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| Hiking | 8.57 Miles |
1,874 AEG |
| | Hiking | 8.57 Miles | 4 Hrs 25 Mns | | 1.94 mph |
| 1,874 ft AEG | | | | |
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| no partners | | lily Mine, located in Hassayampa District, was supposedly active from 1902 to 1928, when V. F. Grove And Sons ceased operations. But the February 24, 1890, edition of the New York Times, in an article on the Walnut Grove Dam collapse two days prior, reported that John McDonald, owner of the lily Mine, had observed the disaster from the “Dozoris [sic] Divide”. The mine produced $200,000, primarily in gold & silver.
I’ve parked my SUV a ½ mile down FR 79A before, but this time was no bueno. Instead, I parked at the FR 79 / FR 79A intersection.
The slippery in dry conditions climb up to the Moun Tritle-Maverick Mountain saddle was enhanced by a mountain runoff-fed creek trickling down the middle of the trail.
We followed FR 9403C as it bent south for a level & sun exposed 0.6 miles, before it began descending through shady pines, towards the knob labelled Hill 6507 on the topo. From the pines to FR 667, FR 9403C is an exceptionally steep & rocky descent. (A dirt biker we met at the bottom actually turned around rather than go up it.) Paul nicknamed the descent “The Eiger“, after the famous Swiss mountain.
lily Mine is located on a small plateau, below the intersection of FR 9403C and FR 667, on the south slope of Maverick Mountain. A pair of well-preserved ore cart tracks, with many ties still intact, bent its way across the plateau towards a small draw. 🛤
There was a foundation at the mouth of the small draw. It was obviously lily Mine’s processing area.
Paul and I followed the or cart cart tracks 50 yds. around a curve to lily Mine’s lower adit … which was collapsed. The cross beam which had been cracked in 2008 had given way, and more earth had slid from the side, all but blocking the adit. What opening remained was even smaller than the one I low-crawled at Webber Mine ( [ photoset ] ) three years, and several pounds, ago.
Fifty yards east, and 40 ft. up slope, was lily Mine’s upper adit. While a guy was able to squeeze in 11 years ago, more collapse in the intervening years made it impossible for this fat man to get in now. Fiddlestix. 
Just before rejoining FR 667, we found the miners dump, and what two foundations that looked like an assay and a office / living quarters. No artifacts there either, though.
Paul & I thought we were done with our exploring, but as we headed east along FR 667, we spotted what is marked on the topo as a prospect. In fact, it is two side-by-side, irregular-shaped, shafts. They were so close, that stepping between them to get a decent photo was a sketchy proposition.
Back at FR 9403C, we faced “The Eiger”. I’m not ashamed to say I took my time, taking a couple of minutes’ breather every 100 slippery, rocky, feet we climbed. I did not do much talking. The ¼ mile of shade north of Hill 6857 was most welcome, even though it continued to climb (albeit at more modest slope). 
It was nearly 4:00 p.m. by the time Paul & I got back to my always patient wife at the trailhead on FR 79, so after we dropped Paul off at La Casa Prescottstyle, we quick-timed down AZ-89 towards Phoenix, stopping to pick up a pizza at the highly recommended T-Bird Cafe ( http://www.tbirdcafe.com/ ) in Peeples Valley along the way.
Mine Exploring Video: https://vimeo.com/468117220 |
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Wildflowers Observation Light
Chia were blooming all along FR 9403C and the more explosed slopes of Maverick Mountain. |
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| http://prestonm.com : Everyone's enjoyment of the outdoors is different and should be equally honored. |
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