{"id":18577,"date":"2022-12-23T17:58:46","date_gmt":"2022-12-24T00:58:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/maxcarmichael.com\/blog\/?p=18577"},"modified":"2022-12-27T11:16:21","modified_gmt":"2022-12-27T18:16:21","slug":"return-to-boulder-canyon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/maxcarmichael.com\/blog\/?p=18577","title":{"rendered":"Return to Boulder Canyon"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

Three and a half years ago, I tried to hike this canyon without a map, and ended up mistakenly scrambling up a three-mile-long pile of giant logs and boulders, enticed by pink ribbons that turned out to have nothing to do with the actual trail, and almost losing my mind.<\/p>\n

I did reach a spectacular waterfall, but was left with a powerful yearning to come back some day and find a less maddening route all the way up this canyon to the crest of the range. It would be a route that’s unique in taking you from high desert, through Southwest riparian habitat, to alpine fir forest at 9,000′, with massive rock formations and views across the landscape on your way.<\/p>\n

One reason I got in trouble in 2019 was that floods had washed out part of the lower trail, and I could find no information on how or whether I could reconnect with the upper part. Being well-watered this canyon is dense with vegetation as well as boulders \u2013 it’s a jungle where it’s easy to go astray \u2013 and there was no record of anyone using this trail since 2015, two years before the big wildfire that led to the flood damage. It’s a remote and challenging trail that likely never saw much use anyway.<\/p>\n

But when planning this trip I revisited the crowd-sourced page for this trail and found that a group had hiked it in September, claiming it had been rebuilt by a trail crew and was now clear and easy to follow.<\/p>\n

\"Expecting <\/a>
Expecting a long day, hitting the road early <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Approaching <\/a>
Approaching the pass, to access the south side of the range <\/div> <\/div>
\"Across <\/a>
Across the big valley, a low mountain range north of Tucson <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Taking <\/a>
Taking the prison road toward the big canyon on the south side of the mountains <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

I’d driven the access road twice before \u2013 it’s a very rocky high-clearance-only path roughly bulldozed up the alluvial fan behind the state prison, to the creek crossing, about a mile below the mouth of the canyon. On both previous visits, the creek crossing had been flooded to over a foot deep and blocked by 18″ tall boulders, so I was assuming I’d again have to park at the crossing, find a log to cross the raging creek on, and walk the rest of the way up the old road on the opposite side.<\/p>\n

With a perennial stream, this canyon has always been attractive to miners, ranchers, the military, and prison developers. The map shows the dirt road continuing up two miles past the mouth of the canyon, making two more creek crossings in the process. At least two different water pipelines were laid down the canyon in the past \u2013 an old buried iron pipe, and an elevated PVC pipe which formerly supplied the prison. But even before the wildfire, floods damaged both the pipelines and the upper part of the road. Now you find broken 20-foot lengths of 8″ PVC pipe stuck in trees and protruding from boulder piles.<\/p>\n

Following the road and trail as shown on the map, from the first creek crossing to the crest road, would be 6-1\/2 miles and over 4,000′ of accumulated elevation gain, so I was expecting a long, challenging day, and hit the road over an hour earlier than usual. But when I reached the creek crossing, the water was less than 8″ deep and was clear of boulders. So I drove across and continued to just before the mouth of the canyon, where there’s a turnout. Now the hike I was planning would be two miles shorter, round-trip, and I should have plenty of time!<\/p>\n

\"Wow, <\/a>
Wow, I can cross here for the first time! <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Parking <\/a>
Parking just outside the mouth of the canyon <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

Since the lower part of the trail follows the old road, it’s always interesting to see how drivable that road is, and how far people have made it up recently. With floods, this canyon has regularly been conveying the top of the mountain down from time immemorial, and the top of the mountain surrounds you all the way up, in the form of white boulders that fill the creekbed and have been bulldozed into rows beside the road.<\/p>\n

It was below freezing, and even here at 5,500′, little patches of snow hung on in the shadow of boulders. Entering the mouth of the canyon, I was glad I’d parked where I did \u2013 what was left of the old road needed higher clearance than I’m comfortable with. But tracks showed that a bigger truck had recently been up here. And someone had been collecting sections of the old PVC pipe and stacking them alongside the road, presumably to haul out at some point. It would be an even more beautiful canyon without the ruins.<\/p>\n

I started making noise as soon as I entered the riparian forest, to alert bears. I’d encountered a black bear here on my last visit, and this range is reported to have the highest density of bears in North America.<\/p>\n

