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

To Bassett Peak

11/11/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture
A long but fun day. I committed to this hike a few weeks ago.  It is said to be the best leaf watching hike in AZ but a hard one and it was. So Mr. Nice Guy saw a student from UofA wanted to do the hike but did not have a car so could someone pick her up in Tucson.  I waited and watched and no one committed so I did. Let's not delve into that cause it is a side issue. I drive as far as my Civic can go on a 15 mile dirt road, 1 mile shy of the trail head.  Then, a guy in a SUV comes along and offers to take us the remaining mile to the trail head.  What luck and what a bouncy drive and yeah, high clearance vehicles need only apply.  This is 34 miles north of Wilcox, AZ.
Picture
The student I picked up in downtown Tucson is from northern Iran, here on a student visa.  Nice person, quiet and somewhat reserved.  Good traveling companion and she solved the mystery of why the interior of the windshield is clouded, as if a smoker drove the car.  It has to do with the polymers used for manufacturing the dashboard, how that interacts with summer heat, throwing off molecules that then cloud the windshield. Smart young lady with a bright future, here entering the tunnel of color.
Picture
Wait, what???  This is AZ.  The people who prefer Florida are crazy, so flat and boring while in AZ, you have this and so much more!
Picture
Our group was 15 and a long story but my Iranian buddy and I hiked alone for awhile.  Here, we ran into a threesome who had spent the night at the peak and were on their way down.  They had some good info for the trail....when you reach sections that are overgrown, just shove yourself forward.  Ok!  Everyone who ventures up this difficult trail is so fit.  No fatties need apply.
Picture
Kept hiking up the trail out of Ash Canyon and despite all the beauty, it began to get monotonous and then....the trail broke toward a wall and I rose above Ash Canyon.  However, you can see the magnificent colors through which I hiked.  Wow.
Picture
I began to encounter Manzanita bushes, notable for their scarlet colored branches. I was hiking alone now, having provided some guidance through multiple stream crossings.  From this point on, the trail is mostly obvious. I wondered, where is the peak and then.....
Picture
....close to reaching a ridge, to the south, ugh, there it is.  So far yet to go.  That looks steep at the top and so it was.
Picture
Cool, there is the canyon through which I hiked, the end of it populated by Aspen trees with yellow leaves.
Picture
Now, multiple mountain ranges began to emerge as I slogged higher.  I began to think about a Strava segment, yeah crazy but as it turns out, none existed on this remote route.
Picture
WOW!!!!!
Picture
I reached the peak and a few minutes later, so too did the guy who gave me a lift at the bottom.  There were three of them and they all are prominent members of "hikearizona.com" a popular destination for hikers seeking routes and info on hikes around the US. Actually, the originator of the site was there, healing from a 20' fall a month ago.  
Picture
Yeah, similar to an image I already posted but this was awesome.
Picture
Although it was a 2+ hour drive from Oro Valley, Mount Lemmon and the surrounding Catalina Mountains were prominent in the background, appearing to be closer than they are.  Many other ranges were also observed.  Fantastic.
Picture
I had been waiting for an hour prior to any members of the group arriving and that is too long so I began a solo effort, got lost as the trail is overgrown and faint, ended up left of that plateau on the left of the image, heard some voices, did some bush whacking and finally found the real trail.       
Picture
To the east, Mount Graham with an observatory barely visible.
Picture
From this point, the trail heads to the ridge then down into Ash Canyon.  With the hike and subsequent unplanned walking to the car, got in 13+ miles and 3000'+ feet of hard climbing.  Well, got another good one coming after a couple of days of cycling.
       
0 Comments



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.