{"id":17930,"date":"2021-08-13T09:32:31","date_gmt":"2021-08-13T15:32:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/maxcarmichael.com\/blog\/?p=17930"},"modified":"2023-08-02T17:59:47","modified_gmt":"2023-08-02T23:59:47","slug":"summer-2021-escape-part-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/maxcarmichael.com\/blog\/?p=17930","title":{"rendered":"Summer 2021 Escape, Part 2"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

Previous: Part 1<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

Day of the Fungids<\/h1>\n

The next day was Friday, and I was hoping to hit my favorite nearby trail before the weekend rush. In fact, I realized I should now be able to do the full loop for the first time, hiking up one route to the top and returning down the other. It totalled 17 miles, but involved less than 3,000′ of accumulated elevation gain.<\/p>\n

I drove the shortcut, the rough backcountry road through alternating mixed-conifer forest and vast grassy meadows across the rolling, 9,000′ plateau to the trailhead, where I parked next to a new, lifted Toyota pickup where two college-age guys were preparing to start a backpack. They were both at least six inches taller than me. All I had to do was shoulder my pack and lock the vehicle, so I took off while they were still getting ready.<\/p>\n

I crossed the big meadows around the mouth of the East Fork of the Little Colorado, and stopped after about a half mile, as usual, to stretch, and to tighten and secure my bootlaces. The young guys caught up and passed me there.<\/p>\n

But, also as usual, I was full of energy at the start of this hike, and soon caught up with them again as the three of us climbed through the fantastic sandstone boulders that are the highlight of this trail.<\/p>\n

Halfway up this first slope, we passed a party of two young couples who were camping in the forest below the trail \u2013 only two miles from the trailhead. Like on my last trip to these mountains, I was surprised to find so many young people “slackpacking” \u2013 hiking only a short distance to camp near a trailhead, something my generation would consider pointless.<\/p>\n

I was on the young guys’ tail all the way to the big rock exposure at the top of the ridge, and passed them where they had stopped there to take in the view. I knew there was a second rock exposure farther on, also with a good view, and I never saw them again.<\/p>\n

\"IMG_1202\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"IMG_1205\" <\/a> <\/div>
\"First <\/a>
First of the sandstone formations <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"IMG_1210\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"IMG_1212\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"IMG_1213\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Amanita <\/a>
Amanita muscaria <\/div> <\/div>
\"IMG_1216\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"IMG_1217\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"IMG_1220\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"IMG_1222\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Fernleaf <\/a>
Fernleaf lousewort, Pedicularis procera <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"IMG_1226\" <\/a> <\/div>
\"View <\/a>
View east to Big Lake, recreational center of the range <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

I remembered seeing a lot of mushrooms on my last visit here during monsoon season, but nothing like this time. Mushrooms were so plentiful they became the theme of the hike \u2013 especially the flamboyant Amanita muscaria. But the wildflowers came a close second.<\/p>\n

From the big rock exposures at the top of the first ridge, the trail continues climbing the ridgeline through dense spruce forest with no views, so I kept racing upward. Near the point were I’d stopped and turned back on my first and longest previous hike here, I caught up with and passed a solo backpacker, another really tall guy, probably in his 40s. It made me wonder. I was doing this entire trail system as a day hike. There were no connecting trails, so why were so many people doing it as a backpack? It seemed at best only a one-night trip, which didn’t seem worth all the effort of backpacking. Sure, you could camp out at the crest, but there wasn’t any place to go from there except back down.<\/p>\n

Shortly after passing the backpacker, I reached the burn scar near the top, where the east route becomes the west route.<\/p>\n

\"IMG_1229\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"IMG_1232\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"IMG_1233\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"IMG_1234\" <\/a> <\/div>
\"IMG_1235\" <\/a> <\/div>
\"IMG_1239\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Climbing <\/a>
Climbing through spruce forest toward the crest, at roughly 10,500′ <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"IMG_1242\" <\/a> <\/div>
\"IMG_1243\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"A <\/a>
A rare and short rocky stretch of this trail reminds me of home <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Take <\/a>
Take your time with this photo of a near-vertical bank beside the trail – I love the way the mushrooms hide among vegetation <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"IMG_1246\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"IMG_1252\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"IMG_1253\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

