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| Alt-Flatiron and Off-Trail Ridgeline Explore, AZ | | -
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| | Alt-Flatiron and Off-Trail Ridgeline Explore, AZ | | | |
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Alt-Flatiron and Off-Trail Ridgeline Explore, AZ
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| Hiking | 10.00 Miles |
3,858 AEG |
| | Hiking | 10.00 Miles | 5 Hrs 48 Mns | | 1.88 mph |
| 3,858 ft AEG | 29 Mns Break | | | |
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| no partners | | Although this is the popular time of year to hit up Flatiron, and despite my general preference for a little more solitude, I wanted to take on a challenging hike without too much travel, so Flatiron it was.
To shake things up, I had never taken the "alternate" route that veers off the drainage to the right and up to the base of Flatiron, so I decided to give it a go. That took care of the crowds :-). I was surprised that the route (or various routes) were as established as they are. I didn't think too many people ventured up that way--at least not intentionally.
In any event, while it was steep and scrambly, it was quite enjoyable and didn't involve dodging too many cactus or other pokies. On the way up, I saw two motorized paragliders circling overhead and enjoying the morning updrafts over Flatiron. They were cool, but a bit noisy.
Upon topping out at the Flatiron connector trail, I headed out to the tip of the Iron for the usual views. I was early enough and had passed enough groups that there were only a handful out there when I arrived, including a couple of guys who had spent the night.
After a short break, I headed over and up Peak 5024. Only a couple of guys up there, who had also taken the "alt" route.
At this point, I called an audible and decided to bushwhack my way down the eastern side of 5024 to connect with the Ridgeline trail. The bushwhack was not too bad. After connecting to the trail shortly before the three-pines camping spot, I stayed on the trail until deciding to veer off and bag Peak 4562. Then I backtracked and contoured around to the parallel ridgeline out to Peak 4542. One of the "benefits" of the fire that came through last year, plus the lack of moisture, was that cross-country travel is much easier, with very few obstacles to navigate around. I enjoyed the different perspective from this vantage point.
Hitting my time limit, I decided to make my way back. But not wanting to retrace my steps, I decided to stay on the parallel ridgeline, which climbs another unmarked peak and passes several hoodoo clusters, including the one I call the "preacher and congregation," which I had last seen when I popped out at that point while on the Reverse Flatiron Hike.
From there, I skirted a group of hoodoos--rather than taking a direct route through them (lesson learned from Reverse Flatiron hike) before scrambling back up for a second visit to Peak 5024.
From there, I took the normal descent and joined the throngs.
Air quality was pretty good today--making good visibility of distant peaks.
10 miles and about 4,000 AEG, including a fair amount of solitude. It was some nice hiking therapy. |
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