Text and photos © copyright by Rob Jones
With Kathleen Jones
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"“You believe that reality is something objective, external, existing in
its own right… But, I tell you, Winston, that reality is not external. Reality exists in the human mind,
and nowhere else. Not in the individual mind, which can make mistakes, only in the mind of the Party…
Whatever the Party holds to be true is the truth….” - George Orwell, 1984 --- this is a prescient note to
people of the tea bagger and other ‘conservative’ persuasions as they repeatedly launch dogma-driven, obsurantist
attacks upon reason….
“The plural of "anecdote" is not "data". - unknown
Total trip miles hiked = 26.9 miles total;
ERM = 45.5 .
ERM = Energy Required Miles.
A mile is added for every 500' elevation gain or loss. It's a very serviceable method of
estimating energy required miles.
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Day 1: Gila Surprise: to La Barge; 7.1 miles, up 1200', down 900'; ERM = 11.
The Halloween-colored Monster races across the trail as we approach the Baby and
the Blanket Rock. Yowee. A Gila Monster, and I try for a brief video as he dashes into a Palo Verde to hide. What
an interesting and special encounter.
Kathleen and I start out early from Northern Arizona, where there is a touch of
snow as we drop off the plateau. Arriving at Peralta TH and on the trail a bit after 11 a. is a good thing.
Then, over the pass into Whiskey Spring, where we find water, yet K wants to continue,
so on we hike to La Barge, where we find flowing water, yet it is somewhat clogged with moss. The big challenge
is ridding the narrow tent spot of a particularly small and horribly pointy burr and twigs of thorny mesquite -
quite right for puncturing an air mattress or a lovely butt.
It's a cool evening with some dew - we open the tent door at 5 a. and this helps.
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Day 2: Hieroglyph Ho:
to Terrapin Pass Trail 234; 7 miles, up 670', down 750'; ERM = 10, camp at 2600'.
There they are - the petros purportedly serving as an area map. Certainly, they
look old and typically puzzling too.
Lovely - and so difficult to not find last trip. A lovely lounging lunch is
enjoyed at Charle Bois Spring. K wants to continue, so we drone on along La Barge and I hear a froggy cut lose
from below. Frog song. Trilling.
Another junction, Marsh Valley area - sporting a few large leafing-out trees.
There is not any water at the Bluff Spring Mtn. camp - yet we find some near the Dutchman-Terrapin junction and
tote it back to camp after a brief bath. Golden, yet short, sunset.
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Day 3: Black Top Round-A-Bout 7.2 miles, up 1400', down 1400';
ERM = 13. Day hike.
Slowly, the point of Weavers Needle pokes above the inclined plane of Black Top,
which is fringed with thin green grass, Palo Verde, cactus, and an occasional spike of Saguaro. We've hiked clockwise
from camp, beneath the watchful eyeball opening of Ojo de Cabello Arch, high on Palomino Mountain, along and above
deep pools of early Boulder Canyon, cluttered with verdant moss. Yet the crossing of Boulder onto the Bull Pass
Trail is dry, oh my.
Hiking this direction provides better ranging views of Palomino and its accompanying
fins and Black Mountain too. At Bull Pass, the trail to the mesa top breaks off.
The return leg has flowing water prior to the Dutchman, and we tank up before
continuing to close the loop.
Back at the water hole and hauling more water over the bump into camp, the
evening heat winds dry shorts and prompt early sleep. Sunset highlights Bluff Spring Mountain aglow.
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Day 4: Emperor and His Dog? 5.6 miles; up about 1200', down about
1500'; ERM = 11.5. To Peralta TH.
We pack up a wet tent (yes, again we experienced substantial dew) and head up
the hill - seemingly directly for Weaver Needle, and on to Bluff Saddle. We don't get far before stripping to shorts
and t-shirts. Over the pass, into Bark Canyon, and we see The Emperor and His Dog outcrop - the dog is easy to see,
but the Emperor? The spiny outcrops highlight the sky as we approach the Bluff Spring junction. Continuing on, we
soon exit the Wilderness and head to our favorite Costco before driving back up the big plateau to the land of glacial ice.
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Superstition Wilderness Backpack: "T" is for Tortoise (2010)
Click here to see The Archman's site on Utah and area arches.
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