Group Hike to 3 Arches & 2 Peaks in the Goldfields

The hike description authored by Wade of the "Arizona Strong Hikers" group was too compelling to ignore.  So, I drive 1:40 to the trailhead, as do others, including the driver of this vehicle who picked up a bolt in his tire practically as he arrived.  What do you do, fix it now and miss the hike or.....

….yeah, put it off until later.  One thing about Wade's hikes, we always begin our march at the appointed time.  No waiting for late arrivers and I like that.  The temperature at the start of the hike is lower 40's...brrrrr.  In the distance, our destination, the Goldfield Mountains.

The Salt River parallels the first 3 miles of our hike and we are greeted with a beautiful scene as mist rises from the river.  The area is famous for the wild horses that populate it but unfortunately, we did not see any.

We take a couple of quick stops at the bank of the river.  I've walked across it in the summer but today it would require a swim in a rapid flow of water.  No thanks.

After 3 miles, we head toward a large arch and the views are amazing prior to a scramble up a fairly steep area of slickrock to.....

….the Sunrise Arch.  Very cool place with water dripping on the right side, wetting the slickrock in places.

More of our 12 member group carefully navigate the slope.  Carefully will define much of what we hike today:)

Once through the other side of the cave, some of us ascend a steep slope to provide access to the top of the arch.  Would I dare walk onto the arch.....

...why yes I would but only briefly.  Amazing that a Saguaro has grown so tall from what seems an inhospitable spot.  It probably has 40-50 years of growth.  We regather, traverse a steep slope, round a corner and.....

….yikes, the route goes up that????  Well.....

….yes it does!  Alone, I would not have attempted this because a fall, while probably not fatal, would have resulted in serious injury.  I can't guess the distance of the climb but dang, it was long and steep.  

The final scramble was a wall but it had a couple of good hand holds.  The rocks were loose where we stood so some of us carefully moved higher to avoid starting an avalanche.  However, judging by the sounds drifting out of the canyon, some of our group were at their limits for the amount of exposure.  Having long legs and arms is a huge benefit for this activity.

We regroup and eye our first peak.

For some reason, Doreen was a magnet for Jumping Chollas.  The preferred quick method for removal is to pinch the offending object with two rocks and fling it from your clothing.  One projectile landed on my hiking shoe but it was easily removed.

At the peak, oh wow.  Just wow and in the other direction....

….wow times 11 million.  The Four Peaks Wilderness in the distance, capped by recent snow.  A damn on the Salt River has formed a lake and boats could be seen riding around on it. Our pace, due to the nature of the route, all off trail bushwhacking, made me wonder how late we would miss our estimated finish time.  After awhile, we got going and soon arrived at.....

…..Delicate Arch.  OK, not nearly as impressive as the previous one but worth a visit as part of this wonderful loop.

We descend and soon climb again to.....

….Fragile Arch. Kind of small as arches go.  Hard to say how long before weather caused erosion takes out this one.

We were going to visit a 2nd peak but time was slipping by and there was that flat that needed changed so Wade led us off a ridge down a steep trail that had some of us sliding from the loose gravel and unsure footing. Having made it back to the plains that borders the river we navigated a warren of trails made from the wild horses.  Jus then, I saw movement to my left but....

…...it wasn't a wild horse.  A man on a horse was guiding this one over the same route we were taking, back to the same trailhead.

Hmmmmm, Wade described a route up this side canyon that leads to a ridge from where a peak can be visited.  Sounds like that would be worth a visit the next time I decide to make the long drive across the desert.  Finished with 10 miles and 1800' of climbing.  The Arizona Strong Hikers group is by far the most enjoyable group of those to which I belong and while the name of the group may sound a tad pretentious, it wouldn't be a stretch if it instead was named, "Arizona Very, Very Strong Hikers".