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| | | Sky Islands Summit Challenge 2023, AZ | | | |
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Sky Islands Summit Challenge 2023, AZ
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| Hiking | 15.83 Miles |
4,907 AEG |
| | Hiking | 15.83 Miles | 9 Hrs 25 Mns | | 2.05 mph |
| 4,907 ft AEG | 1 Hour 41 Mns Break | | | |
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| no partners | | Hiked the Sky Islands Summit Challenge for the third year in a row. This is an annual event put on by the City of Sierra Vista each spring. They provide buses/vans from the city to the start in Ramsey Canyon and from the finish in Miller Canyon back again. They have three options which are one, two or three peaks that they rate as "Difficult", "Very Difficult" and "Extremely Difficult". My first two times I picked the "Difficult" single peak challenge which goes to Carr Peak, but this time I decided to challenge myself with the two peak hike which adds Miller Peak. There were about 180 people total participating this year, most doing either 1 peak or 3 peaks with only 37 people signed up for the 2 peak challenge.
The hike started in Ramsey Canyon Preserve. Ramsey Canyon is a beautiful forest area with a stream. The two peak group started at 6:15. The 3 peak folks had started an hour or so earlier, and the single peak group would start an hour later. The trail goes up from the start and gets the heart pumping. At the end of the preserve it turns into the Hamburg Trail which is initially all stairs and switchbacks which is hard work. After a bunch of climbing and sweating we reach an overlook and take in the view. From here the trail descends and gives up most of the hard won elevation we just gained. This downhill segment lets us catch our breath. As we head down we can hear a stream below that we eventually reach and cross. There was definitely more water this time than the last two years, but not so much as to make it difficult to cross.
The trail crosses the stream several times as we begin to ascend the canyon. Interestingly the water seemed to start and stop. Most of the stream crossings we had to step on stones to cross the water, but some places the stream bed was dry. Then further up the canyon there would be water again. The trail gets steeper and steeper as it follows the stream. We stopped a few times to rest on the way up. Eventually the trail leaves the bottom of the canyon and heads up the canyon wall. It's steeper and it seems to go on forever, but at least it's cool and shady. Eventually we reach the Crest Trail at Bear Saddle which provides a view of the land to the West of the Huachucas.
After munching down on an energy bar and chugging some electrolyte juice at the saddle we continue on the Crest Trail #103 which is part of the Arizona Trail. The trail is more or less level for a while as it traverses the western edge of the mountain toward the South which is a nice change after the long, long climb to get there. The views to the west here are just stunning. Then the trail heads into the forest for a series of switchbacks that take us up and over the ridge where we get our first view of Carr and Miller Peaks.
At the ridge line we turn left on Carr Peak Trail #107. There are few big trees here on this side of the mountain because of a big fire that burned through some years ago. The trail climbs gently over about a mile and a half until we reach the spur to the peak. The spur is a bit steeper, but it's short and before long we're on top of Carr Peak where we check in, receive peak stickers for our water bottles and stamps for our passports to show we made it. Great view of Sierra Vista to the north, and of Miller Peak, our next destination, to the south.
We retrace our route back along Carr Peak Trail and then start heading downhill towards the aptly named Bathtub Spring where we turn right to stay on the Crest Trail. The spring was running and the tub was overflowing. The next mile or so was more or less level which was easy walking and helped my legs recover. Miller Peak is only a couple hundred feet higher than Carr Peak, but we descended quite a way and have nearly 1000 feet of elevation gain to get to Miller Peak. Now it's nearly noon, the trail is in sunlight and it's hard work. Eventually we reach the junction with Miller Peak Trail #105 which is a short spur that takes us to the peak where we get another sticker and stamp and an opportunity to catch our breath before the long hike down.
After a short break we start back down and retrace our route to Bathtub Spring. While it was a long climb up here, the footing is good and the slope is gentle enough that we can keep up a decent pace. From Bathtub Spring it's down the long, steep and miserable Miller Canyon Trail #106. There are several stretches that are steep and rocky and have to be taken slowly to avoid falling. Even though I had done this trail twice before, it still seemed to go on much longer than I remembered. As we headed down we saw a helicopter head up to the ridge where we had been to rescue a hiker in trouble. We also passed a couple of men from the Frye Fire Dept who were heading up Miller Canyon to assist a hiker. I heard people saying that at least three hikers needed to be rescued. Busy day for paramedics in the Huachucas. Thankfully my friends and I were not among those needing assistance.
When we reached the end of the trail a van was there in minutes to take us to the staging area farther down Miller Canyon, and from there a bus took us back to Veterans Memorial Park where the annual wine and beer festival was in full swing. Participants in the Summit Challenge all received two free drink tickets, and after a long day of hiking that beer tasted great! |
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