Before long I came upon a flock of 7 wild turkeys. And a little farther, a boulder I figured would stop even the biggest truck. But no, some macho dude had made it over that, all the way to the next creek crossing, where there’s a graded turnaround, since no vehicle on earth can cross at that point now.<\/p>\n

After a little deliberation and searching for sticks, I crossed the roaring creek on a thin, sinuous fallen tree trunk I expected to flip on me at any time and dump me in the ice-cold water (it’s all snowmelt). A few dozen yards from the bank, the old road reappeared, rockier than ever. And a few hundred yards up canyon, I came to the third creek crossing, which was both easier and more dangerous.<\/p>\n

\"Creek <\/a>
Creek at the canyon mouth, showing typical boulders that are washed down in floods <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Road <\/a>
Road up the canyon <\/div> <\/div>
\"Sections <\/a>
Sections of old pipeline recently gathered and piled along the road <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"IMG_1062\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"This <\/a>
This little orange stream stank <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"I <\/a>
I assumed no vehicle would get past this <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"But <\/a>
But I was wrong, somebody drove up here in the last week <\/div> <\/div>
\"However, <\/a>
However, nobody’s driving past here anymore <\/div> <\/div>
\"Second <\/a>
Second place where the road used to cross, now completely impassable <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"The <\/a>
The log I crossed on – about 8 inches diameter <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Road <\/a>
Road continues on other side <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Third <\/a>
Third creek crossing <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

That third crossing was probably where I got lost before. But on the other side, after climbing over a towering tangle of logs and branches, I found a series of faded pink ribbons which actually led me through a thicket and back to a surviving segment of the old road. From there, it was a straightforward “walk in the forest” until I reached the next flood washout.<\/p>\n

I’d never found this route on my previous attempt, but at the washout, another pink ribbon beckoned me up the left bank, where a faint trail bypassed the washout, climbing high above the creek, and back down, to rejoin the next surviving segment of the old road.<\/p>\n

Rounding the base of a boulder, I came upon a rock alignment \u2013 again, something I hadn’t encountered on my previous visit. The rocks showed a branching of the trail, and a marker post with an arrow directing hikers toward the first waterfall, partway up the opposite side of the canyon. Apparently that’s the destination of most visitors here.<\/p>\n

Continuing on the left branch, I reached the original end of the road, at the base of the massive boulder pile. There, two tributaries come together to form the lower creek, and that would be my moment of truth, since that’s where the old trail had been completely washed out.<\/p>\n

\"Pink <\/a>
Pink ribbon that helped me after the third crossing <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Upper <\/a>
Upper part of old road, no longer accessible to vehicles, functions purely as a trail <\/div> <\/div>
\"Came <\/a>
Came upon a small group of whitetail bucks <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"IMG_1089\" <\/a> <\/div>
\"IMG_1091\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Road <\/a>
Road washed out by flood <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Pink <\/a>
Pink ribbon beckons to bypass trail <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Bypass <\/a>
Bypass climbs above bank <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Glimpsing <\/a>
Glimpsing the head of the first canyon – I hope to get far above the left side <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"IMG_1108\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"IMG_1109\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Branching <\/a>
Branching of trails <\/div> <\/div>
\"Big <\/a>
Big boulder pile at confluence of creeks <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

Back in 2019, after wasting over an hour scrambling over flood debris in the lower canyon, I had finally relocated the road and reached this point. I hadn’t seen evidence of a trail continuing on this side of the creek, but I saw a pink ribbon in the trees across the base of the boulder pile, so I clambered across and went that way, which led eventually, with utmost difficulty and increasing desperation, to the waterfall.<\/p>\n

Now, however, I spent more time scouting, and finally noticed a pink ribbon hanging from a tree, straight up the left bank from the washout, and some disturbed ground that might have been a faint game trail. I decided to go up there \u2013 it was about a 40% grade \u2013 and continuing, found what was obviously a new trail bypassing the old one that had been washed out. It was very narrow and very precarious, climbing 50-60 feet above the creek, skirting the vertical bank in places. But eventually it led to the original trail, which followed the left-hand tributary. What a relief to avoid that apocalyptic debris flow!<\/p>\n

This tributary canyon was narrow, and on the left side, the trail was forced to wind back and forth between big boulders at the base of a cliff. Rounding one huge boulder, I surprised a small troop of coatis. And I finally came upon a small, very old pile of bear scat \u2013 the first I’d seen so far. So much for all my noisemaking to warn away bears!<\/p>\n

And at last, I came to the final creek crossing, beyond which I hoped to find my trail to the crest.<\/p>\n

