| |
|
| | |
|
| Hiking | 9.40 Miles |
1,226 AEG |
| | Hiking | 9.40 Miles | 5 Hrs 7 Mns | | 1.90 mph |
| 1,226 ft AEG | 10 Mns Break | 20 LBS Pack | | |
|
|
| |
| Partners |
|
[ show ]
| partners | | Having done this hike in late November 2025, when it had been almost 4 years since the previous trip, I didn't expect to be doing this one again for quite some time.
However, Tracey had a chance to hike with a friend she had last backpacked with some 5(?) years ago (AZT in the Mazatzals) and this was the hike they came up with.
Still not quite sure how my knees would hold out on the rough downhill stuff descending from Black Mesa toward Dutchman, I prepared for the possibility of turning back around the 3-mile point by bringing my tablet. So if I turned back early I could catch up on my reading while waiting for their return.
As it turned out, we were on such a slow pace that by time I thought to take stock of how my knees felt, we were almost halfway, so I stuck with it. However, well before reaching the Dutchman Trail I was beginning to wish I turned back. It wasn't so much the knees as the lower back taking a beating on the steep, rocky and sometimes loose tread... yup, on my LEAST favorite part of this hike.
Upon reaching the Dutchman Trail we stopped for a short lunch break, before heading back on the Dutchman. This is usually the part of the trail I've been on so many times in the same direction that I detest it. The only way I could do it on this day was to get myself into a sort of trance, dropping my mind into cruise-control for the balance of the hike. Good thing my subconscious mind paid constant attention to the trail as there were plenty of rough and rocky spots which could easily have produced a hard fall.
In the end, I'm a bit surprised how many photos I took in the last few hours, because even now I hardly remember taking them.
Temps 51-67° |
| _____________________
| | |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Route Editor
Route Scout
