Picacho Peak

So, Randy and I had not been camping since Aug 2009 and we thought it was about time. It was also Elizabeth's college spring break. Therefore, Randy took a look at the AZ map and found a state park halfway between Phoenix and Tucson. No reservations required this time of year. On Thursday, we packed up the jeep and the 3 of us and Phoebe the dog, took off for a couple of nights camping!

About 1130 we stopped at the Casa Grande National Monument. Randy and I had been there before but Elizabeth hadn't. It was ok to bring the dog in too! We walked
around the site, reading the plaques telling us about the life and times of the natives (Hohokum) who lived there and about the building techniques. The largest remaining building is covered by a huge cover to help keep the weather from
destroying it any further. After a walk around the site, we adjourned to the picnic area for some sandwiches we brought with us. Then we walked to the raised observation area for a look at 3 other sites on the park property. One is considered a ball field and 2 others are apparently other housing areas, just not yet excavated.

After we finished there, we got back in the car and within the hour were at the Picacho State Park. Picacho is pronounced Pee-CA-Choo, emphasis on the second syllable. We found ourselves a tenting spot large enough to hold both tents and which also had a ramada (southwest term for a shelter or canopy over the picnic
table). We decided to set up camp, then just hang out. The mountain we were going to climb the next day loomed over the south side of the park and our campsite. No getting around it, it looked like a hard climb.

So after dinner, and the sun went down, we got a campfire going. We were just sitting around, chit chatting, when we heard the gravel crunching behind us. Turns out 2 long distance bicyclists, rode up behind us and asked if they could share the
fire with us! Now having hung out with long distance hikers, we were a little surprised by the request but not really disturbed. We said heck yeah, come on in and have a sit.

We shared some wine and the camp fire and stories about where we've all been in the world. It was a nice chat. At bedtime, we retired to our tents and they bedded down in front of the fire.

In the morning, Randy and I were up early to meet our old AF buddy Dennis. He drove up from Tucson to hike a little way with us. Turns out he had hiked this mountain in his youth with his church youth group, long before there was a state park here or even a designated trail up to the peak. The bicyclists got up, had a little
breakfast and packed up to get back on the road. About 8am, they rode off and we got in the car to head to the trailhead.

We parked at the trailhead, Dennis too as he had an 11am appointment back in Tucson so he staged his car with ours for easy access. I was carrying my 2 liter water bladder and 2 one liter water bottles. Randy and Elizabeth were each carrying about 1.5 liters of water. Elizabeth had room in her pack to carry Phoebe up the hard parts of the trail. Off we went.

The hike immediately starts uphill. The trail maintainers had put in steps but made them about twice the height of normal steps, making it kind of hard on stubby legged little me. We gained altitude quickly and soon we were high above the desert
floor. By 9am, Dennis had to say good-bye, he had to hike back to the cars and get on his way. Sorry he couldn't do the whole trip with us.

After the good-bye's we trudged on up the mountain. The trail did switch back and forth but even so, it was a climb. We took a short rest now and then, one stop being in an alcove of sorts where birds, swifts or some other mud dauber mud nest
makers, had nests high up on the underside of the cliff alcove. They swooped around over us like they were unhappy with our presence.

Finally, we got to the saddle. The part of the mountain where the trail reaches a spot then curves around the other side of the mountain, going down for a bit, then up to the secondary and main peaks. Quite a few people were there, resting from coming up from the park or from coming back from the peak. After a short rest, we
continued, following the trail down a very steep rock face. It was steep enough that the maintainers had put in the steel cable rope and I sure did use it getting down that slope. A few hundered feet down, then we started back up the mountain.


Again, all uphill, Elizabeth and I stopped several times for quick breathers and some water. Eventually, we got to the difficult portions, going straight up rock faces with random places for footholds and death grips on steel cable. Of course,
it was easy for Phoebe, she just rode in Elizabeth's pack. She seemed quite content to let her mistress do all the work.


Now I have a bit of a fear of falling so going up or across these spots was a bit traumatic for me. I will admit to a lot of hyperventilation. However, I watched other groups go up or down these spots and saw they didn't seem to have any trouble with it. So I told myself to stop being such a drama queen and get on with it.

Elizabeth had gotten quite a bit ahead of us while I was struggling with my fear and
those cliff face traverses. She went up the secondary peak to explore a little while we caught up. Eventually, I got past the cables and we started up the main peak. It wasn't that far, it was just pretty steep and by the time I got to the
top, I was happy but really tired. I declared I wasn't moving from this spot. Randy and Elizabeth kindly offered to forward my mail.


While resting, we noticed a lot of ground squirrels at the top of the peak. Phoebe was eager to run the little critters off. At one point, it looked like she was going to launch herself right off the top of the peak. At that time, Elizabeth put her leash on her. It just wouldn't do to have hikers below us see a chihuahua flying past.

We had a snack and a lot of water and a good look around at the views. Lots of agriculture going on in the surrounding landscape. Also, a lot more smog than I had
expected. It's too bad really because we should have been able to see a lot farther than we did. After about 20 minutes, we decided to go on back down. Of course every group we passed had to ooh and ahh over Phoebe. She was quite a good little conversation starter.


