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Tuesday, December 5, 2017

About that tree…

About that tree…
It’s that time of year again when holidays collide, traffic turns toxic and tempers grow short.  With all the pressures, all we hikers want to do is escape to the trails to shake it all off.  Ironically, one of the most popular trails in the Phoenix area---one that’s supposed to help us unwind---often ends up adding to our seasonal distress.  I’m referring to the annual drama surrounding the Camelback Mountain Christmas Tree.  Regardless of whether the City of Phoenix decides to allow or prohibit the tinsel stick on the mountaintop---somebody will drag one up there anyway.  For the record, I am personally against this practice. Call me Scrooge, but the tree just doesn’t belong there. It’s a buzz kill on a desert mountain peak that creates litter and safety hazards. Still, every year we can expect the controversy to make headline news and cause more heartburn than it’s worth.  Within the Arizona Hiking Group Facebook page (20,000+ members) that I founded, those who have in the past posted photos of themselves grinning with the summit Santa in front of the tree have been both viciously attacked and adamantly encouraged.  From roughly Thanksgiving through New Year’s Day, group admins and moderators have had to act as referees when disagreements go malignant. One weekend last season, I spent the better part of an entire day responding to angry messages and a phone call from a member in tears because she posted a photo of herself in front of the tree and had been belittled and bullied within the group.  Seriously----the last time I had to do this was when I was a “room patrol” in 5th grade.  I do understand that not everybody agrees with my position on the tree. My opinion is not that of the group as a whole. Hell, I even think environmentalist and writer Edward Abbey would have shrugged off the tree because the mountain is “already ruined”.  But, what I do ask is that instead of terrorizing others on social media, you instead direct your comments to the City of Phoenix where they might make a difference. 

Monday, December 4, 2017

Wild Horse-Maricopa Trail Usery Mountains Segment

Wild Horse-Maricopa Trail Usery Mountains Segment
Cholla cacti are abundant along the Wild Horse Trail
The Salt River Recreation Area north of Mesa is a well-known destination for kayaking, tubing, fishing and picnicking. Although there are also some hiking trails near the water, riverside commotion, noisy crowds, entry fees and mounds of trash left behind by careless day trippers are buzz kills for trekkers in search of beauty and solitude. However, a nearby system of trails that overlooks the area offers peaceful wandering. 
Four Peaks as seen from the trail.
The Sonoran Desert (Hawes) Trail System in Tonto National Forest has more than 20 miles of interconnected paths located between Usery Pass Road and Bush Highway just south of the popular recreation area.  The northern-most route in the system is the Wild Horse Trail which is also part of the Valley-circumnavigating Maricopa Trail. As its name suggests, the trail passes through the domain of wild horses. 
Saguaro skeletons add interest to the hike
The elegant and sometimes controversial beasts can be spotted wading in the river, poking around in the riparian corridors and grazing in the surrounding desert foothills.  Regardless of where you might see them, it’s smart to keep your distance and enjoy the herds from afar.  The Wild Horse/Maricopa Trail escapes the din of the crowds and  is also high enough in the hills to afford inspiring vistas of the Salt River Valley, Four Peaks, Red Mountain and the Usery Mountains. Staring from the trailhead on Usery Pass Road, the trail heads out through wide washes and scoured gullies. You’ll cross an old “NRA pit” where rusting bullet casings, broken glass and other relics of target shooting activities remain in the sandy, buffered depression.
Overlooking the Salt River Valley
Shooting is no longer allowed there, but the sounds of gunfire can be heard from the Usery Mountain Shooting Range to the south.  Once through the pit area, the pop-pop of rifles and revolvers is muffled by a corrugated terrain of arroyos, ravines and gently rolling hills. Beyond the half-mile point, the hike takes on a surprisingly remote feel. The green band of the Salt River snakes through a chiseled landscape to the north, then arches south where it wends around Red Mountain in the Granite Reed Dam area.  The trail bears the hallmarks of its mountain biker origins. 
View of the Salt River near Bush Highway
Hairpin turns, swooping stretches and lots of swift-and-smooth roller coaster segments make for an ever-changing hike with surprises around every bend.  What little shade the trail has is provided by pockets of ironwood and Palo Verde trees that thrive in water-whittled ravines.  Another noteworthy botanical attraction here is a smattering of saguaro cacti skeletons in various stages of decomposition.  
A brief section with shade

Their woody cores with sponge-like patterns and haunting postures lie bare the internal structure of Arizona’s iconic plant.  The Wild Horse Trail ends at the 3.3-mile point but you can continue hiking on the Maricopa Trail for another 4.2 miles to Bush Highway for watery views and the best chance to see mustangs in the mist.
 Maricopa Trail and Wild Horse Trail follow the same route
LENGTH: 3.3 miles one way for Wild Horse Trail or 7.5 miles one way for Maricopa Trail section to Bush Hwy.
RATING: easy
ELEVATION:  1320' - 1880'
GETTING THERE:
From US 60 in Mesa, take the Ellsworth Road exit 192 and go 9 miles north (Ellsworth turns into Usery Pass Road) to the Wild Horse trailhead on the left. The trailhead is marked by a Maricopa Trail sign and a no-shooting post. There’s space for about 6 vehicles in the dirt turnout parking area.
Red Mountain 
Maricopa Trail:
Maricopa Trail & Park Foundation
Global Bikes Sonoran Desert (Hawes) Trail System Maps