\"Pink <\/a>
Pink ribbon, way up there, beckons to another bypass trail <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Beyond <\/a>
Beyond the bypass, back on the main trail, troop of coatis <\/div> <\/div>
\"Long, <\/a>
Long, flexible snouts help them dig for food in soil and leaf litter <\/div> <\/div>
\"IMG_1127\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Equisetum, <\/a>
Equisetum, living fossil, in a marshy spot <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Canyon <\/a>
Canyon of this tributary is much narrower <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Boulders <\/a>
Boulders at base of cliff <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Last <\/a>
Last crossing, of this tributary, before switchbacks <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

Since this tributary was smaller than the lower creek, it was easier to cross. But the old trail had been blocked by debris on the other side, and I found another narrow, precarious bypass that again took me 50-60 feet above the creek and involved climbing over deadfall and boulders. It had become obvious that the September hikers had been exaggerating \u2013 this trail had hardly been rebuilt, let alone cleared. The best you could say is that an expert can find a route.<\/p>\n

Now I was in deep shade, where snow had collected up to 8 inches. But the trail to the crest consists of nearly 40 switchbacks climbing 2,200 vertical feet, and the slope they climb faces west. I figured every other switchback would have enough southern exposure to melt the snow, and I was right. All the way to the top, I faced only limited patches of snow, at most a hundred yards long.<\/p>\n

But I had more immediate obstacles to get past: deadfall and overgrowth. Far from being rebuilt and cleared, the switchbacks were blocked again and again by deadfall logs and small, tough shrubs. And I began to suspect that the September hikers had lied about coming this way, when I kept finding old rotten trunks and branches blocking the trail that you would normally need to snap or toss aside in order to pass. Not just for yourself \u2013 removing obstacles is good manners, to improve the trail for the next visitors.<\/p>\n

Eventually, I did come to a deadfall log across the trail showing a recently broken branch that someone had snapped in order to step over it. I concluded that the September hikers had been there after all, but generally preferred to go around obstacles rather than removing them. So I did my part by breaking branches and hauling small trees off the trail wherever possible.<\/p>\n

The switchbacks seemed interminable, and I came to a few spots where tread disappeared completely and I had to scout a route before relocating the trail. But the reward was the view, which got better with each increase in elevation. Finally, on the last switchback, I got the full view south out of the main canyon, and shortly after that, I crossed the crest into the interior of the range. I’d done it \u2013 what I’d been dreaming of for years!<\/p>\n

\"Trail <\/a>
Trail blocked, and another very steep, very precarious bypass <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Blockage <\/a>
Blockage on trail previous hikers said was “rebuilt and cleared” <\/div> <\/div>
\"More <\/a>
More blockage <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"More <\/a>
More blockage <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"More <\/a>
More blockage <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"IMG_1171\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Finally <\/a>
Finally climbing high enough for some views <\/div> <\/div>
\"That <\/a>
That rock becomes my landmark, for judging vertical progress <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Fortunately <\/a>
Fortunately deer love this trail – they, not humans, are maintaining it <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Beginning <\/a>
Beginning to think previous hikers lied about coming this way <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Finally <\/a>
Finally high enough to see out <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"IMG_1224\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"IMG_1227\" <\/a> <\/div>
\"Finally <\/a>
Finally climbed above my “landmark” rock <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Crossing <\/a>
Crossing the head of the first canyon – where I started is at the canyon’s mouth <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"On <\/a>
On the crest, a trail tree created by Natives, with cairn by colonists <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

Unfortunately, that seemed to be the end. I’d expected to continue up this ridge about another mile, to the crest road, but the trail ended abruptly at a distinctive cairn, with nothing ahead but a maze of deadfall across a steep, overgrown slope.<\/p>\n

I scouted and I scouted, finally returning to the cairn in dismay. I checked my map, which showed a tiny dogleg at this point. What if I just went straight up the slope?<\/p>\n

That’s what I did \u2013 about a hundred feet, climbing over deadfall logs. And finally spotted the continuation of the trail, on the opposite side of yet another couple of deadfall logs.<\/p>\n

In short order, that took me to the fairly level top of the ridge, partly forested, holding deeper snow, where I had glimpses of the high peaks of the range, arrayed to north and east.<\/p>\n

I knew I’d only gone about 5 miles so far, and it’d taken me 5 hours. I hoped to go faster on the way down, but I was still surprised at how much slower I was hiking on this trip. In any event, I was now where I wanted to be \u2013 on top of the world. I had no need to go any farther \u2013 only to reach the crest road \u2013 and I didn’t want to rush on my way back.<\/p>\n

