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Superstition Wilderness, Canyon Lake & LaBarge creek Hike Report

10/17/2014

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It's an hour+ drive to Canyon Lake in the Superstition Wilderness but well worth it.  Oddly, the day was overcast but that's good for hiking since I don't have to drink and carry as much water.  Nevertheless, I brought 3 liters with me for this 10 mile hike.
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Once leaving the parking lot, it is a long and fairly steep ascent but the Canyon Lake trail is in good shape and wide, as if someone had laid cobblestones.  Above I near the summit.
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Dang, wish the sun was out but without it the scene is kind of eerie with Weavers Needle prominent in the background and Battleship Mountain center-left.  Upon reaching the top of the climb, I found a young guy from Toledo laying on the ground.  Kind of odd to be taking a nap at 7:30am but oh well.
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A short walk later, the valley to the southeast opens and shows me where I am going.  Upon reaching that creek bed at mile 3.2, I go off trail to the left of Battleship Mountain and towards that triangular peak in the distance.
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I reach the creek bed, LaBarge Creek, wide and pebbly at first but soon the canyon narrows and narrows, the rocks give way to boulders and.....
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...Battleship looms above me to the right.
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There are some cairns to show the way but they are infrequent, probably the recent rains washing many away
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How about that?  At mile 4, I begin to run into pools of water but they are avoided by bushwhacking around to the right or left. Lots of frogs jump into the pools as I near and as usual, I am ever watchful for snakes.  Getting bitten out here in the middle of no where would suck.  I watch where I place my hands prior to pulling myself up and over boulders, watch ledges carefully, the usual stuff.
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Almost at mile 5, the canyon approaches a vertical wall.  I know from reading hike reports that the canyon becomes very narrow and shoots sharply to the left at this point.
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I enter the narrow zig-zag corridor.  Smooth rock lines the narrow base with water rushing through it but there is enough space to walk alongside it.
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A stupendous experience in this narrow, twisty corridor with the walls soaring above me on both sides.  During heavy rain, the last place to be and as I contemplated taking a snack break, it began to rain.  If I continued forward, I would exit this narrow corridor, it would open up and around mile 6, the Calvary Trail would cross the creek and I could loop around but I didn't want to chance missing the trail and intended to turn around at this point anyway so turn around I did.  Soon, I discovered the Toledo guy sleeping on a rock.  Weird.  He woke up and I briefly spoke to him but did not linger.  Why would a guy who was, by his own admission, oblivious to what lay ahead (the zig-zag corridor) go off the trail into a creek bed, lay down and fall asleep? 
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I traipsed back down the canyon, located the trail, climbed out of the canyon, looked back, wow. 
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Later, I came across this guy but he was harmless.  Small diameter but very long.
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The clouds began to move out and brilliant blue sky approached.  Finished with 10 miles and 3000' of climbing in just under 6 hours. 
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    Mark is a long-time cyclist, hiker, golfer and plays some table tennis...ok, it's ping pong.

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