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| Hiking | 21.36 Miles |
4,433 AEG |
| | Hiking | 21.36 Miles | | | |
| 4,433 ft AEG | | | | |
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| partners | | We decided to check out the Quilter trail and stay at Grass Shack for a night. We posted the adventure on the Tucson Backpackers Meetup. Our group was 4 backpackers + a dayhiker.
I enjoyed the Quilter trail as it's not often I get to backpack amongst the saguaros and other cactus. We had a great view of Rincon Peak a good stretch of the way. As a bonus we found what we called the MacLoad = Macdougal's Nipple Cactus Motherload! We found at least 8 in one area! It has been a great month for Macdougal's for me!
The Quilter trail connects up with the Manning-Madrona trail almost in a spot where I sprained my ankle really badly 4 years ago on a volunteer trip. It brought back memories. I was especially careful in that area to make sure I didn't trip!
We got to Grass Shack and Mark headed back so that he could complete the hike within daylight hours. The rest of us set up camp and did all the normal chores. Chimenea creek was flowing so we didn't have to worry about water. It seems like this would be a pretty reliable location for water.
While everyone else was reading and resting, I took off exploring up Chimenea Canyon. I was pleasantly surprised by what I saw! I'll just leave it at that 
We had a nice quiet night; we didn't have to share the campground with others. We spent time trading backpacking tips and talking about cats and dogs.
In the morning, we were nearly ready to leave camp and a solo backpacker arrived. He had started at 2 AM and arrived to Grass Shack at 9 AM. I am not a fan of night hiking so I just don't understand what possessed him to start at that ungodly hour.
We had an uneventful trip back to the cars. We did see some waterfalls in the distance in Madrona Canyon. We also stopped to check out the Macdougal's again on our way back.
Over all the Quilter trail is a Sonoran Desert Delight and I can't wait to go back! |
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Route Editor
Route Scout
