Swankie Wheels

Sunday, May 8, 2016

Arizona National Trail—Passage 22 Scouting Trip (May 3, 2016)

Saddle Mountain (Sunflower to Mount Peeley)

The Passage begins at the Bushnell Tanks Trailhead. I spent a night there before I hiked. There was a car there when I arrived. Several cars pulled in so people could relieve themselves as there is no place in Sunflower to do that. It is a tight small trailhead parking area and on a slant, but I am o.k. with that.

They say this passage is some of the most beautiful on the entire AZT, but I found myself a little uncomfortable being low in a valley rather than high on a ridge. But there was beauty to be found there. I love the Sycamore Trees.

And water… Sycamore Creek was running and looked clean. I guess there was a bad fire here in 2012, but it looked like the land and plants were bouncing back.

It’s about .25 mile from the parking area to the AZT Trail… but lots to see. Lots of volcanic rocks. A log jam in the creek… must be a lot of water coming through there at times.

You pass through a cowboy gate… and you are on the trail.

When I have to hike a ways just to reach the AZT itself, it always feels good to me to spot the AZ sign, like when I return from kayaking and spot my van on the shore.

Some trail work had been done here and I guess someone found an old shovel. I like that they left it there.

The trail follows the creek westward… and reaches this tunnel which they say was built with the AZT in mind… wide enough for houses to pass through. It goes under Highway 87.

Hikers sometimes leave messages for other hikers. Here is one I found.

For me, the best part of this hike was the marriage of these two trees, one giant Sycamore Tree and some kind of Evergreen. Click on photo to see how they are intertwined with each other. My day pack is there to give you some scale.

I see lots of rabbits and lizards, but finally one held still long enough for a photo.

I returned to my van and drove on to Cross F Trailhead… which book says is a “signed” trailhead. There was no sign in the parking area at all… and I had to search around for this one down the road a bit.

The parking area is shaded and maybe four cars could fit, but the drop off at the edge of the pavement is pretty deep. Be careful. I guess this gate is the trail heading back toward Sunflower, but as I passed through it, I could not spot the trail or any cairns. I thought this woman’s car signs were funny. If someone were to drop water for me or meet me along the trail, this would be a good place to do it. The road dead ends just past this point.

It was a good paved road into that trailhead… and only 3.4 miles to the highway.

And so then…. My scary drive this morning. I don't know why I felt scared... it's not a feeling I am very familiar with. The road would not have bothered me at all if there had been room for two cars to pass each other. I tried to imagine backing up or down the road to let someone pass.... and just could not get an image. Had enough trouble going forward, sure as heck was not driving backwards. At that slope, I don't even know if my van would go uphill backwards. I imagined an impasse where someone insisted I back up so they could pass. The impasse remained in my mind’s eye.... cause I would not do it.

One at the top of FR 627, it ends at the corral. Fires had destroyed the signage and it was never replaced. Funny how that reflection worked out. This is called Mormon Grove Trailhead. Must be some interesting history to that name.

The AZT is 1/2 mile uphill from here. The corral was destroyed by the fire. For some reason I was very uncomfortable here… like something was watching me. I did spend the night but did not sleep well. Next morning I posted this on my Facebook:

I am not comfortable taking a hike and just want to get to the bottom of this mountain I will leave at 9am. Should not take more than 30 min to reach bottom. I will send an OK Spot message at 9am and a second one at bottom. Probably won't have internet signal down there, so please post on Facebook that I have safely reached the bottom. I am also putting SPOT on tracking mode during the drive down, so if I stop moving and you don't get a second OK signal, I may have gone off the road. I will push HELP if that happens, but Road Service won't come here. If I wreck, I may not be able to reach the SPOT device to push 911. I am at the Mormon Grove Trailhead on Forest Road 25, heading back down to FR 201, then to FR 627 and back to the highway 87. You should hear from me or one of my Spotters by 10am. Sorry to worry everyone, but I am concerned about this road.

This is the first time in seven years on the road, that I have ever sent out such a message.

Because that peak and the antennas on it were in direct line of sight, I had good internet connection.

But I was happy to get off that mountain. Here is one of the hairy hairpin turns, I actually had to back up three times to make the turn.

I can not visit the Mount Peeley Trailhead on the northern end of this Passage as it is a long 10 mile drive in and that’s just too much on roads like this and then it is a 1/2 hike to the AZT. This area… the Mazatzal Divide and wilderness is going to have to wait until I am in better condition.

Last: Passage 21 – Pine Mountain

Next: Passage 23 – Mazatzal Divide

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Friday, May 6, 2016

Arizona National Trail—Passage 21 Scouting Trip (May 7, 2016)

Pine Mountain (Lone Pine Saddle to Sunflower)

I spent two nights camped at Lone Pine Saddle, and explored around. I could not find where AZT Passage 21 began. Directions in the book, do not match my maps… and on the ground I could find no signs for a FR 422. I need to research this more and get full size topo maps for the entire AZT. But I hiked on AZT southward from Pigeon Spring Trailhead into Passage 20.

I think I should have turned left here down FR 143, but I felt I was going the wrong way to get back to Hwy 188, so I turned right. I think the trail picks up to the left a ways.

Bushnell Tanks Road (old FR 22). There is nothing else in Sunflower, nothing.

The rest of the Passage 21 is not accessible by road as far as I can tell, until you get to Sunflower. This was a disappointment. It is 19.8 miles through this section… and should be awesome.

Earlier I had gone to the northern end of this Passage off Hwy 87 at Bushnell Tanks Road. I hiked here into Passage 22.

