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| Hiking | 6.60 Miles |
1,434 AEG |
| | Hiking | 6.60 Miles | | | |
| 1,434 ft AEG | | 7 LBS Pack | | |
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| no partners | | We needed a hike and we needed it not to be in the valley of the oven. There are several on our list in the rim country but we tend to put those off because living in Cave Creek we have to go so far south in order to go north. Seems every time I opened HAZ over the last couple of weeks a lot of folks were hitting the Bradshaws. One hike that kept popping up in the triplogs was Smith Ravine Trail #297 so we decided to give it a go.
We have a dear friend named Bob that lives in Prescott and we invited him to join us. He agreed and met him at the trailhead for a 7am start. The trail starts at 6000' and goes up immediately. Like a tough golf course, it greets you with a firm handshake on the first hole. After less than 1/8th of a mile I was already short of breath and Bob reminded us that they have only 0-1 up there and not the 0-2 that we were accustomed to.  Cathy and I eventually settled into a rhythm that would allow us to continue. We need to do more hiking at higher elevations it seems.
About the trail, it's great. Very reminiscent to us of a longer version of Brown's Trail #133 in the Four Peaks Wilderness, but without the views of Roosevelt Lake... Stunning vistas none the less. The standouts today were the blooming Manzanita's which were everywhere the Ponderosa Pines and the Oaks weren't. We only saw a few hikers all day, along with one sidelined mountain biker who appeared to need oxygen even more than me! |
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Wildflowers Observation Isolated
Smattering of Lupine, lots of Manzanita in full bloom. |
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| "If you wait, all that happens is you get older" |
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