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| Hiking | 6.04 Miles |
2,109 AEG |
| | Hiking | 6.04 Miles | 5 Hrs 58 Mns | | 1.40 mph |
| 2,109 ft AEG | 1 Hour 39 Mns Break | | | |
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| partners | | My alarm went off far too early for my liking after not being able to get to sleep until extremely late the night before thanks to some ongoing struggles with insomnia. Headed out to the meet up spot, greeting the sun as we left the valley.
We headed out towards the four peaks, opting for the longer but significantly smoother approach via Punkin Center and El Oso Road. The road had some rocky bits, but was smooth enough to navigate. As we climbed, we had some nice views of the American Tower Corp microwave antennas and of Roosevelt lake in the distance. There were a number of vehicles that passed us heading out, and we saw a few folk camping on the way to the trailhead.
The trailhead itself was empty save for a large mud puddle. We pulled our gear together and headed off up the Browns Trail to temps in the mid to upper 70s with some stickiness and haze due to high humidity. The trail is nicely graded with a few deadfall that can be easily stepped over. We made it up to the saddle, where we took a brief break enjoying the views of the peaks, with the Superstitions and the various salt river lakes in the distance. Eyeballing the path ahead, I mused that the chute looked larger than I had anticipated.
The initial approach from the saddle was easy enough to negotiate, but soon enough, both hands were needed to assist in the upward scramble. At that point, I realized I probably should have grabbed one of my other trekking poles - and not the one I usually carry since the lower section of my regular carry can no longer be easily collapsed. While I was able to stow it, it was long enough to occasionally catch on nearby shrubs or overhanging rock. In hindsight, I probably should have simply left it trailside to pick back up on my way down.
As we climbed steadily upward, we heard some voices - and eventually we saw three people gain the saddle. The scramble up the chute wasn't too awful, plenty of hand and footholds to be had where it mattered. Wasn't thrilled with the loose scree, and made sure to be mindful of separation and position in case a rock came tumbling down. Interestingly, someone must have gotten bloodied on their adventure as there were fairly regular blood droplets present the entire way up.
Once we hit the top, we sat for a bit to enjoy the views. I tried unsuccessfully to capture photos of a number of scrub jays that were doing flybys. Was hoping to be able to catch a photo of the Superstition Ridgeline between Brother and Sister Peaks, but alas, without a drone assist, I don't think it would be possible to get the shot I was hoping for. It was nice to enjoy the peak with some solitude and were happy to wait at the top for the three people from below to make it up before making our way back down.
The descent of the chute was possibly slower than the ascent - though it passed by uneventfully. My knees were happy that I decided to get my trekking pole back out once I got past the most steep portion of the descent - the noises they were making as I crouched down to steady myself were slightly alarming. We made good time to the junction with the Amethyst trail...where things slowed back down a bit. Amethyst peels off down the mountainside at a steeper grade and is littered with loose rocks in the upper portion. The trail was fairly easy to follow - when things started getting narrower, there were regularly placed cairns to mark the way. Just as I was begining to wonder how much further we had to go, we arrived at the junction with the Four Peaks Trail, which was an easy cruise back to the car.
The day had warmed up quite a bit (mid to upper 80s when we got back to the parking lot), and I was glad to be able to clean up some before the drive home. The lot had three additional vehicles when we got back - one couple looked like they were simply enjoying the views from the trailhead. One car belonged to the trio that we saw on Brown's Peak, and we never saw whoever was with the other vehicle.
Wildlife: some butterflies, plenty of lizards, numerous stellar jays and other birds, and a canyon tree frog!
While I definitely feel like I got a full body workout (hooray for delayed onset muscle soreness), I was glad to have done it. Thanks for the invite and for driving, B! |
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Wildflowers Observation Light
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Happier when hiking....I may not move fast (and I'm often distracted by wildflowers), but I'll get there eventually  |
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