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| Hiking | 17.82 Miles |
2,629 AEG |
| | Hiking | 17.82 Miles | 7 Hrs 20 Mns | | 2.71 mph |
| 2,629 ft AEG | 46 Mns Break | 13 LBS Pack | | |
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[ show ]
| no partners | | The plan was to drive as far as I could on FR 591 to cut down on the 2 track walking and make my way down to Fossil Creek and possibly the Verde. I was curious as to the damage caused by the Backbone fire last year. I was hoping to get 2.5 miles in to take 5 miles off the round trip. The first muddy rutted climb was handled with ease, but then the jagged rocks showed up. Time to park it. With a standard height Subaru and street tires I made it a whopping 300 yards in.
I'd have to book down the 2 track and make the final destination decision around lunch time.
The miles peeled of on the road walk. There is spotty evidence on the burn on Deadman Mesa. It got worse the farther you dropped. A lot of the scar was covered in the tall grass that had grown up.
The 2 track gets fainter he farther you get in. There is evidence of recent ORV travel to the end, 7.5 miles in. After that you play look for the hidden Cairn buried in the grass. Someone had been though there recently as the grass was matted down in spots along the cairned trail.
Out on the end of the Mesa, the views are pretty big. Over to Ikes Backbone, Fossil Creek, Pine Mountain, down the Verde, and to Hardscrabble Mesa. Video -> [ youtube video ]
There would be no time for me to make it down to Fossil Creek this trip. I dropped down a couple hundred feet and had my lunch.
I reversed my track to get back and hit a couple of small side trips.
Breezy and 34 to start the day. Mid day there was a bit of sun but temps never got higher than 50. |
| _____________________
There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness."
Dave Barry  |
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