Dutchman to Coffee Flats

The Superstition Mountains is our most favorite place to hike in the area. The Peralta Trail is probably the best trail and, for visitors interested in a moderate hike, it's where we take them.

Our second favorite is the Dutchman Trail which starts at the same trailhead as Peralta. The Dutchman leads into a large canyon area and then connects with several other trails allowing for a long hike in the back country or a shorter out/back trip. Whatever your heart desires.

Today we opted to go to the Coffee Flats trail junction and then take the trail to Coffee Flats. We've hiked the trail to the junction several times before but have usually chosen to head farther East to Whiskey Springs and LaBarge Canyon.  This time we took a new route and headed more south to Coffee Flats.

The route was very similar to the Dutchman Trail. I was surprised to see how much the slight elevation change made in the view of the canyon. It really impressed me on just how large the Superstition area is.  We haven't made a dent in exploring all the trails.

Below is a video of our hike. We ended up going about 6.75 miles in 3.75 hours. Not a fast hike but it let us know where are strengths/weaknesses are as we train for the Grand Canyon in just three short weeks.  Yikes!

Are We There Yet?

55 weeks of planning/training and years of anticipation come down to just a few days. It's here. Hard to believe but it's true.

This past week the final piece of the puzzle (aka trip plans) fell into place. We had not secured reservations at the North Rim cabins because the lodge was booked. Instead we made our overnight reservation for the night before hiking down the North Kaibab trail at a lodge outside the park. That meant we would have a 30-40 minute drive in the morning to the trail head.  Fortunately this week a cabin became available on the North Rim so we'll be just two miles from the trail head. Much better.

Papa and I have started our packing. The first item is the duffel, 25 lbs. or less, the mule train will take down, and back out, for us. We need to make sure we have everything that we'll need once we get to Phantom Ranch (no malls there) so we're focusing on this. Then we'll start on the other packs. This is a complicated vacation involving not only the R2R hike but other adventures. Should be interesting!

The physical training continues up to the hike so today we went back to one of our favorite trails, Peralta in the Superstition Mountains. We needed a hike with a little challenge but we didn't have a lot of time to spare since other preparations require our attention. We focused on two challenges:

1) Wake-up time.  We opted to get up at 3 am so we could be at the trail head early. Why? We'll need to do this at the Canyon to get a jump on the heat of the day so this was a good test to see how we'd do with the "middle of the night" wake up.

2) The other challenge we imposed on ourselves is pushing for time. Why?  We needed to get an idea of what we are comfortable with as far as hiking time so we can make our final plan for the Canyon.

Pretty good on both. We were up at 3 am and out the door at 4 am. That's a little more "prep" time than we can afford, though. Sleep is important so we'll need to do a better job of having packs ready before we go to bed the night before speeding up that "up and out the door" time frame. Our goal for the Canyon is to be on the trail around 4:30-4:45am.

Speed.  For us "Sunday afternoon hikers" we did pretty well.  We ascended 1,400 ft./2 miles is just under 1.5 hours.  Our descent was about half that time or 50 minutes.  Now we'll plan our milestones for the R2R which will help us determine during the hike if we get the luxury of the Ribbon Falls sidetrip.

Part of our interest in hiking is enjoying the views.  Peralta never disappoints. At the top, Freemont Saddle, we took our standard break. It was absolutely gorgeous.  A clear early morning with the sun rising, a gentle breeze and cool morning temps made it almost chilly. Birds were singing. Peaceful. Relaxing.

As we sat and enjoyed the view, Weaver's Needle was calling. We noticed what appeared to be a trail past the saddle going towards the Needle.  We had to explore. I remember doing this with my niece and her husband during a visit a few years ago but Papa and I needed to experience it.

The side hike was definitely worth the extra mile or so. From the saddle we noticed a single tree to the East of Weaver's Needle. We were able to hike to that tree. Amazing. A single tree with a 8" diameter trunk standing probably 14 feet high rooted in a rock mountain at about 4,000 feet altitude. It survives unbelievable heat, strong blistering sunshine, pounding winds, lightning and monsoon storms and bitter cold including snow. What a tree!

