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| Hiking | 7.49 Miles |
2,308 AEG |
| | Hiking | 7.49 Miles | 5 Hrs 2 Mns | | 1.66 mph |
| 2,308 ft AEG | 31 Mns Break | | | |
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| no partners | | Second Trip out to this location.
I enjoyed most of Hiero under the light of a headlamp. First one out on the trail. Continued passed the glyphs, and took the turn off for Balanced Rock. To my surprise, a noisy hawk was perched directly on top planning a meal. As I got close it descended down into the canyon. A wonderful sight. I continued up what is now a well cairned path used to hit 5057 from the Southeast and got my first look at 3915 for the day.
The area around 3915 is difficult to describe. There are other spots like it, but in this area the rocks set themselves apart from anything else in the area. They are different in shape, texture and color. They almost look like bread rising during the baking process. They also have that classic green/yellow neon color from the desert lichen growth. The area sits on the edge of a cliff with Chuparosa to the West and Ermahgerd to the East. On the way there I took the high route (see GPS route) that is closer to a large wall. As the wall begins to curve to the left you can see a very large Saguaro skeleton still standing tall. There is also a cave/overhang area to the left you can visit if you wish.
I descended down towards 3915, brushy and thorny but no real concerns. There is an open area just North of 3915 with a large cairn. You really have two choices at this point from my experience. You can favor left (East) or right (West). I ran it all the way out on the East to scope out some future trips. I stumbled across something I missed last time. On the Eastern edge, looking down into Ermahgerd canyon there is a sawtooth looking arch that must be 60 feet long. It is impressive but difficult to capture in a photo (bottom half of the feature photo). I progressed until i cliffed out, took a few shots of the canyon and headed back towards the center.
In my two trips I have found that you pretty much have to head back to the center in order to hit the Western edge. The dome shaped rocks look small from afar, but when you are close up you see how big the domes are. When you have two or three domes right next to each other the space between is very steep. These crevices between are filled with heavy brush and sometimes full trees. From the center I moved South again and visited the large circular arch from my last trip. I continued and went to the cut out on the edge of the cliff. I hung out at the cut out for a few minutes and enjoyed the views before heading back.
I took the low route on the way out after a little trip to a lower point on the West side. At times I thought the low route out was easier but I can't tell yet. Since I am really just wandering around at this point I am going to keep this as another triplog instead of a guide. Great little trip. Great place. |
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