\"Trail <\/a>
Trail appears to end here <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"After <\/a>
After long search and climb, relocated trail past deadfall maze <\/div> <\/div>
\"Approaching <\/a>
Approaching level crest of ridge <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Damn <\/a>
Damn telescope near highest peak <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Huge <\/a>
Huge building can be seen for many miles <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"IMG_1263\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Panorama <\/a>
Panorama of high peaks – little bump at right is peak I was climbing in snow the other day <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"View <\/a>
View southwest, with Santa Catalinas (Tucson) on far horizon <\/div> <\/div>
\"This <\/a>
This falcon suddenly shot up out of the canyon and soared past me <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"On <\/a>
On top of the world (again)! <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Today's <\/a>
Today’s route. Red dot “A” is the point I reached 2 days ago. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"5 <\/a>
5 miles in 5 hours… <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

Going down those switchbacks was so much easier! I’d achieved my goal of reaching the crest, and despite all the obstacles, I decided the condition of this trail is just right for me, as is. Enough ambiguity, deadfall and overgrowth to make it a challenge without making it a bummer. Yes, I benefited from a few pink ribbons, for which I’m grateful \u2013 but they could’ve been put up any time in the past couple of decades. Wild animals are now keeping it open and maintaining tread \u2013 no human workers needed.<\/p>\n

And in the canyon bottom, I encountered what I assume was the same troop of coatis. This time I could see at least one was a juvenile, and while the others hid, the biggest adult perched on a boulder above and chuffed at me for a while.<\/p>\n

One thing I noticed on the way up, but puzzled over on the way down \u2013 the soil of the trail in the tributary canyon bottom was “turned” as if with a plow \u2013 like walking in mashed potatoes \u2013 with frequent deep holes like large hoof prints, but at random, without any identifiable pattern. It was another thing that slowed me down, and I still couldn’t figure out what caused it.<\/p>\n

It was only later that I realized it must be the coatis that were causing that \u2013 they apparently both consume leaf litter and dig in soil for invertebrates, hence their long, flexible snouts.<\/p>\n

\"Level <\/a>
Level ridgetop <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"On <\/a>
On the way down <\/div> <\/div>
\"Zoomed <\/a>
Zoomed in on state prison, 4,000′ below, and the road I approached on <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"IMG_1295\" <\/a> <\/div>
\"IMG_1296\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Loose <\/a>
Loose soil in canyon bottom, like walking in mashed potatoes <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Nearing <\/a>
Nearing mouth of canyon, looking back in last light <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"That <\/a>
That orange stream smells like sewage <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Saw <\/a>
Saw this old iron pipe and guessed stream may be rusty runoff from old broken pipeline <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Road <\/a>
Road out of canyon mouth, showing boulders from past floods that had to be bulldozed <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

Returning those 5 miles, with many stops, took 3 hours. But at sunset, what should I find at my vehicle, but a big black bull?<\/p>\n

Some may remember my past experiences with bulls in the wild \u2013 being followed, chased, and charged. But I was tired, and it was getting dark, and my vehicle was right there. Standing behind a barrier of brush, I yelled and clapped my hands, but the bull ignored me. So I emerged in the clearing, and still yelling, walked past the bull to my vehicle. It moved off a little and stood watching to see what I would do. So far, so good!<\/p>\n

This was a first for me. I unloaded my gear and got in the Sidekick, while the bull stood like a statue, never making a threatening move. If only they could all be so placid!<\/p>\n

\"Bull <\/a>
Bull grazing next to my vehicle <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Bull <\/a>
Bull watching me unload my gear <\/div> <\/div>
\"Heading <\/a>
Heading out <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Looking <\/a>
Looking back at crest, with huge telescope glowing in center <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Large <\/a>
Large Binocular Telescope – constructed despite protests by Natives and environmentalists – opening for the night <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Three and a half years ago, I tried to hike this canyon without a map, and ended up mistakenly scrambling up a three-mile-long pile of giant logs and boulders, enticed by pink ribbons that turned out to have nothing to do with the actual trail, and almost losing my mind. I did reach a spectacular […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":18671,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[124,117,49,72,83,4,87,59],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18577","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-2022-trips","category-grant","category-hikes","category-pinalenos","category-regions","category-road-trips","category-sky-islands","category-southeast-arizona"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/maxcarmichael.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/IMG_1334.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/maxcarmichael.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18577","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=18577"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/maxcarmichael.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18577\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18731,"href":"https:\/\/maxcarmichael.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18577\/revisions\/18731"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/maxcarmichael.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/18671"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/maxcarmichael.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=18577"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/maxcarmichael.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=18577"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/maxcarmichael.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=18577"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}