About 20 feet passed the tree, we came to a plateau and it was apparent that, Papa and I at least, were not to go any farther towards Weaver's Needle. The Canyon around the circumference of the Needle makes it a little hard to reach. 

It was almost to straight drop from where we were standing. It's hard to see from the picture but that drop is over 1,000 feet before it goes up to Weaver's Needle. Weaver's Needle itself is a 1,000 ft. column of volcanic rock which is popular for rappelling.

Now it's full throttle ahead for the R2R. We'll be a little quiet for a couple weeks as we dive into adventure. We're looking for our next challenge. If interested, vote to the right.  What should we do for our next challenge?

Did We Conquer?

The Dutchman Loop. There are different routes possible using the name Dutchman Loop. Some do a shorter loop taking Bluff Springs to Terrapin and back. We opted for the longest trail, as highlighted on the map (click on map to enlarge).  It was about 18 miles total distance and an estimated cumulative elevation of 4,500 ft. (see video at end of blog for complete summary-click 720P in lower right for best video).

Four years ago we attempted this loop trail, but several things went wrong. This time, we wanted to conquer the trail. Did we?

Let's evaluate:

Description	2006	2010
Water	Ran out just over halfway	Returned home with just over 1L remaining
Electrolytes	What's that?	Several powdered drinks, mixed & enjoyed at breaks
Dog	Pup, 35 lbs. Ended up carrying	Dog, 50 lbs. Stayed at home
Food	Ran out	Good variety, plenty left.
Breaks	Long hike, kept pushing	Every two hours at least 15 min. Had 'blanket' so we could lay down, rest
Directions	Wrong turn, got on undeveloped trail (lost)	Planned route w/ times, watched trail carefully. Notified people of times and plan for backup
Completion	Almost lost sunlight. No flashlight	Started early with headlamps, done before sunset

Papa and I feel pretty good that we conquered, however, it certainly isn't the ultimate conquest. Today, the day after the hike, we are tired and can feel the effect the mountains had on us. The mountains, the desert are still forces to be respected.

What we've learned:

• always take more water than you think you'll need (about .5L for every 2-3miles)
• for longer hikes, have powdered drink mixes to replace electrolytes
• pack an all-weather light weight blanket. Great way to lay out an relax & provide rain protection and/or warmth, if needed
• bring extra pair of socks. We changed socks about 2/3 of the way through. Big help for feet!
• pack a variety of foods: protein, carbs, salty, sugar.
• plan the hike before leaving. Know waypoints and determine approximate times to reach. Provides motivation and gives someone at home a reference point if help is needed.

Now the trip (with our best time/distance estimates):
5:45am  At trailhead. This was about 45 minutes later than planned but still early. The sun was just starting to break the solid darkness yet we needed our headlamps to begin.

7:00am  2.2 miles   Coffee Flat Trail junction. This is one of our favorite day hikes.  It's a quick in/out trail that is relatively easy and, especially in the spring, is beautiful with wildflowers and lots of mountains and rock formations. There is a great little sitting area at the junction perfect for a picnic before heading back...or in our case continuing.

8:15am   3.6 miles  Whiskey Springs Trail junction. About 1/4 of the trip so good place to take a 10-15 min break. There are approximately 10 switchbacks to reach this point so there is a grade. It's not real steep, but it's constant and it seems like it takes a long time to get to the trailhead. From here you'll descend into the back country/LaBarge Canyon.

9:15am   4.8 miles  Bluff Springs. We continued through this junction on our way to the next one.

10:40am 6.0 miles  Red Tanks Trail.  We stopped just past the trail junction and had lunch next to a little stream. It was a very relaxing spot. A group we met said that they were at 8 miles at this point. Our GPS app on the iPhone was spotty so we don't have definite mileage.

11:35am  7.3miles  Peter's Trail. Definitely getting back into the wilderness area. Beautiful mountains and lots of water flowing. When we did this hike four years ago, it was dry, completely dry. This year we crossed streams and heard water running several times during the hike.

12:30pm  8.8miles Cavalry Trail. We're halfway. The mountains are beautiful with brightly colored layers of rock...yellows, pinks, greens, salmon and more. Haven't seen this coloring anywhere else. (pictures and video do not do it justice)

12:50pm  9.6miles  Bull Pass Trail. We noted but we kept moving.

