Great hiking, with ever-improving views. Occasionally we lost the trail, which is lightly marked with cairns, probably for horse packers (the cairns were low and squat – hard to see from the ground, but probably easy from a horse, and they seemed too far apart).
As we descended, we actually got more spruce-type vegetation (it now strikes me that I’ve seen juniper scrub into and out of the Verde Valley on I-17 at about 5-6000 feet)1/19—Reached Twin Buttes at 11:15, took Trail 14 essentially SE. Weather in the 60’s with high clouds. Began in juniper scrub at 5800 feet. If the map is correct, we descended a total of 1400 feet over the day, to Whiterock Springs at 4400 feet.
Great hiking, with ever-improving views. Occasionally we lost the trail, which is lightly marked with cairns, probably for horse packers (the cairns were low and squat – hard to see from the ground, but probably easy from a horse, and they seemed too far apart).
As we descended, we actually got more spruce-type vegetation (it now strikes me that I’ve seen juniper scrub into and out of the Verde Valley on I-17 at about 5-6000 feet)
White Rock Springs is below a steep climb down, in the
spruce. Though it doesn’t look like it,
there’s a great campsite east off the trail about 100 yards down or so from the
spring. Water flow at the spring was
small, but there were two small full tanks.
We didn’t filter, just boiled, but the water had a lot of dissolved
lime. Cloud cover dissipated overnight,
taking the temp down to 25 degrees or so.
It warmed up quickly after sunup.
We got underway at about 9:30 a.m.
Great hiking!
The day was perfectly clear, and warmed up to about 65 degrees. Most of the day was level, along a ridge that
took us to within 2 miles of LF ranch.
There’s significant grazing for a couple of miles along that ridge with
well(!)-used stock tanks built. They
would work for emergency water, but aren’t appetizing. The trail drops just past Fuzzy’s Point (with
a small marker). From the point, you get
a panoramic view of the Mazatzals and the cut-butte valley of the East
Verde. It is easy to see why LF Ranch is
still inhabited – the setting is ideal.
But you’re really cut off from amenities.
A quick drop off the ridge brings you to an old ranch site
that must have been earlier inhabited by Indians (saw 2 potsherds). Polk Spring, on the bank of Rock Creek at the
ranch site, really pumps. There’s a small
clear creeklet that flows into Rock Creek.
The East Verde was running low (too low to float), so it was an easy
ford (thank goodness for a stick). Ate
lunch on the gravel bar at 12:30. Trail
14 skirts the ranch. It has a cutoff to
the Baby Doll trailhead road, which we didn’t take.
The Road’s a good surface, but has some really steep
slogs. It always seems too hot when I
hike it. Got to the truck by 3:15. Didn’t finish the car shuttle until approx.
6:30 (but we rested at the trailhead for about ½ hour).
Hardscrabble Mesa to Pine Trailhead
10-12-03: Richard Sarah, Chris, Ranger, me
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