{"id":26082,"date":"2025-03-03T10:34:47","date_gmt":"2025-03-03T17:34:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/maxcarmichael.com\/blog\/?p=26082"},"modified":"2025-07-14T10:07:52","modified_gmt":"2025-07-14T16:07:52","slug":"road-test","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/maxcarmichael.com\/blog\/?p=26082","title":{"rendered":"Road Test"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

Another trip back east meant it had been two and a half weeks since my last hike. Doc and I had agreed on a three-month rehab program for my knee, starting with 2-mile hikes and gradually working up. I’d done this before, and it’s not easy \u2013 two-mile walks don’t justify driving into the mountains, but it’s hard to get excited about walking around town.<\/p>\n

Especially on Sunday, the day of my big wilderness hikes.<\/p>\n

This weekend, I had a second goal \u2013 a thorough road test of the upgraded suspension and much bigger tires on my Sidekick. So I was looking for a short hike accessed by a road trip combining as many different conditions as possible, while minimizing the risk of hitting a deer and wiping out my investment.<\/p>\n

Northwest turned out to be the only viable direction, toward the remote, rugged, little-known area I’ve been trying to explore during the past year. Since a two-mile hike lasts only an hour, and the round-trip drive was likely to take four, I needed a lunch plan, and the northwest trip offered three options, only two of which I’d tried already.<\/p>\n

I compiled a list of eight short hikes along that route, most of which used the first mile of much longer wilderness trails I’d hiked many times before. The last and farthest hike depended on an abandoned trail that might or might not be passable, over and around a remote mountain I’d been obsessing over for years. It’s the high point of a small range rising amid terrain so rugged the peak tends to get lost and ignored by outsiders driving the highway across its shoulder. Surrounding peaks get in the way so it’s hard to even see the summit of this range from afar.<\/p>\n

I’d driven the steep, rocky forest road, which climbs to within 200 vertical feet of the 8,970 foot summit, and I’d fallen in love with the views and the dark, spooky forest of firs and aspens that lines its deep, narrow canyons, where trees often fall and block the road for days or weeks. I assumed the road would normally be closed in winter, but this winter had been the driest in memory so I didn’t expect snow.<\/p>\n

\"Highway <\/a>
Highway at right, forest roads in black, previous hikes in red <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

When I got up to start breakfast, I saw three deer in my backyard \u2013 two does and a yearling. By the time I headed out with my gear, they’d made themselves at home in a patch of sunlight. Better here than on the road, I figured.<\/p>\n

Yet another sunny day with clear skies and a high forecast in the 60s.<\/p>\n

\"IMG_6575\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"IMG_6576\" <\/a> <\/div>
\"IMG_6577\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"IMG_6579\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

There are dozens of options for a short hike \u2013 one main reason I’d picked this trip was because it combined high-speed highway, twisty mountain road, and rocky backcountry road to give the new suspension a workout. It adds a 2-1\/2 inch lift, which was immediately noticeable in a number of ways: wind noise, buffeting in a cross-wind, loss of power on grades. I had to work the steering wheel more than before. But I soon got used to most of those changes, and had brought my headphones to cancel the noise.<\/p>\n

Stock, this vehicle comes with excellent handling, so even with the modifications it still handles quite well. And my initial impressions about loss of power were disproved later in the day. The ultimate test will be the long, steep grade on I-40 west of Flagstaff.<\/p>\n

The forest road to the summit did turn out to be open, but as usual, six or eight trees had recently fallen across it, then had been pushed or dragged to the side by other travelers. Since it’s regularly maintained, the road’s never been a challenge for the Sidekick, but the upgrades give me confidence that was always lacking before.<\/p>\n

One of many neat features of this range is its sprawling summit plateau at 8,600 feet, with parklike ponderosa forest, grassy meadows, and not a single man-made structure apart from the old trailhead kiosk. This may be one of the least-developed mountain ranges in the U.S.<\/p>\n

\"Heading <\/a>
Heading north toward our high mountains <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Farther <\/a>
Farther north, more mountains rising on left <\/div> <\/div>
\"Past <\/a>
Past our high mountains, with remote, mysterious range on Arizona border rising ahead <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Somewhere <\/a>
Somewhere behind those ridges is my destination <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Climbing <\/a>
Climbing to pass where forest road to peak turns off <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Road <\/a>
Road to summit <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Summit <\/a>
Summit plateau <\/div> <\/div>
\"IMG_6609\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Lots <\/a>
Lots of trees down <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Deep, <\/a>
Deep, wild interior canyon on right <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Approaching <\/a>
Approaching summit <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Trailhead <\/a>
Trailhead on left <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Looking <\/a>
Looking at home here <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Deadfall <\/a>
Deadfall before trailhead is sign of things to come <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

The map shows the hiking trail following an abandoned road that dead-ends just east of the summit, and from there, following a long ridge south toward a remote trail junction I’d bushwhacked to a few years ago. None of the trails in this area are maintained, and this trail is shown as a dotted line, meaning it may no longer even exist. I figured if it wasn’t passable I’d drive back south to one of the other options.<\/p>\n

What I found was one of the worst burn scars I’ve ever seen. I hadn’t noticed it from the forest road, or the highway below, because firefighters defended the corridors, and lower peaks block a view of this summit ridge. The fire occurred in 2018 and was limited to the summit ridges and plateau of this tiny range, but it burned as intensely as any I’d found in our region.<\/p>\n

Deadfall, blowdown, and thorny regrowth blocked the trail almost continuously, and in several cases had to be detoured around. I was only able to fight my way through because enough tread remained for cattle to follow \u2013 there was no evidence of other hikers going this way since the fire, and the cattle had become my trailblazers.<\/p>\n