This burn scar in spruce forest, at over 11,000′ elevation, is an eerie place, but during this abundant monsoon it was teeming with verdant shrubs and annual wildflowers, and water trickled down across the trail at many points.<\/p>\n

Storms had been forecast for the whole weekend, but so far, although cloud cover came and went, I could see nothing menacing overhead. The temperature was perfect, which was probably lucky for me, as I was testing out a new pair of pants.<\/p>\n

My regular pants were heavy cotton, and had been selected for thorn-resistance. But during this monsoon I’d suffered so much from waterlogged pants wicking moisture into my boots, so I’d spent some time researching both waterproof and thornproof pants.<\/p>\n

REI and the other “hiker” brands don’t address this need at all \u2013 they assume their yuppie customers will stick to well-maintained trails or climb snowy peaks devoid of thorns. REI staff in Tucson actually admitted to me, to their chagrin, that despite being in the arid southwest, they get the same inventory as their counterparts in Seattle. My only recourse, as with my boots, was to research the hunting suppliers. That’s where I learned that thornproof and waterproof pants constitute part of the “upland” hunting wardrobe \u2013 applying to hunters of non-aquatic game birds like pheasant and grouse, because they have to bushwhack through thorny thickets, often during storms or in heavy morning dew.<\/p>\n

I’d ordered an affordable but highly-rated pair of U.S.-made upland hunting pants, and so far my only problem with them was the lining. It hadn’t been clear from the product info that they were lined, and although the pants had zippable side vents from knee to hip, the lining would probably make them really hot on most summer days in our climate. So I was doubly glad it was cool today.<\/p>\n

\"Band-tailed <\/a>
Band-tailed pigeons, part of a flock passing through the burn scar <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"IMG_1260\" <\/a> <\/div>
\"IMG_1261\" <\/a> <\/div>
\"IMG_1263\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"IMG_1265\" <\/a> <\/div>
\"IMG_1266\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"IMG_1267\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"IMG_1269\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"IMG_1270\" <\/a> <\/div>
\"IMG_1272\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"IMG_1274\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"IMG_1275\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"IMG_1277\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"IMG_1278\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"IMG_1283\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"IMG_1284\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

After a half mile or so, the trail left the burn scar and re-entered intact spruce forest. And suddenly I was facing a blue grouse, pacing back and forth on a fallen tree trunk only ten feet in front of me. I stopped and was able to get my camera out \u2013 another recent challenge in itself.<\/p>\n

I’d broken the lens assembly on my previous camera, and had spent over a month trying to find a replacement, and a way to protect the new camera from similar accidents. Whereas in the past I’d carried the camera alternately on a wrist strap and in a pocket, I was now wearing it in a holster-type case on my belt, where I tried to remember to slip on the wrist strap before pulling out the camera.<\/p>\n

The big bird \u2013 they’re the same size as the average chicken \u2013 cooperated by remaining on the log as I took a few pictures. Then it made a noise and another grouse exploded out of the bush at my feet, and they both took off. It was the animal highlight of my trip.<\/p>\n

This segment of trail left the mature forest and climbed gently through tiny meadows and dense groves of spruce seedlings, until it reached its high point in a saddle below the actual peak, which is sacred to the Apaches and off-limits to Anglos. At this saddle, I’d been hoping for a view over the vast country to the west, which descends for hundreds of miles to the low desert around Phoenix. But it was densely forested, and in rare peeks between the surrounding tree trunks, all I could see was more high, densely forested mountains in the near distance. So I continued down onto the outlying ridge above the canyon of the West Fork.<\/p>\n

\"Blue <\/a>
Blue grouse, the size of an average chicken <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"IMG_1289\" <\/a> <\/div>
\"IMG_1293\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Nearing <\/a>
Nearing the high point of the trail <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"IMG_1295\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Almost <\/a>
Almost there <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Biggest <\/a>
Biggest mushroom I saw, a foot in diameter <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