1:20pm   10.4 miles  Terrapin Trail. This is where we made our near-fatal mistake four years ago. The trail guide we'd printed from trails.com said to "keep left" at this point.  Left meant going onto Terrapin Trail. Terrapin is not maintained. In areas you can loose the trail completely.  Somehow we did it and made it back to our car, but both Papa and I agree that Terrapin was our downfall. This time we laughed at Terrapin and continued on Dutchman. What a blessing. Dutchman is a breathtakingly beautiful trail!

2:25pm   11.4 miles  Peralta Canyon Trail. We're so thankful that we did this loop again. We feel much better and more confident that we can conquer the trail. We are, however, starting the longest and steepest grade of the entire loop. We stopped for a good 15 minute break (changed our socks and let the feet be free of shoes for a bit) and then started the long ascent to Freemont Saddle passing Weaver's Needle on the west side.

5:30pm   15.6 miles   Freemont Saddle. We did it.  We're tired, our feet hurt. Our pace slowed as we approached the saddle but we didn't stop. This is an accomplishment. Rhythmic breathing and rest steps provided the balance so we could make it up the approximate 10% grade.  At Freemont we took our last break to rest and hydrate before the 2.3 mile descent on Peralta Trail.

6:30pm   17.9 miles  The Trailhead.  Success.  We made it to the car before the sun was down. We were tired but that's expected.  We still had food and water.

Remember, this isn't recommended as a day hike; this is a 2-3 day backpacking trip.

This is, however, good training for the Canyon.  The first day at the Canyon on the North Kaibab trail, we will go about 17 miles (with side trip to Ribbon Falls) and about 6,000 feet down.  The trip out on Bright Angel Trail will be about 8 miles and 4,400 ft. approximately. We will need to be ready.

Flat Iron (Siphon Draw)

This is one of those hikes (climbs) that stays in your memory. For individuals who enjoy climbing this is a delight. Our guides, Mark and Ron, are just those individuals and had both done this trip several times in the past couple months. Our friend, Dan, was on his first adventure but also seemed ready for the climb.

After a short distance, we asked them to go ahead of us.  I, Nana, learned I am a "Sunday afternoon hiker." I like to take my time, talk with others on the trail and soak in everything. I was surprised how much trying to stay with the group affected me, triggering my asthma and really stressing me.  Once they went ahead, it was much more relaxing. Nothing that they did for sure. Don't know if it's competitiveness or being a little introverted or what, but I do like the almost private, intimate hiking experience. This was an interesting thing to learn. I am glad now that Papa and I are doing the Grand Canyon together and not in a group.

The other good thing about this adventure was learning about where we need to work on conditioning for the next 11 weeks.  Overall, both Papa and I are doing well the day after this hike/climb. Our area of soreness is in the upper thighs. Of course, the aerobic side needs work and Nana needs another 20 lbs. off too. This is good motivation to get those things covered in the weeks ahead.

The Siphon Draw trail up to the stream is relatively well maintained. It was an ascent but it was good hiking. This is a trail that we would possibly do again or take adventure loving guests with us.

After the slide rock area (Siphon Springs) is where the climb started, which is well-described in the links below. Although there are pretty good hand/foot holds, they aren't well-spaced for vertically challenged legs. I found myself several times on the way up having to climb with one knee in order to scale the vertical distance. This made it interesting on the way back down, lowering myself to one knee in order to reach far enough with my other leg to get that foot on the rock below. Thankfully Papa was a good spotter during these balancing feats.

The most challenging of the climbs is a 12 ft. vertical wall just before reaching Flat Iron. There is a tree to one side which many people used to climb the wall. We happened upon the area when a man was coming down and took the other side of the wall with a very narrow (less than a foot wide) ledge.

As you ascend on the narrow ledge on the right side, you have to straddle an opening about 8-10 ft. straight down and about 2.5 ft wide to make an L-shape turn to a wider ledge to finish the last couple feet up the wall. Going up was scary but I did it.  On the descent, I had a crowd of about 8 people watching. It must have been quite the show as I was nearly in tears and begged Papa to help watch my footing and guide me (he went down first). I heard encouragement from the group. Hikers are the nicest people!

