Big Caprock Peak Hike

A day of spotty rain with clouds, as usual, lingering in the mountains.  Beautiful.  I headed a few miles west where the sky is clear and the temperatures warm, the Tortolitas. 

In the distance, after hiking 3 miles along the Wild Burrow Trail, I get a sight of what appears an insignificant mound of boulders.

Now I'm on the Wild Mustang Trail and climbing steadily.  There is an unusual, marine layer type, fog in the distance.  Not sure what is the cause but maybe the moisture on the ground reacting to the sun and rising temperature.

There is a cairn that indicates the entrance to an off trail route to the peak and of course, I walk by it and add about 1/4 mile before I retrace my route and....

…..find the cairn and follow a faint trail with plenty of cairns to aid.  The peak still doesn't look like much but before reaching the saddle on the right, the trail turns to the left and …..

….eventually it becomes steep in places with some mild exposure like the above.  Fun times!

I keep following cairns which are very helpful and then reach the final approach where I find....

….great views and.....

….a group of three hikers, two of whom I know.

There is an ammo can with a stuffed animal and paper to which I sign my name.  Not many visit this peak.

In the valley to the north, I can see a dirt road and later see it merges with another dirt road that goes through a network of biking trails.  I wonder why I have not pulled the trigger on buying a gravel bike yet.

Picacho Peak barely visible with the higher Neumann Peak to the right.

I did a back of the envelope type calculation for the hike and rather than the 7.5 miles, I had two extra miles, finishing with 9.5 miles, 1900' of climbing as I return to the parking lot and even saw......

….a crested Saguaro along the way.  Got an epic hike coming tomorrow!