That outlying ridge finally brought me to a narrow saddle with an open view to the southeast \u2013 so I at least had a new perspective on the ridge I’d climbed in the morning. I’d climbed so fast that it was still early in the day, and I realized that if I didn’t slow down, I’d be done with the hike by midafternoon. I didn’t want that \u2013 I wanted to spend more time up here in this special alpine forest that is so rare in our Southwest.<\/p>\n

\"Love <\/a>
Love these delicate grasses in the burn scar <\/div> <\/div>
\"IMG_1303\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"IMG_1311\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Rock <\/a>
Rock outcrop in the narrow saddle <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"One <\/a>
One of those is probably the sacred peak, off limits to non-Apaches <\/div> <\/div>
\"That <\/a>
That “hogback” on the horizon at left is Escudilla Mountain, which I climbed more than two years ago <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"IMG_1333\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"IMG_1335\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Showing <\/a>
Showing off my new waterproof and thornproof “upland” hunting pants <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"View <\/a>
View north <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

Past the narrow, semi-open saddle, the trail began switchbacking down the very steep side of the West Fork canyon. Eventually it reached the head of the drainage in a burn scar where spruce seedlings were returning and wild raspberries were abundant.<\/p>\n

\"IMG_1343\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Traversing <\/a>
Traversing down into the canyon of the West Fork <\/div> <\/div>
\"IMG_1345\" <\/a> <\/div>
\"IMG_1350\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Small <\/a>
Small burn scar in the head of the canyon <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"IMG_1361\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

Past the burn scar at the head of the West Fork, the trail curved leftwards through intact spruce forest into a big side canyon, where it finally crossed a robust creek. This trail may lack the spectacular rock outcrops of the East Fork \u2013 although there are plenty of boulders in the West Fork forest \u2013 but it actually has more varied habitat.<\/p>\n

\"Bear <\/a>
Bear was just here ahead of me, eating berries <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Bark <\/a>
Bark of Engelmann spruce forms into small, thin scales <\/div> <\/div>
\"Older <\/a>
Older spruce <\/div> <\/div>
\"IMG_1371\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Bark <\/a>
Bark weathering off a dead spruce <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Bark <\/a>
Bark of Douglas fir is thick and deeply fissured <\/div> <\/div>
\"IMG_1380\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"IMG_1382\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"I <\/a>
I loved the way the flower’s shadow fell just on the apex of this ringed mushroom <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"This <\/a>
This giant mushroom was like old leather <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"IMG_1385\" <\/a> <\/div>
\"IMG_1386\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"IMG_1387\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"IMG_1388\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"IMG_1390\" <\/a> <\/div>
\"IMG_1392\" <\/a> <\/div>
\"Ground <\/a>
Ground lichen in moss <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"IMG_1395\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"A <\/a>
A sizeable creek that isn’t named on the maps <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

As part of my “slowing down” plan, I was paying even more attention now to my surroundings \u2013 primarily plants, fungi, and butterflies. In the stretch of trail past the side creek I saw my first coral fungus.<\/p>\n

I was surprised to be feeling pretty sore and weary. To get back to the vehicle, I had to continue on this trail to its junction with the “crossover” trail, a 3-1\/2 mile link between the trailheads. So no matter how much farther it was to the junction, I would still have those 3-1\/2 miles to cross over.<\/p>\n

But before starting the hike, I’d glanced at the elevation profile for the crossover trail, and had concluded it would be all downhill from this side. So at least I had that in my favor.<\/p>\n

Eventually I started encountering meadows, which encouraged me to believe the junction was near. Each one ended up giving false hope, but at least I could see the West Fork meandering scenically below.<\/p>\n

Finally, crossing a grassy slope high above the little river, I spotted a person far ahead. Then suddenly a bird flushed out of the meadow ahead of the distant person and shot overhead and past me. It appeared to be a falcon, which would explain why it was on the ground. When I reached the people who had flushed the bird \u2013 a couple a little older than me \u2013 I was so excited about the bird that I forgot to ask them how much farther it was to the trail junction.<\/p>\n