By the time we got through the second vertical wall (this one a little less challenging, but still challenging), my legs were feeling tired. I also neglected to wear my gel toes which meant my toes were jamming into the top of my shoes causing pain to the toe nails.  (Note to self: always remember the gel toes when hiking! Papa had his and had no discomfort at all.) Those two items meant that a good portion of the downhill trek to the slide rock, I lowered myself to my bottom and slid down rocks to secure footing. Great ab workout. I'm sure it was another comical sight for onlookers, too.

We met one man on the way down who was also doing the bottom-scooting routine, although not as frequently as I did. He, however, didn't have gloves and his hands/palms were scraped and bleeding. We were SO thankful we read about the hike/climb and purchased the recommended hiking gloves. (Dan also encouraged us to have gloves.  Thanks Dan!) They were a blessing on this trip.

All-in-all, a very good adventure. I'm glad I did it once, but can honestly say that I'm not motivated by that degree of climbing. A little is good, but 12 ft. vertical climbs are not appealing to me. I'm not really afraid of heights, yet I did have a couple dreams last night about falling that woke me up. Guess you could say I have a healthy respect for the potential dangers of heights and falling on hard, jagged rocks.

We are doing more research on the corridor trails at the Grand Canyon. Although there are sections of the trails rated "strenuous" like this trail, I don't believe they involve climbing like this. The Canyon's strenuous trails are more steep elevation changes with switchbacks I believe. Again, we will be looking into this and making sure. This was about a 5-6 mile round trip with 45 degree or greater ascent/descent on a rocky path. We would not want to do 14-17 miles at the Canyon in a day in those conditions. Again, we're nearly certain it's not, since most of the trail is marked as moderate or even easy, but we will make sure. Better safe than sorry.

Another thing to learn before the Grand Canyon: Working with FlipVideo to get some good footage of our adventure. This is just the second week of working with the software and it's getting there; learned how to add captions this week. I'll keep working on it.  This week's video adventure.

Additional links/blogs about Siphon Draw/Flatiron:
http://hikingarizona.blogspot.com/
http://www.azhikers.org/
http://www.dankat.com/

Peralta Trail - 10/18/09

This week we're back to our favorite spot, the Superstition Mountains, to hike the very popular Peralta Trail. The day before this hike the temperature hit a record 102 degrees in the area. Knowing that the temperature could approach 100 again (which it did), we opted to start out early, hitting the trail just as the sun was rising around 6:30 a.m. That was a smart move!

Just a few feet beyond the trail head is the junction of Peralta and Dutchman Trails. This week we went to the left on Peralta, which was a little confusing at first to Star, the always excited to start and more excited to finish hiking dog, but she quickly adapted.

The Peralta Trail to the Freemont Saddle is about 2.3 miles, shorter than we've hiked in previous weeks, however, the ascent is about 1,200 feet. (View our map) The first mile is relatively easy. The trail is heavily edged in bursage, jojoba, desert ragweed, prickley pear cactus and, scattered around the area, a few Saguaros.  Several areas along the trail provide shade from Sugar Sumac and other trees as well as some incredibly large boulders.

The trail rises and falls with small elevation changes making it an easy hike. The biggest thing to watch for is the loose and sometimes larger rocks. Some of the trail is smooth but much of the trail provides the opportunity to trip if you're not watching carefully.

Another area with some footing concern is just after crossing the first dry creek bed at about .25 miles I think, where there is bedrock.  If the trail is wet, which is rare, you will want to be extra careful. Additional sections of bedrock appear just after  1.5 miles from the trail head but those are smooth sections without the steps this first section has.

The trail gets interesting at the one mile point where the cactus-lined switchbacks start and the grade increases substantially. At this point you get your first glimpse of Muffin Turtle.  OK, that isn't the official term for this rock formation but, seriously, if you look at the rock from the two mile mark, it looks like a big turtle with a tasty muffin on its back.

At the one mile mark the hoodoos also become highly viewable.  These tall thin spires of rock line the western edge of the canyon. Because of our early start, the morning sun created a natural spotlight on the hoodoos as we reached the one mile mark.  Stunning.