I think it was at this point you could hike South on the AZT into Passage 21, or turn right going Westward into Passage 22. I have to admit some of the signage and trails are confusing.

Last: Passage 20 – Four Peaks

Next: Passage 22 – Saddle Mountain

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Wednesday, May 4, 2016

Arizona National Trail—Passage 20 Scouting Trip (April 25-May 4, 2016)

Four Peaks (Theodore Roosevelt Lake to Lone Pine Saddle)

According to the book, page 165: This passage has several striking aspects, including great views of Roosevelt Lake and the dam that created it, close-up views of the magnificent Four Peaks, and the startling effects of an intense forest fire.

I skipped over this section to visit Passages 21-23 and then returned.

I tied to drive to Mills Ridge Trailhead and hike there. It was late in the day on 5/6, I drove about a mile (it’s a 5 mile drive) when I became pretty rough and I realized I had less than 1/4 tank of gas left. I was not up for driving a 3rd really rough road in as many days, so I returned to the highway and on Northward.

The trail for Passage 20 begins at the end of the concrete barrier, across the road from the parking area. I love the cute little rock cairn someone made on the barrier. The trail heads up steeply from there and I was looking forward to exploring it, but I was developing a blister on a toe, it was full sun and very hot, and the vegetation/terrain were pretty much the same as my last couple of scouting trips..

At first I couldn’t see where the trail came out from the south Passage 19. I asked at the Visitor Center and she could not tell me. But driving past it again, I spotted it, at the intersection of Hwy 188 and 88, southeast corner. Parking options are the Dam Parking area on 88 or the AZT parking lot on the other side of the bridge, and there were two police cars there and other vehicles and equipment blocking the road… so I decided to pass this one up as well.

Well, I did it again, taking another scary road, twice as long as the last one, but not quite as scary,… up FR 143 to Lone Pine Trailhead. Took a little more driving skill. 12 miles from Highway 188 near Roosevelt Lake. I will be here a couple days. I am high on a ridge, actually a saddle, and drove past the antennas that were on that peak in photos taken from the Mormon Grove site. Amazing world

The drive up to the Lone Pine Saddle is a little hairy but safe. The drop offs are not as severe as they were driving up to Mormon Grove, but the road is much longer … 12 miles. On 5/5, it is pretty windy up there.

The Pigeon Spring Trailhead. Only enough room there for one car to park. I hiked from here the morning of 5/6 but only about 1/2 hour. Water was left here for hikers.

I camped at the Lone Pine Saddle for two nights, taking time to clean house and write. The views are awesome in all directions. Looing west you can see the road (FR 143) going down the other side back to highway 87.

And also from Lone Pine Saddle, I can look East and see Roosevelt Lake.

Sunrise from my pillow on 5/5/16, from Lone Pine Saddle.

The “Saddle” is not the Trailhead, so I drove down to the end of the road, less than 1/2 mile from the Saddle, to check out the Trailhead.

There was broken auto glass on the ground from someone breaking into a vehicle. That always spooks me. Up on the saddle, I got 90 t.v. stations, but there I only got 4 and they were scrambled. No internet either… so I drove back up to the Saddle for my 2nd night.

Where I parked two nights, on Lone Pine Saddle. A couple guys stopped for about an hour on an ATV… no one else came there. Driving down the short distance to Lone Pine Trailhead, a very large Gopher Snake was in the road. He stretched from the edge of the road to the middle of the road, but did not like me getting out of the van, so he retreated back the way he came.

I didn’t think too much of Lone Pine Trailhead, it was kind of shoddy.

The trail itself looked good but it was a two mile hike in to reach the Arizona Trail, so I did not hike it, just explored the area and enjoyed the beauty, this burned out area is bouncing back.

Look at this big burned out tree trunk. I have big feet too. I could just see Indians burning out logs this way to make canoes.

The burned out wilderness has allowed Manzanita to flourish. It was in full bloom and there were thousands of bees around. I have never seen it in full bloom like this.

I wondered if the beams/steps had been put in after the fire, but no, here is one that is burned. And an interesting red bug????

I did hike down to Pigeon Spring and a little farther. How nice to be in a forest again.

The Pigeon Spring Trailhead.

Pine cones all over the ground. Now that is different, as my sister would say. And not far down the trail someone had arranged logs around a fire ring.

Yes, I am happy in the wilderness, and some of the trail is even paved. All kidding aside, this is an erosion control technique.

Birds were signing everywhere (can you see him out on a limb?). This is the most birds I have seen. Very soon after leaving the van I came to the Pigeon Spring sign.

Walk left off the trail between the two rock cairns, and there is the Spring.

And below the Spring is a wetlands area with lush green grass. A little farther down the trail is evidence of trail maintenance, where Manzanita has been cut back.

What a pity that all these trees were killed. That’s the largest pine knot I ever saw. What a fire they make with all the sap that is in them. Indians considered them sacred and they were only burned on special occasions. They crackle and spark all different colors. And the tree on the right might already have been dead, with all the insect holes it had.

What a wonderful morning for hiking. These are the smallest acorns I ever saw and there were no Oak Trees nearby???

I believe these may be wild strawberries. Yum?

Looking up at the sky, I saw dark clouds rolling in and decided to give up admiring all the lovely wilderness and get my butt off this mountain. I love the knarly old trees and am eager to hike this whole Passage. So far, I think it is my favorite.

I had to wonder what the road back to Highway 87 would be like from here. But I am heading back the way I came as I want to backtrack and hike part of Passage 19. So back down the hairy road I go. Met a car coming head on that was going way too fast. Luckily, we both got stopped in time and I had room to move to my right.