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Upper Sheep Creek Loop - 2 members in 4 triplogs have rated this an average 4 ( 1 to 5 best )
4 triplogs
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4 Triplogs		 Jan
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2		 Jun
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Oct 21 2018
chumley
avatar

 Guides 80
 Routes 681
 Photos 15,058
 Triplogs 1,549

47 male
 Joined Sep 18 2002
 Tempe, AZ
Thicketopia, AZ 
Thicketopia, AZ
 
Hiking avatar Oct 21 2018
chumley
Hiking12.20 Miles 2,917 AEG
Hiking12.20 Miles   5 Hrs   37 Mns   2.42 mph
2,917 ft AEG      34 Mns Break
 no routes
1st trip
Partners partners
John9L
Tough_Boots
Kyle came up with this one and I'd never done the loop so I thought it would be fun. We headed down from the loop to McFarland and then ventured a mile or so into @jacobemerick -land. I wanted to check out Squaw Flat. This trail has suffered flooding and deadfall, plus standard mazzy overgrowth. Fun stuff. I should come back and go further.

I found cairns at the Sheep Copper Camp junction, but no nice signs. Apparently the AZT folks are a little snobby and if it's not 6-feet wide and brush free, it's not a trail for them! Related note, nice game cam (not sure what it's trying to capture) and a brand new wilderness sign.

Ran into a guy doing a Pine to Roosevelt hike and he was happy to report that there's water everywhere. All the guthooks water sources were reliable and at least 2-3 more water sources between every one marked in the app. So now's definitely a nice time to venture into the desert!
Named place
Named place
Saddle Mountain 6,535 Squaw Flat Squaw Flat Spring

dry Squaw Flat Spring Dry Dry
Springbox was dry. No sign of source. But plenty of water flowing in the creek.

water 1 out of 5water 2 out of 5water 3 out of 5water 4 out of 5 Thicket Spring Gallon + per minute Gallon + per minute
Flow could be measured in cfs!

water 1 out of 5water 2 out of 5water less than maxwater less than max Upper McFarland @ #88/95 Light flow Light flow
Plenty of clear water in the creek
_____________________
Tonya Harding's triple lutz
1 archive
Oct 21 2018
John9L
avatar

 Guides 6
 Routes 174
 Photos 5,073
 Triplogs 1,634

male
 Joined Mar 12 2004
 Scottsdale, AZ
Mazatzal Loop, AZ 
Mazatzal Loop, AZ
 
Hiking avatar Oct 21 2018
John9L
Hiking12.20 Miles 2,917 AEG
Hiking12.20 Miles
2,917 ft AEG
 no routesno photosets
1st trip
Partners partners
chumley
Tough_Boots
Headed out in to the Mazzies with Kyle & Chumley in search of fall color. We started from the Peeley TH and headed in with a steady pace. We dropped into and out of canyons as we headed for Squaw Flat. There was some nice color in a few sections but nothing mind blowing. Squaw Flat would have been stunning before the Willow Fire. From there we headed back and opted for a loop taking us over to the Cornocopia Trail. It’s really nice going and most of these trails are in really good condition. We eventually turned back to the north and headed back to the TH. It was nice getting back into the Mazzies and fun to hike with Kyle & Chumley again.
_____________________
1 archive
May 07 2011
The_Eagle
avatar

 Guides 7
 Routes 799
 Photos 9,875
 Triplogs 1,385

64 male
 Joined Jan 20 2009
 Far NE Phoenix,
Upper Sheep Creek LoopPayson, AZ
Upper Sheep Creek Loop
Payson, AZ
Hiking avatar May 07 2011
The_Eagle
Hiking17.38 Miles 4,457 AEG
Hiking17.38 Miles   14 Hrs      1.39 mph
4,457 ft AEG   1 Hour   30 Mns Break16 LBS Pack
 
1st trip
Partners partners
joebartels
Out Searching for GPS Joe.

See posted Route.
Starting at 7:30am, we began our adventure.
We went counter-clockwise taking the Mazatzal Divide trail up to the Saddle where we dropped into the Upper Sheep Creek drainage. It was an hour and 15 minutes, to get to this point.

From here the fun starts. Dropping into Sheep Creek, we turned into VaporTeva and VaporEagle
making our way down the many drops, we boulder hopped through the thick vegetation. The whole area is quite beautiful with water running all the way down to, and past the Sheep Cabin area.

We finally got to a point were we could no longer follow the drainage because of a sheer 100' waterfall drop. So it was time to scramble up, around, and down to get back in the drainage.

Just past this area, we decided to take lunch. To get to this point from where we turned off from the safety of the Mazy trail was, 3hr 39 minutes and 2 miles in distance.

It was at this point, that I noticed that my SPOT was no longer attached to my pack. ](*,) All that was left was the back of the sleeve and the clip that I had it double secured with! Dam thick vegetation!!! Another Electronic offering to the God's up here. We thought about going back to look for it, but not knowing exactly where it was ripped off, would have been needle in the haystack stuff. On the bright side, I pay for the tracking feature and it currently sits about .1 mile 13 minutes hike time, from where we took lunch.

If anybody plans on going up there in the near future, please PM me and I'll send you the location

At our lunch location, we knew we were running a lot longer than we had planned, but still made the decision to push on hoping to get to an actual trail and make up some time.

The water in sheep creek all the way down was a godsend. We soaked our shirts and hats numerous times to cool off. We got to Sheep Cabin (No Cabin) hoping to pick up a trail. There was a faint trail off and on loaded with Teva Joe's favorite, foxtail. We did make better time going back, but still pulled into the Trailhead at 9:30pm, 14 hours after we started, tired, cranky, thirsty, and hungry.

I had a card on my window from Donnie at Superstion Search and Rescue, wondering if we'd had any luck. I thought maybe he was looking for us.

Bottom line, not a single clue on this day.
Fauna
Fauna
Arizona Mountain Kingsnake Teva
Culture
Culture
Spring Box
Named place
Named place
Round Spring

dry Round Spring Dry Dry
Dry
_____________________
There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness."
Dave Barry
May 07 2011
joebartels
avatar

 Guides 241
 Routes 829
 Photos 11,881
 Triplogs 4,714

51 male
 Joined Nov 20 1996
 Phoenix, AZ
Upper Sheep Creek LoopPayson, AZ
Upper Sheep Creek Loop
Payson, AZ
Hiking avatar May 07 2011
joebartels
Hiking17.38 Miles 4,457 AEG
Hiking17.38 Miles   14 Hrs      1.39 mph
4,457 ft AEG   1 Hour   30 Mns Break17 LBS Pack
 
1st trip
Partners partners
The_Eagle
Thanks to Bruce for helping make this loop a reality. It's been on my mind for sometime now and I was losing sleep. I've wanted to check the entire upper Sheep Creek drainage for any possible clues of gpsjoe for sometime. Unfortunately nothing observed other than to mark the drainage off as checked.

21.1 lb of water and food burned on this hike
Flora
Flora
Arizona Cypress
Fauna
Fauna
Arizona Mountain Kingsnake
wildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observation
Wildflowers Observation Light
_____________________
- joe
average hiking speed 1.73 mph

WARNING! Hiking and outdoor related sports can be dangerous. Be responsible and prepare for the trip. Study the area you are entering and plan accordingly. Dress for the current and unexpected weather changes. Take plenty of water. Never go alone. Make an itinerary with your plan(s), route(s), destination(s) and expected return time. Give your itinerary to trusted family and/or friends.

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