Mark's Cycling & Hiking Blog
  • Home
  • Mark's Cycling Blog
  • Contact Us
  • Boulder Canyon Posts
  • Cycling Event Meet-Ups
  • Home
  • Mark's Cycling Blog
  • Contact Us
  • Boulder Canyon Posts
  • Cycling Event Meet-Ups

Josephine Peak Hike

6/23/2020

1 Comment

 
Picture
It's hot in the valley but cool in the Santa Ritas so I head to Madera Canyon and begin hiking on the Old Baldy Trail.
Picture
The parking lot was fairly full but I encounter few people as I climb higher, headed towards....
Picture
....Josephine Saddle.  It took me under an hour to climb the 2.5 mile, 13% grade segment and well short of my PR but that's ok as I was not pushing the pace.  Usually, I continue on Baldy but this time, I jump on the Super Trail which goes counterclockwise around Mount Wrightson.  It is longer and not as steep as Baldy, both converging on Baldy Saddle.  I however....
Picture
....am not going to Baldy Saddle, below Wrightson, but instead to Riley Saddle.  I cross several rock falls.
Picture
The trail meanders in and out of drainages and I see no evidence of a saddle ahead but eventually, I round a corner and....
Picture
....aha!  That must be it.  I pass beneath an outcropping of rock and looking back....
Picture
....eerie. It looks like a person's skull protruding from the rock.  Do you see that?  Hiking alone, I was armed and prior to reaching this point, I had a round in the chamber.  I had a sense of unease and passing below that rock, there was a cave.  Ha,ha.  I'm not going down without a fight.  For my AZ followers, I never carry when in a group but if I hike alone in the wilderness, crazy not to.
Picture
The Super Trail could use some trail clearing.  This too makes me nervous when I can't see where my feet are trekking.  Not in the winter but summer?  
Picture
I reach Riley Saddle.  There is a notice from the Ranger District about not rebuilding a trail.  I peer into the....
Picture
....thicket.  It is .9 miles from here to Josephine Peak but regrowth after a 2003ish fire is thick.  I walk a bit farther and...
Picture
...it appears after crawling or pushing through the brush, the balance of the bushwhacking wouldn't be so bad.  In the morning, I read a couple of hiking reports and a group talked about encountering a cave with a bear in hibernation, another seeing 3 bears and in a rare case of common sense, decided to be patient and do it again with a hiking buddy.  
Picture
Great views and....
Picture
...this magnificent spread of a long dead tree was  good to see.
Picture
I turned around and began the descent with Mount Hopkins in the background.  Finished with 9 miles and 2600' of climbing.  I'm making it a habit to store a bottle of fluid in the freezer the evening prior to these hikes.  Gosh, does that cold fluid taste great on the return.
1 Comment
Angel Lin
7/7/2020 02:37:46 pm

I appreciate your blog. What a cool date to celebrate.
From AZ Trail Association:
June 23 is an important day in #Arizona’s history. In 1540, Francisco Vázquez de Coronado traveled up through present-day Mexico into what is now Southern Arizona when he and his colony encountered a dangerous drought during the peak of dry summer. With crops shriveling and their animals dying, Coronado prayed to St. John the Baptist on the banks of the Santa Cruz River. Shortly after, the thunder roared and the clouds opened as the first monsoon of the year returned to the parched desert. Since that time, El Día de San Juan (San Juan’s Day) has held religious, cultural and historical significance to Arizonans. ⁣
•••⁣
The return of the #monsoonseason is something desert dwellers look forward to every year, and has been the source of prayers long before the Spanish marched across Arizona. Even now, modern-day prayers for rain are at their peak during June’s oppressive heat while fires rage across the state. Perhaps not coincidentally, the San Juan’s Day celebration coincides with Litha, the #SummerSolstice (shortest night of the year) when many of the world’s traditional cultures practice rituals connected by two common elements: fire and water.⁣

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    Mark is a long-time cyclist, hiker, golfer and plays some table tennis...ok, it's ping pong.

    Categories

    All
    April
    California Riding
    Grand Canyon Backpacking
    March
    The Characters

    Archives

    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010
    October 2010
    September 2010
    August 2010
    July 2010
    June 2010
    May 2010
    April 2010
    March 2010
    February 2010
    January 2010
    December 2009
    November 2009
    October 2009
    September 2009
    August 2009
    July 2009
    June 2009
    May 2009
    April 2009
    March 2009
    February 2009

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.