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| Camping at Rock Creek Falls, AZ | | -
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| | Camping at Rock Creek Falls, AZ | | | |
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Camping at Rock Creek Falls, AZ
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| Backpack | 3.27 Miles |
2,425 AEG |
| | Backpack | 3.27 Miles | 3 Hrs 28 Mns | | 0.94 mph |
| 2,425 ft AEG | | 26 LBS Pack | | |
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| no linked trail guides |
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| no partners | | Important Stuff first:
- FR 414 and 422 are drivable, but some deep ruts after the recent rains. HC recommended. Possibly need 4x4 for one very deep rut at a stream crossing.
- Water flowing in Alder, Center, and Rock Creek. (Although drying up fast.)
- From the parking area proper, you have to hike about a half mile along a 2 track to the RC TH proper. (Where there in no longer a sign post. See [ photo ] )
- Very little bear scat. (Unlike previously.)
- Didn’t see any animals. Didn’t hear any rattlesnakes. Didn’t see any horseshoe prints as before either.
- The second half on the way to the Falls has been well cleared. In fact, I didn’t recognize the section where I had been confused years ago where I had turned around. And there are more water diversion rocks/steps than previous. Obvious maintenance.
- The first half is being encroached by catcaw.
- More cairns that last year. (But I would like a few more. Easy to see the trail coming down. Easy to lose going up.)
- I couldn’t find a campsite, per se, there. (Nor does RS show one.)
- Water falls sound different in an ear with hearing loss.
- Despite being surrounded by higher rocky terrain, there is cell service. (I hypothesize that the signal is bouncing off the west mountain and reflecting toward Mt. Ord.)
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After spending a couple hours Thursday morning trying to find a bed roll that I lost a couple years ago when off trail at Half Moon (see my triplog "Halfway on Half Moon Trail”), I figured that, since I had driven up to Rye, I might as well redeem the time by trying to camp at Rock Creek Falls. The weather is nice this time of year (i.e., not too hot for the hard climb), and, given that Rock Creek was flowing down low (after the recent rains), there was a good chance that water would be falling up high. (It was.)
I’ve tried going to the Falls before but never made it. The last was in June 2023. (Hot.) But I lost the trail about a quarter mile from the climb up to the rock and, snake-bitten (figuratively) the month before by becoming lost off trail at Half Moon (above), I turned around with only 3/4 mile to go to the Falls.
Then, in April 2024, I did a CW loop from Barnhart which returned via Rock Creek and Half Moon. So I saw the Falls then.
I didn’t see any campsites at that time, but I met Alex, the trail steward for North Peak. (Who was on his way to Horse Camp Seep for the evening.) As he crossed the stream where I had been napping, he said, “Oh, here’s a campsite!”
Well, I wouldn’t call it a “campsite.” But beggars can’t be choosers. (See my photoset.) And as I arrived at the Falls around 4:30, darkness was rapidly approaching with those mountains blocking the west sun.
There was a small grassy area about 100 feet north of this, on the west side of the Creek that required a round about way to get to. But there was a fresh, large (2" diameter) dropping. It had the consistency of bear scat, but none of the undigested seeds. Nevertheless, I decided not to chance it.
(Later I learned that some guy was on the trail with his dog. If it was dog scat, that had to have been a big dog.)
Tripwise, the majority of you super athletes won’t have problems with this trip. But despite my lowest pack weight ever (26 lbs), I was still very slow. (Now less than 1 mph.) And while I wasn’t breathing hard, my heart was really pounding. (Altitude? Climb gradient? Old Age? All of the above?)
In fact, two old gentlemen appeared behind me just as I left camp on the second day. I had seen them park their SUV from Half Moon about noon the day before. They had backpacked from RC to Deadman Falls the day before and were returning to the RC TH that morning. I let them go ahead of me, telling them that I would be slow. They stopped at the next Fall (the higher one) for a while, but sure enough, they caught up and passed me about a half hour later. I watched a bit enviously as they walked down those steep inclines quickly, with no pauses to plant their poles as I have to do. For me, the trip down is very dangerous. (Although I think the still slightly wet soil helped it pack better. It didn’t seem as crumbly this time.)
The small waterfall where I camped was nice. It sounded like a patio fountain running all night. I thought that I heard a splash at 1 in the morning (an animal crossing the stream?) and something bumped and jarred my tent. But I didn’t see anything. (I set up two solar powered LED lamps as night lights). Maybe my tent shifted on the rocks by itself? (It had moved 2 inches by morning.) I'll never know.
I kept hydrated and I ate well. (Snacked a lot while moving.) Nevertheless I lost 7 lbs on this trip. I dunno... maybe too much for me having done three days in the Superstitions the week before.
Lots of gnats and some mosquitos at night there. (All the water, I guess.) Gusts of (cold) wind as the sun set, but it quieted down for the night to just a breeze. Surprisingly, no condensation on my tent, unlike last time at Charlebois, despite being feet away from the creek this time. Perhaps being out in the open with a light breeze made the difference?
Despite the lack of an improved campsite, I was able to sleep comfortably on those large rocks. I put a foam pad down on top of my footprint and the tent on that. I inflated my sleeping pad about 3/4 and that smoothed most everything out.
I’m happy that I didn’t puncture the floor of my tent on the large rocks there. But I ended up tearing the side. (I was sleeping on a slant, and during the night my pad kept sliding downhill. I would usually climb out of my tent and shift my pad up. But I wasn’t disciplined enough and in the middle of the night, I straddled my pad with my hands to take my weight off my pad while I moved it. Apparently my hand was close to the edge of the tent and caused the side to rub against a sharp edge rock. Rats.)
In the end, while I enjoyed camping there, I think I'm approaching my end. |
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| Be careful. It's not quite "a jungle out there." But history shows that it can be dangerous out there. |
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