|
| | | |
| |
|
| Hiking | 18.75 Miles |
1,798 AEG |
| | Hiking | 18.75 Miles | 6 Hrs 55 Mns | | 2.88 mph |
| 1,798 ft AEG | 25 Mns Break | 15 LBS Pack | | |
|
|
| |
| Linked |
|
none
[ show ]
| no linked trail guides |
| Partners |
|
none
[ show ]
| no partners | | My main goal in hiking is to become total hiker trash and do a bunch of thru hikes. In the past my longest days of hiking have all been around 14 or 15 miles, and on any thru hike I should probably be able to extend my daily distance a bit past that. So I chose this section of the AZT as a personal challenge to push beyond my standard comfort zone on a mostly unfamiliar length of trail that was fairly close to home.
After leaving my vehicle at the Washington park trailhead and getting shuttled way up highway 87 by my very supportive wife, I started my southbound hike from the northern end of AZT #27 at about 8am. The first couple miles were very easy going, with signs indicating I needed to take a right turn at a junction a little over 1/4 mile into the hike, and another right turn at an AZT gate just past Elk tank roughly a half mile later.
I passed the very nicely kept Blue Ridge campground and started the first climb of the day. It was rough and rocky, but over quickly after about 400 feet of elevation gain. Once on top of the mesa, the trail smoothed out and I was able to make a good pace all the way to the edge of the canyon above East Clear creek. There were a few rough spots where a herd of cattle had traversed the trail after a rainstorm, leaving stretches of heavily potholed trail that made me step carefully.
Dropping down into the canyon, the trail got a little rough again and I had a few minor slips and stumbles on some loose rock, but nothing close to taking a fall. I was wearing my new pair of Altra Lone Peak hikers and the tread is thankfully very grippy on this type of stuff, compared to my last pair of shoes. As I approached the bottom it looked dry at first, but getting closer I was able to notice some pools of water that were suitable for filtering. Not knowing how far it would be until the next water source, I topped my 4L container off with about a liter and continued up the trail on the opposite side of the canyon, which was easy to spot.
The climb up and away from East Clear creek was the last "big" ascent of the day, but at only 300ish feet it was not very strenuous and I was at the end of FR123A before I knew it. At this point I had covered 7 miles and the recurring cramp in my left hip socket started to be noticeable, so I welcomed the next mile of easy road walking along FR123A. Just before it meets FR123, you'll have to be paying attention because the only indication the trail goes back into the trees is a small cairn with a very faint path leading away from the dirt road.
Now I was back on the singletrack and walking through some nice ponderosa forest again. The serenity of this was fleeting due to the fact that the trail here parallels FR123 for quite a distance, and the sounds of UTV traffic flying up and down the road permeated the air despite me being down below a long hill and unable to see the road itself. Oh well, I just tell myself they have just as much of a right to be there as I do, and I can still enjoy nature with other people nearby.
After crossing FR123 at the 10 mile mark, I noticed rake marks along the trail indicating some very recent trail maintenance. Continuing about a mile further, I passed through an open gate and began to descend the set of switchbacks going down into General Springs canyon. About halfway down, I encountered the trail stewards for this section, with their rake, moving loose rocks and smoothing the trail. I didn't get their names, but they were very nice people who wished me well as I resumed hiking after our brief conversation. I'm thankful there are folks out there who spend their time to ensure others have a nice experience in the outdoors.
Just a little past the bottom of the switchbacks, I hit the junction with Fred Haught trail, and I was back in familiar territory. I hadn't been on Fred Haught since a few years back, and I was happy to see there was just as much water in the canyon as the last time I visited. Not much flow to speak of, but the water was fairly clear and would be a great source to filter from along most of the length of upper General Springs canyon. It was about 12:30, and I stopped on a nice rock to have a quick snack and load back up on electrolytes.
The rest of the way down the trail to General Springs cabin was probably my favorite trail section of the day. Lots of ferns and soft sand on the path that felt nice on my feet that were starting to ache a bit. I encountered just one other hiker who was heading north, the only other person I saw on trail besides the trail stewards for the entire day. The trail crosses over the creek 3 or 4 times in this section, but it's easy to hop across the rocks and avoid stepping in water or mud.
Walking past the cabin at the end of the trail, I had finished Blue Ridge passage 27, my first fully completed passage of the entire AZT. I've been all over the AZT between Mazatzal Peak and the Rim in the last several years, but this was my first segment fully hiked end to end in its entirety. I didn't have much desire to pause and reflect on that, since some degree of pain was starting to set in and there was still about 2.5 miles between me and my car. It was pretty slow going as I started down the Rim, but after a few minutes I passed the junction for the railroad tunnel trail and I was on the home stretch.
I didn't want to just follow the power line directly to the trailhead so I kept my eye out for the Col. Devin trail branching off to the left toward the headwaters of the East Verde. Sure enough, about 1.25 miles down from the edge of the rim, there was a sign directing me onto the desired trail. I was in a bit of a rush to finish so I didn't spend too much time enjoying the nice riparian scenes as I descended, but since I live pretty close I can always come back to hang out and wander around the creek and nearby Pieper Hatchery spring, which is a nice shady hillside with trickles of water surrounded by tons of Vinca plants totally covering the ground. Very lush and jungle-y.
Anyway the last push to the car featured a strong finish, with me hobble-jogging the last 1/4 mile over the bridge and up to the trailhead. I got there a few minutes before 3pm, giving me a total time on the trail of just under 7 hours to walk from highway 87 to Washington park. I'm planning on hiking the entire Highline trail about a month from now, so this was a good warm up to prepare me for the 14 miles x 4 days that it'll take me to go from 260 trailhead to Pine, and onward to other longer thru-hikes from there. I've got my sights set on the Long trail in 2023, tune in to find out if I can pull it off. |
|
Wildflowers Observation Light
Scattered occurrences of several brightly colored species |
|
| _____________________
| | |
|
|
|
Route Editor
Route Scout
Route 
