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| Hiking | 11.91 Miles |
4,290 AEG |
| | Hiking | 11.91 Miles | 8 Hrs 56 Mns | | 1.47 mph |
| 4,290 ft AEG | 50 Mns Break | | | |
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| no partners | | I bagged this peak today with two other hardcore hikers from TLC. It's an epic, Southern AZ style bushwhack to say the least; and, [taking off right from Sabino Canyon without even needing to ride the tram], I'm surprised it hasn't received more attention. For anyone who's conquered The Cleaver [or similar] – AND had fun in the process – I would highly recommend Rattlesnake Peak. Being further in the mountains than The Cleaver, I found the views to be far more beautiful; and, [thanks to following a sweet ridgeline for almost 4 miles before reaching the peak], you get to enjoy awesome views for most of the hike; not just while on the summit.
As for the difficulty, it was much less brushy/thorny compared to The Cleaver; [then again, I didn't find The Cleaver to be particularly difficult and really enjoyed it!]. Relative to other bushwhacks I've done, Rattlesnake Peak had a huge margin for error in terms of getting over / around the brush/thorns. The footing was also very good for the most; though there were a few hillsides where I had to watch it on the downhill due to TALL grass that proved to be rather slick. However, with hiking poles and great gripping shoes [Five Tens], simply slowing the pace a notch was all I had to do to prevent feeling like I might take a spill. Finally in terms of the terrain, there were some places where scrambling / boulder-hopping skills definitely come in useful. For me, nothing proved too difficult… but I'm not always the best to go by since boulder-hopping is my forte. Often times, I'll look at some rocks that need to be negotiated and think, 'Oh hell yeah…!' when my hiking partner is thinking, 'No pumpkin way..!'
Overall, the terrain / brush factor were not particularly difficult. However, at 4,290' AEG, 12 miles RT, and 9 hrs on the trails, [nearly 8 miles / 7+ hrs. of which were bushwhacking], the adventure to Rattlesnake Peak definitely beat the crap of me far worse than more technical but much shorter bushwhacks I've done; and I found it to be just as rewarding if not more so. |
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| God save the Prom Queen, cuz [reality check!] AEG's King...! |
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