springs Trailhead. My friend and I also decided to camp at Lost Dutchman State Park, which was a moderately uncomfortable experience. I think that a sleeping bag rated for 20 degrees Fahrenheit is a tad bit excessive for summer camping in Apache Junction, which resulted in me sweating like a pig up until around 1 a.m. The coyotes were singing throughout the night which made for an intermittent slumber as well.
Our feet hit the trail at 5 a.m. sharp. We were both carrying at least 200 ounces of water a piece, which is pretty much mandatory when doing a Ridgeline hike in the summer. We made it up Siphon Draw in decent time. The trail up Siphon was pretty humid and a bit washed out due to some recent rainfall. Once we crested Siphon, we made our way over to Flatiron for a gourmet breakfast consisting of Zebra Cakes and gummy worms.
Before hopping onto the Rigeline trail, we went ahead and bagged Peak 5024. Once 5024 was in the bag, we began the long walk along the Ridgeline trail. It was fairly obvious that the trail hadn't seen footsteps in quite some time (I wonder why? Summer temperatures maybe?). Overall, the trail was in decent shape. Other than some new overgrowth, not much had changed since we last hiked it in February.
Temperatures were fairly tolerable until we reached Peak 5057 (a mandatory detour in my opinion). At Peak 5057, we busted out The Bomb by Don Miguel and his trusty sidekick El Monterey Chimichanga for a tasty lunch in the little remaining shade. We signed the log book and were pretty surprised to discover that nobody had signed the log book of Peak 5057 since June 16. Temperatures were rising as we began the long descent from 5057 down to the Carney Springs Trailhead. Personally, I don't think the temperatures were all that bad, but others may not agree. There's nothing wrong with a little sweat, so long as you're smart enough to bring enough water to replace what you lose.
At the West Boulder Trail junction we stopped to grab a break in the shade, eat some Zebra Cakes, and prepare for the steep descent down to our truck at the Carney Springs Trailhead. The descent was fairly pleasant thanks to a nice breeze that followed us down the majority of the West Boulder descent. The flat road walk back to the Carney TH was a welcome change from the loose and steep rock garden that is the West Boulder trail.
We got back to the truck right around 3 o'clock and drove back to Lost Dutchman to grab my wheels. We then immediately proceeded to the nearest mexican restaurant for some ice cold cervezas, chips, and salsa to celebrate another Superstition Ridgeline hike in the bag. Always a privilege to be hiking in the Superstition Mountains.
- Mark |
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