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| Hiking | 19.24 Miles |
2,993 AEG |
| | Hiking | 19.24 Miles | 9 Hrs 28 Mns | | 2.22 mph |
| 2,993 ft AEG | 48 Mns Break | | | |
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[ show ]
| partners | | I hadn't hiked in the Superstitions in almost nine months, and though these were all familiar trails, I'd never hiked this specific loop before, and it looked like a solid higher-mileage option. We started from Peralta at ~7AM, and the usual weekend crowds were starting to fill the lot as we packed up. TboneKathy didn't want to go down Cardiac Hill at the end of the loop, so we hiked it clockwise and went up Bluff Springs at the beginning and got that out of the way, with nice sunrise views as we gained elevation. We connected with Terrapin, and I'd never hiked up and over Terrain Pass--great views looking out toward the Goldfields, Black Mesa, Battleship, Malapais, etc. on the way down.
Once we hit Dutchman, we started to get our first looks at the Siphon Fire damage around the Bull Pass/Cavalry intersections. That area was hit hard and was burned to a crisp over to White Rock Spring and a little beyond...sad to see the current state of that once-green area. But the burn scar ended a little farther south, and we detoured off the loop to eat lunch at Charlebois. Two backpackers were bushwhacking their way to the spring and were happy to see us pass and learn there was an easy trail...but then they were right behind us, and we didn't have the lunch spot to ourselves.
We continued to see occasional hikers and backpackers as we continued south on Dutchman, and we saw two people coming down from Miner's Summit as we approached the Whiskey Spring intersection. TboneKathy continued on Dutchman, and I detoured up to the summit for a quick look around. Only one other entry in the register from last February since I was up there about a year ago, so the two who were up there today didn't sign it. The afternoon was mostly cloudy, but the sun broke free briefly while I was at the top.
[ youtube video ]
I headed down and caught up to TBK, and we finished off the loop a little before 5PM. We saw a total of ~10-15 people over the course of the day, but not much unique wildlife--just a cardinal and a tiny garter snake. Overall, a pleasant loop with no real surprises, just a nice day out in the Superstitions. No surprise that it's very dry out there right now--other than the pool at Charlebois, we didn't see any other water all day. |
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