Battleship Mountain Hike

An epic hike but with an uninspiring opening act.  We park at the end of First Water Road, the last few miles being dirt.  Our group of four, Amy, Barry Neil and me get going on time, departing via the Dutchman Trail.  Soon, the Dutchman breaks to the right and we get on the Second Water Trail which leads us through "Garden Valley".  Alas, this once beautiful section of pleasant hiking has been scorched. 

We descend toward Second Spring and then into Boulder Canyon.  The trail is very rocky and rough.  Over the length of our hike, this walking on let's say, very uneven, sharp pointed cobblestones, really takes a toll.  At this point, the hiking has been flat to rolling and our legs and joints are still fresh.

However, prior to our descent, we did get our first look at the mighty Battleship Mountain, which I have outlined.  One of our group failed to see the similarity but she may simply lack some imagination, ha, ha.

A saguaro has fallen over the trail.  I imagine getting hit by one of those could be fatal.  

Walking through Second Spring is refreshing with multiple pools of water, mature trees and cooling shade.  But then we drop into....

....Boulder Canyon.  Aptly named requiring no imagination to see why.  Following a trail, we cross it several times while paralleling the mountain.  At last, the fun begins as we climb to.....

....the ship's "waterline".  We take our first break as we ditch extra water and are passed by a group who.....

....climb the ship's stern.  What you see above is the easier part of the wall.  Beneath it an almost vertical section but with a good gripping surface.  I go up first and with little coaching....

....so too does Amy and Barry.  Neil was comfortable just to hang out at the base, which is not unusual for first time visitors.  We group at the top and....

....admire the views, including a look into Lower La Barge Box Canyon.  That too is an amazing destination and one we will visit soon.  Entering the narrow canyon, walls soar several hundred feet above.  Next though we....

....look toward our destination, the peak of Battleship. Looking closer then it is, it's still 3/4 mile away and the way forward is a series of route finding challenges coupled with more walls and other obstacles.  Just great fun.

I've visited this mountain probably 6-8 times and am normally the only person or group there but today, wow, probably 20-30 other people as we take turns navigating another climb.  Then we reach....

...Fat Man's Pass!  It's a tight fit but there is a workaround to the right and left.

We enjoy the views to the south that include Weaver's Needle in the distance and the boundary of La Barge Canyon on the left.  Geronimo Head looms over us off image, to our left.  And then.....

....we encounter the spine.  This narrow piece of rock has death to the right of us and certain broken bones to our left.  It is steep enough that butt hiking is the method most choose for the down climb, while not looking much farther than what is directly in front.  Up until a few years ago, there was a small barrel cactus growing from the center in a concave area.  That made things a little more difficult.

Our threesome met one final wall, probably the most difficult of them all.  The advantage of having long arms and legs is huge for this so Amy was able to climb but Barry could not.  I probably should have descended and given him a boost up but did not favor the idea of climbing down and up again as I barely made it the first time.  Now, down to two, we....

....went clockwise to the back of the mountain via Ballbearing Slope, climbed some more and.....

....yeehaw!  In the distance, Canyon Lake.  There is a good sized marina there, restaurant and close to the touristy town of Tortilla Flats.

A layer of smog hangs over Phoenix.  Mindful that we had left two of our group behind, we did not linger.  Navigating some of the obstacles on the return, we then picked up Barry, made it to the first wall.....

....which we all successfully descended but....no Neil to be found.  We weren't too much concerned as assumed he had tired of waiting and there was enough traffic on the trail that he'd probably be ok.  Climbing out of Bouldert Canyon, we caught a group and hey!  There was Neil so all back together.  

OK, the return was somewhat more painful than normal for most of us.  My feet hurt from stomping on all the sharp edged rocks, Neil's legs were fatigued, Amy's joints hurt although Barry still seemed in good condition.  All I know is, climbing a slope and seeing the parking lot, I screamed with relief:). It was a long day as we ended the 12 mile hike and....

....arrived in Oro Valley as the sun was setting.