\"IMG_1399\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"IMG_1400\" <\/a> <\/div>
\"IMG_1402\" <\/a> <\/div>
\"IMG_1403\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"IMG_1404\" <\/a> <\/div>
\"IMG_1405\" <\/a> <\/div>
\"IMG_1408\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"IMG_1411\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Coral <\/a>
Coral fungus <\/div> <\/div>
\"IMG_1416\" <\/a> <\/div>
\"IMG_1417\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"IMG_1418\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"IMG_1419\" <\/a> <\/div>
\"IMG_1421\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"IMG_1426\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"IMG_1430\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"IMG_1432Pano\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"IMG_1438\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"IMG_1440\" <\/a> <\/div>
\"IMG_1441\" <\/a> <\/div>
\"West <\/a>
West Fork of the Little Colorado <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"IMG_1444\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"IMG_1445\" <\/a> <\/div>
\"IMG_1447\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"IMG_1448Pano\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"IMG_1451\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"IMG_1458\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"This <\/a>
This flew fairly close to me, and it looked like a falcon at the time <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

After the falcon incident, I couldn’t ignore the pain in my left foot and right ankle. The right ankle pain was exactly like what I’d had in my left ankle a couple of years earlier. I was limping on both feet again, just like last weekend, and not looking forward at all to the crossover hike. I was transitioning from excitement about my beautiful surroundings into a “got to just survive this” frame of mind.<\/p>\n

Fortunately it was only about a half mile beyond the bird incident that I met a college-age couple who pointed to the crossover junction, only a hundred yards farther. There, I crossed the rushing West Fork on a crude log bridge, and to my surprise, faced a steep climb on the other side.<\/p>\n

In fact, I’d completely misinterpreted the crossover elevation profile. This trail was like a rollercoaster, climbing and descending hundreds of rocky feet at a time, sometimes at up to a 40% grade, through deep forest and across vast rolling meadows, over and over again, for the entire 3-1\/2 miles between trailheads. In my condition, it was like some sort of legendary trial.<\/p>\n

One of the few benefits of the crossover was the abundance of coral fungi.<\/p>\n

\"IMG_1469\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"At <\/a>
At the top of the first rise on the crossover trail <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"IMG_1474\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Trail <\/a>
Trail going down one of many steep slopes on the crossover trail <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"One <\/a>
One of many meadows to cross on the crossover trail <\/div> <\/div>
\"IMG_1480\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"IMG_1481\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Another <\/a>
Another meadow to cross <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"IMG_1487\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"The <\/a>
The biggest meadow to cross, much of it saturated with monsoon rainwater <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"IMG_1493\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"IMG_1495\" <\/a> <\/div>
\"Two <\/a>
Two chipmunks beside the crossover trail <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Finally <\/a>
Finally nearing the junction with the East Fork trail, and the end of this long hike <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

The anticipated storm didn’t hit until I arrived back in the village, and even then it was only scattered showers. I changed out of my heavy gear and limped over to the restaurant, where I’d made a reservation the previous evening. This time I had a steak and a glass of pinot noir.<\/p>\n

\"Modest <\/a>
Modest storm finally hits as I approach the cabin <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

Next: Part 3<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Previous: Part 1 Day of the Fungids The next day was Friday, and I was hoping to hit my favorite nearby trail before the weekend rush. In fact, I realized I should now be able to do the full loop for the first time, hiking up one route to the top and returning down the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14404,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[106,121,49,84,83,4,59,73],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17930","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-2021-trips","category-baldy","category-hikes","category-mogollon-rim","category-regions","category-road-trips","category-southeast-arizona","category-whites"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/maxcarmichael.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/IMG_1481.jpg?fit=925%2C1200&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/maxcarmichael.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17930","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/maxcarmichael.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/maxcarmichael.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/maxcarmichael.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/maxcarmichael.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=17930"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/maxcarmichael.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17930\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21240,"href":"https:\/\/maxcarmichael.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17930\/revisions\/21240"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/maxcarmichael.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/14404"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/maxcarmichael.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=17930"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/maxcarmichael.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=17930"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/maxcarmichael.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=17930"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}