October 19th
I got up and going, eager to climb the mountain first thing in the morning. I loved the trail in this area. Even in the dark, it was a beautiful climb. I wanted to be high when the sun rose as those are the prettiest photographs. However, it looked like it would be cloudless and therefore less visual interest.
There was a choice of taking an alternate which was shorter and in a valley or the official trail which was up high and longer. Also, the comment was the official trail was “wicked” in some parts. While there was one old section where no tread or cairns existed, enough tree notches were around to navigate. The rest of the official trail was gorgeous. It was graded well, stayed in trees, but offered vast views. I am so glad I did not take the short cut up the valley.
A pleasant surprise came in the form of a small seasonal creek. This area was hit with a storm a few days before and this one stream was still trickling out some groundwater.
The trail entered more arid, desert-like terrain. I did see a bobcat for the second time in my life. Coincidentally, the only other time I have seen one was about 18 months before and 100 miles southeast.
Later, I had a steep climb through a burned forest. That hot climb through a tough territory was rewarded with a long slow descent through a vibrant pine forest on the other side. Even an unreliable water source (Dutchman Spring) was full of water. As a result, my afternoon and evening was spent walking slowly downhill through an older ponderosa pine forest. I saw two cars in 6 hours. I also ran into a northbound section hiker named Arizona Chap.
I camped at the edge of the forest. Out here, the ponderosa gives way to pine, juniper and scrub oaks before turning to grasslands. As the grass grew more dominant and the light more scarce, I went off the road and found a modest sized juniper with flat, smooth ground underneath. I made camp and listened to the cows and coyotes down in the grass. The moon was coming up later and later, so I went to sleep in the dark. It did not feel like it would freeze, but I still brought the water filter into the tent just in case it did.
backpacking over the hill 