GoPro Video - Hiking in the Superstitions

Today, I am sharing another video with you - except this one was put together by my dear husband! Enjoy watching our adventures hiking around Phoenix.

Oh, and here's a better video of the rattlesnake if you want to hear it rattling away. Curtis was the brave one who went to record it, while I picked up Charlotte and stood very very far away. :)

If you want to keep up with our adventures on video, you can subscribe to us on Youtube - my channel is here!

Phoenix Hiking, Day 1: The Superstitions

Friday, February 27, 2015

Through-hiking in the Superstitions

Last fall when we did our Supai trip, we had the pleasure of meeting Paul and Holly, an awesome couple who are both very strong Christians with a good understanding of the Bible, AND also very well-traveled and knowledgeable about great places to visit and hikes to take. They are basically who Curtis and I aspire to be like someday! They graciously offered to help drive us around so that we could do a through hike, and invited us to stay with them so we could make the most out of our weekend adventure.

Curtis picked out a through hike that would be doable in a day, and happened to have several letterboxes on it. We drove to Apache Junction on Friday morning, and parked at the Peralta trailhead. The trail was very crowded at the beginning, even on a weekday. The first 3 miles were rocky and the steepest that we had all day, but not too challenging. The scenery was amazing - there were hoodoos on either side of the canyon walls. After a bit, the trail started switchbacking up through the canyon. The hardest part was the heat - we had a late start, and the sun was beating down on us now! 

Taken with the GoPro

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GoPro - looking back

Right as we were nearing the end of the incline, the trail switched to walking up a steep rock face. But the splendor of the view we saw once we reached the saddle took our breath away! I don't know what I expected to see, maybe some more mountains, and Phoenix in the background, but I couldn't have imagined this. 

The view at the top - to the West, looking at Weaver's Needle

The big, prominent peak is Weaver's Needle. All I could see on the horizon was the Superstition Wilderness - no signs of a big city anywhere. And we were going to be walking through there!

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The view to the East, where we had come.

As it turns out, this is where most of the hikers were headed, so as soon as we started down the other side, we were alone. The next 4 miles were all easy downhill walking through gorgeous scenery. We enjoyed getting a different perspective on the Weaver's Needle as we got closer and closer.

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The Weaver's Needle, from the bottom looking up.

I was a bit concerned when I kept seeing so many unmarked trails and not knowing exactly where we were, but Curtis was confident that we were going the right way, and thankfully he was always right! Once we reached the end of the 4 -mile downhill stretch, we stopped to have lunch. We were over halfway, with 7 miles down and only 5 left to go, and feeling great. I think Charlotte was worried though - it's hard to tell what's going on in her head, but at this point, I think she thought we would be turning around and going back the way we came. She was probably concerned about having to walk so far back. She's a great sport though, and puts up with everything we throw at her. :)

GoPro - looking ahead at the various rocks in the Superstitions

GoPro- Looking behind, at the Weaver's Needle

Curtis had told me that after the 4 miles downhill, the next mile or so on Parker Pass would be uphill according to his maps, but I don't remember any more steep inclines. It really was an easy trail after the first 3 miles. We only saw 2 other couples hiking on this part also, which made it more fun. The only challenge might have been the heat - summer is coming, folks! We also enjoyed finding some letterboxes that hadn't been found in years.

In the last 2 miles, Charlotte was starting to wear out. She stopped in the shade to lie down a lot - Curtis would go and give her a drink, and she usually bounced right back. We had to cross a stream several times, and a few times she tried to get away with just standing or sitting in the water. She was one dirty pup when we reached the end! We started seeing more people in the last half-mile of the trail, and Charlotte enjoyed all the love she received from them. We reached the First Water trailhead at 4 - after hiking 12 miles in just over 6 hours.

I was looking at the map when we were finished, and I realized how much more of this beautiful wilderness we have to explore! We went from the Peralta Trail (102) to Parker Pass (104) ending at the First Water trailhead. There are so many more trails out there!

Paul and Holly came to pick us up shortly after, but before taking us to the Jeep they took us to see the beautiful Canyon Lake. We went to get our car, then drove to their home where we enjoyed dinner and fellowship, along with a lot of scheming for our Spring Break trip! 

Our Great Southwest Adventure: Day 6

Day 6: March 21, 2014

Farmington, NM to Payson, AZ

For most of our trip, we had carefully spaced out all the places we were visiting and made sure we were only driving 3-5 hours. But today, we couldn't avoid a longer (7 hour) drive. We ended up adding on more to our time by going back to 4 corners. But being able to say you stood in 4 states at once is worth it, right?

it happened ;)

Anyway, today was mostly a long drive with a few letterbox stops. It was all worth it by the end though, just wait to see why! :)

$3 per person to stand here and say you did it. Now we don't have to do it ever again. :)

After this, we began a long and boring drive through Navajo land again. There aren't many letterboxes around, so it was mostly a "hurry up and get to I-40" kind of drive!

We did stop at the National Hubbell Trading Post site, and enjoyed driving through Chinle, where Curtis and I went with the U of A Navigator group for Spring Break 2012.

We didn't really tour, just stopped to get the National Park passport stamps and say we did. ;)

Finally, we made it to I-40! Stopped for another letterbox on historic route 66, somewhere near Navajo, AZ. This time on the far East side of the state (as compared to day 2, when getting a box on the far West side!)

Continuing West, we stopped in Holbrook, AZ, to check on a letterbox Curtis planted, and ended up relocating it. 

Driving through Holbrook is interesting, to say the least!

Dinosaur statues all around the town...

Interesting statues….

And "Bucket of Blood Street". How did it get that name??

We continued a little further West, to Winslow, AZ. It was a lovely town and we'd love to come back and visit!

The Turquoise Room, an artsy hotel.

Take it Easy, Standing on a corner in Winslow, Arizona! :)

The reason why we came? Because Winslow, AZ is the home of Arizona's Whispering Giant Structure! 

Curtis and I have now visited 3 of these - in Minnesota, Kansas, and Arizona. They are all amazing carvings, and all happen to have a letterbox hidden somewhere nearby with an equally amazing carving of the statue! Maybe someday, we'll plan a vacation completely centered around finding these in each state. :)

I could tell why the carver wanted the statue in Winslow. It was the perfect location!

After this, we started on the last leg of today's long drive - South to Payson, AZ.

We are entering the Tonto National Forest…trading red rocks and snow capped mountains for pine trees!

This drive was hilly with winding roads, but beautiful. It reminds me of Colorado. I love how different all parts of Arizona are!

We finally reached our destination - 12 miles North of Payson, AZ, is a beautiful ranch called Kohl's Ranch. We have now been there twice, and highly recommend it to anyone wanting to visit this beautiful part of Arizona!

We even got upgraded to a deluxe cabin. Here's some pictures of the inside:

Master bedroom…complete with Jacuzzi tub!

Second bedroom

Kitchen, filled with all the supplies we needed to make our own meals here.

Living room with fireplace & tv

In the dining room, facing living room.

Outside the cabin, facing Tonto Creek

A look at our home for the next 2 nights!

Our good friend Mitch came up to stay with us for the weekend. He also brought delicious steaks for our first dinner there. To wrap up this long driving day, we relaxed and enjoyed the resort's pool and hot tub!

Day 6 Wrap Up: Drove 390 miles, Hiked 2.6 miles, visited 4 Corners and Hubbell National Trading Post site, got 2 letterboxes, and stood in 4 states at once! ;)