After an hour and a half, when faced with yet another solid thicket of thorns, I gave up. One thing I love about this range is its steep slopes, dropping abruptly to canyon bottoms two thousand feet below, so if you can see through the trees you get spectacular views. The burn scar did give me good views to north and south, but if I wanted to hike this trail farther someday, I would need a machete.<\/p>\n

\"IMG_6632\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"IMG_6634\" <\/a> <\/div>
\"IMG_6635\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Yep, <\/a>
Yep, that’s the trail <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Rare <\/a>
Rare view east <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Lots <\/a>
Lots of elk sign up here <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Join <\/a>
Join me for a walk in the park? <\/div> <\/div>
\"High <\/a>
High intensity burn <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Trail <\/a>
Trail drops into dry creekbed <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Strange <\/a>
Strange dolmen-like outcrops in burn scar <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Seven <\/a>
Seven years after fire <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Not <\/a>
Not a human track anywhere <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"IMG_6670\" <\/a> <\/div>
\"Yep, <\/a>
Yep, trail <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Locust <\/a>
Locust on trail <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"If <\/a>
If I could just reach that next peak and get a view south… <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"But <\/a>
But this stands in my way <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Just <\/a>
Just too much work <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"At <\/a>
At least I get a view north before turning back <\/div> <\/div>
\"Morning <\/a>
Morning hike <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Burn <\/a>
Burn area of 2018 wildfire <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

As usual, on the way back to the trailhead I paid more attention to details of habitat. I was particularly impressed by the color range of a native ground cover with holly-like leaves. I’d surely seen it before, but in this winter burn scar it was the most colorful thing in the landscape. And although this range doesn’t have much exposed rock, the loss of trees had revealed strange, isolated, stratified dolmen-like outcrops.<\/p>\n

\"Ground <\/a>
Ground cover in burn scar <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"I've <\/a>
I’ve climbed that mountain on horizon, 20 miles to northwest <\/div> <\/div>
\"Summit <\/a>
Summit at right is just under 11,000′ <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"IMG_6695\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"IMG_6696\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"One <\/a>
One thorny shrub was not a locust <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Actual <\/a>
Actual summit is up there, but too much work to reach <\/div> <\/div>
\"Ground <\/a>
Ground color <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Only <\/a>
Only snow left on mountains <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"IMG_6707\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Only <\/a>
Only aspens left on mountain named for them <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

It ended up taking me over two hours to hike a mile and a half, and it was time for lunch, in the village a half hour down the highway. The three eateries that are open Sundays close at 2 pm, 3 pm, and 7 pm, and I’d never arrived early enough to try the first \u2013 which turned out to be the best. This is the historic heart of anti-government and pro-Trump sentiment, but the cafe was playing 60s psychedelic music, and when I was the last diner left at closing time, the bearded chef, his hair in long braided pigtails, brought out a slice of cheesecake “on the house”. First time I’d had one of my favorite desserts in years, maybe decades.<\/p>\n

\"Steep <\/a>
Steep road <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"More <\/a>
More solitary aspens <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Abert's <\/a>
Abert’s squirrel with red patch on back <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Heading <\/a>
Heading toward village with 9,000′ peak towering behind it <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

Since I still had a hour or more left for hiking, my plan was to do one of the partial hikes on my list on the way south. On the way back from the village, I spotted the burned ridge I’d hiked in the morning, peeking from behind intervening mountains \u2013 the first time I’d ever been able to identify this range from a distance in this dense, confusing mountain landscape.<\/p>\n

\"Burned <\/a>
Burned ridge I hiked barely visible on horizon <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"IMG_6729\" <\/a> <\/div>
\"Heading <\/a>
Heading south toward high mountains <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Driving <\/a>
Driving west across mesa toward trailhead above mouth of canyon <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

The trail I’d picked for the afternoon hike is well-maintained, and one of the most spectacular in our region. The first stretch climbs above a vast grassy mesa, one of our most distinctive landscape features.<\/p>\n

\"View <\/a>
View up big canyon from side canyon where I turned back <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Afternoon <\/a>
Afternoon hike <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

Combined with the morning bushwhack, the day’s hikes ended up totaling three and a half miles, and I could tell my knee would be complaining that night. My body and soul crave the mileage and elevation, so this two-mile thing is going to be hard to stick to.<\/p>\n

When I got home just after sunset, one doe and her fawn were still in my backyard, so I chased them out, and they crossed the wide street to my neighbor’s small front yard, surrounded by a hedge. These seem to be strictly urban deer now \u2013 a whole new breed, comfortable around people, thriving on pavement, surrounded by city traffic, more than a mile from undeveloped habitat. Dystopia is no longer a fantasy of the future.<\/p>\n

\"Mouth <\/a>
Mouth of big canyon <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Big <\/a>
Big mesa <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"View <\/a>
View north toward where I hiked this morning <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Another trip back east meant it had been two and a half weeks since my last hike. Doc and I had agreed on a three-month rehab program for my knee, starting with 2-mile hikes and gradually working up. I’d done this before, and it’s not easy \u2013 two-mile walks don’t justify driving into the mountains, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":26130,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[49,50,154,58,100],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-26082","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hikes","category-nature","category-san-francisco-mountains","category-southwest-new-mexico","category-wildfire-nature"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/maxcarmichael.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Owl.jpg?fit=1200%2C893&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/maxcarmichael.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26082","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=26082"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/maxcarmichael.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26082\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26166,"href":"https:\/\/maxcarmichael.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26082\/revisions\/26166"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/maxcarmichael.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/26130"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/maxcarmichael.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=26082"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/maxcarmichael.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=26082"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/maxcarmichael.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=26082"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}