As I expected, the hike down was more harrowing than the hike up, especially as we were already tired. I was still hyperventilating but at each point I told myself
that I did not want to be on the 6 o'clock news as "another hiker rescued" story so I bucked up and did what I had to do to get down. We often had to move over for faster hikers to go by. Not that I minded, it gave me a minute to get my breath but it was irritating to see 20 something young men go dancing by, leaping from rock to rock carrying nothing but a half liter bottle of water. Arrrgghh.

So, we finally get to the steep rock face that leads up to the saddle that will lead to the final down trail. I couldn't believe we had to climb this mountain 3 times to do one hike up to the peak and back. I had to stop and rest several times, but finally I got to the saddle and practically fell onto the bench so thoughtfully provided by the park service. We still needed to get the rest of the way down but thankfully, there were no more ups.


We pushed on after a few minutes and both Elizabeth and I could feel our legs getting really tired. We were glad when we finally got to the trailhead and could sit in the car. Whew! We made it. We were ready to get back to the tent and head off to the really nice showers this campsite has.


Would I do this hike again? No. However, Randy said he had a great time, never a dull moment on this trail. True, but it's not for me. At one point, I mentioned to Randy that I would only recommend this hike to people I hate but that's not really so. I know quite a few hiking friends who would, like Randy, love the adventure of this hike. This hike was rated difficult. I don't know where that rating fits in the Easy, Moderate, Strenuous rating system but it must be above Strenuous.

So, if you're out Arizona way, think about this peak.

Barnhardt Trail

On March 22nd, the C Group of the Payson Packers met in the Stages parking lot at about 0815. It had rained all of the previous day so our planned hikes were under discussion. The original plan was for the group to split up. Those that wanted the more strenuous Barnhardt Trail hike were going there and the rest of the group were going to one of the Payson Area Trail System (PATS) hikes, the Monument Peak loop hike.

Since the heavy rain would make these trail somewhat muddy and/or treacherous, the majority of the group (15 or so), elected to take a fitness trail hike at the local community college. Six of us however, decided to risk the Barnhardt trail. Bonnie, the hike leader for the original hike, could fit all six of us into her truck, a nice 3 seater, 4 wheel drive. Off we went.

My hiking book, Hiking Arizona, (page 100), gives a description of the total 12.4 mile hike. We were only going to point 3, what we called the 2nd waterfall. So, the book gives the starting elevation at 4200 feet. Using one of our member's in-phone GPS, we had about a 1500 ft elevation gain at the peak of our hike.

Anyway, we managed to get to the trailhead from a very slick, gooey, muddy dirt
road, about 4 miles from Highway 87. There are 3 trailheads at this point with a lot of parking. A very popular place. We headed into the canyon mouth, always going up. Fortunately, the trail switchbacks back and forth but not at a particularly steep grade in most places.

Along the way, you can see on the opposite canyon wall the severe geological
stresses this mountain range was subject to. White quartz layered between red rock zigzags up and down the cliff face. Pretty dramatic. Far below, the stream was running well. What with all the rain from the day before, we were not surprised to see the water flowing. I suspect by late June, the stream bed may be dry.

There weren't a lot of flowers along the path, I had expected to see quite a few given the recent snow and rainfall and the warm weather this far south. Oh well.
We met a few people on the trail, some stopped at view points where we could see the Moggollon Rim, covered with snow from yesterday's snowfall (while we got rain in Payson, just an hour north, the higher elevation of the rim, gave that area snow!) It was all very, very pretty! I noted as the sun came out from behind the remaining clouds, that the water and trees had diamond drops scattered on tips of blades and branches. The whole place sparkled.

At about mile 2.5, we came to the first waterfall. Bonnie had described it a a sort of cathedral space with this plume of water coming down the high cliff face.
Once we got there, I totally agreed with her discription. Additionally a large pine tree stood right in the center, just in front of the cliff face. The little stream that was generated, ran across the trail and down to the main stream running out of the canyon.

At this waterfall, we met a group of 3 that had just come from farther up the trail where they described a second waterfall. We decided to have our snack break then rested, voted to go on up the trail to see this next waterfall. They described it as about 1/2 an hour or 45 minutes farther on. On we went. This part of the trail was steeper and rockier than the 1st part but we pushed on and sure enough, in about 30 minutes we were at the 2nd waterfall.


This waterfall is recessed into a chasm but can clearly be seen from the trail. It was a feather plume of water, falling from a high cliff, then running down the narrow canyon over several little rock steps till it crossed the trail. This part of the canyon still had snow cover and a lot of shade so it was a little chilly in there. While we were taking pictures, a couple of guys arrived so of course there were greetings and discussions of how nice this spot is.

We left them having a lunch break a few feet up the trail where there was some sun while we headed back down the canyon.
We took a short break at the 1st waterfall, where Randy took some pictures of the small, moss covered pools. We all kept remarking on how nice the temperature was for the hike, not too cool, not too hot and the marvelous views we had of the rim.

Overall, the trail was not treacherous at all and we were glad we took the risk to come to the trail.