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| Hiking | 6.50 Miles |
1,100 AEG |
| | Hiking | 6.50 Miles | 3 Hrs 48 Mns | | 1.71 mph |
| 1,100 ft AEG | | | | |
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| no partners | | Camped up on the Rim with my son, near Forest Lakes and woke up to 3 inches of snow! Planned on hiking the Barnhardt Trail, but were turned back when a returning car on the road was stuck in the deep mud, blocking the path. Decided to head back to the valley and do a variation on the Hackberry Spring loop. We ran into Wallyfrack at the trailhead, who was just finishing off a morning loop from the Firstwater TH.
We headed up towards Garden Valley. As we veered left, towards Hackberry Mesa, I recalled having seen a recent triplog that mentioned a mine in the area. I hadn't done much research but had a vague idea where it was at. When we got to that area, we went off trail, exploring for the mine. We climbed up to the top of a nearby bluff. Didn't find the mine, but DID find some awesome views! Explored a bit more for the mine, and had decided to give up and return to the trail. As we bushwhacked our way back down to the trail, however, we spotted a small, unnaturally flat outcropping on the next ridge over. Sure enough, it was the mine! It's pretty well hidden (as I'm guessing its original owners intended). It's always fun to find what you are looking for, and the intrigue of the search makes the hike that much more interesting. The mine was pretty cool. It goes back in about 400 feet or so. A friendly inhabiting bat crossed our path several times as we explored. Hopefully, we didn't disturb it too much.
With the previous day's rain, the drainage along Hackberry Spring was pretty full and we enjoyed hiking along the running water and pools as we wended our way back to the old corral. All manner of cacti were in full bloom, and we saw some very impressive saguaros along the way. A couple of families had set up camp near the spring, having hiked in from the horse lot. Turned out to be a wonderful afternoon for a hike. The snowy temps up on the rim, made for beautiful hiking conditions in the Supes. |
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