Around the 1.5 mile mark is Geronimo's Cave in the eastern wall of Peralta Canyon.  It's near the top of the ridge and accessible from the Cave Trail to the east of the Peralta Trail.

A deep cave with a very low ceiling is at the two mile mark. (If you haven't looked back yet, make sure and look back over Peralta Canyon.  It's impressive to see where you've been AND you can see Muffin Turtle!) Our first time hiking the Peralta Trail, we stopped at the cave and turned around. What a mistake!  It's only .3 mile farther to Fremont Saddle and the grade lessens so it's very do-able. Don't make our mistake.  Keep going!

The reward for making it to Fremont Saddle is the expansive view of the Superstition Wilderness and Weaver's Needle.  Last week on the Dutchman Trail we saw Miner's Needle, the "little brother" to the towering Weaver's Needle.  I've seen Weaver's Needle several times now and it still brings a smile and a huge sense of awe.

Also at Fremont Saddle we're very close to the hoodoos, giving us a close-up view of these spires.  How can they continue to stand for thousands of years without falling over?

Fremont Saddle is an excellent place to enjoy a mini-picnic.  Our goal, sometime next spring, is to hike Peralta Trail just before sunrise and get to the Saddle in time to enjoy a little breakfast as the sun rises.  After breakfast continue our hike into the back country of the Superstition Wilderness; great GC preparation.

Returning back down the mountain the view of Peralta Canyon comes into view at the two mile cave.  From here we could see the distance we had to cover, descending to the bottom of the Canyon and around the eastern wall before we reached the trail head parking lot.

The trip back down the mountain went a little faster than the ascent, which is normal.  Star was very anxious to get back to the car and get home where she spent most of the remainder of the day sleeping. Oh, hiking has so many benefits. (Picture to right showing view of Peralta Canyon: MT = Muffin Turtle, our term-not official, and PP = Picketpost Mountain.  The trail head and parking lot are all the way at the bottom and tucked around the Canyon wall a ways.

This week we confirmed what we've learned before: never hike in the mountains around Phoenix in the heat without an abundance of water.  We provided a bottle of water to one individual at the beginning of our hike and I believe there were several others who could have used, or would find they would need, additional water.

Also, start early, especially in the heat. As we ended our hike, we saw several people in the parking lot just getting ready to start their hike. We only hope they were in great shape and had lots of water with them.

Rating:  This is a 5 out of 5.  It's a moderate hike with beautiful scenery to keep your attention. It's definitely one of our favorites.

Next week: we return to Phoenix and South Mountain.

Dutchman Trail - 10/11/09

The Superstition Mountains near Apache Junction, Arizona provide wonderful hiking opportunities.  The mountains are part of the Superstition Wilderness located in the Tonto National Forest. This extensive area covers over 160,000 acres of awe-inspiring, rugged desert mountains and back country. We've hiked the western edge of this area often but our goal this winter is to explore many more trails in this beautiful area.

This week we did a quick "in & out" day hike on Dutchman Trail from the trail head to the junction with Coffee Flats. (our track)  Our favorite time to hike this trail is in spring after the winter rains when the desert explodes with spring wild flowers. However, this desert area is interesting any time of year with the extensive vegetation and several birds serenading your steps.

It was a beautiful sunny day with a light breeze, perfect hiking weather. The Dutchman Trail goes to the right at the trail head and the very popular Peralta Trail branches to the left.  Previously we've encountered other hikers on the Dutchman Trail but this time we never saw anyone.  It was a very relaxing hike.

The first half mile consists of switchbacks to the first ridge on Dutchman Trail.  At about one mile the trail descends quite a ways, providing the first view of Miner's Needle (between Saguaro in picture to left).  The desert landscape is filled with Saguaro, Cholla and Prickley Pear cacti.  In the spring marigolds, feather dusters, and many more wildflowers paint the desert floor with bright colors.

Once over the ridge, the remainder of the trail to the Coffee Flats junction consists of gentle hills and curves.  The trail itself is well-defined but does have several rocks causing us to spend more time than we liked watching our feet to avoid tripping.  Don't worry we still stopped frequently to enjoy the beauty around us.

At the two mile mark there is a large rock along the right side of the trail. This is a good marker for us since the first time we hiked this trail there was a shed rattlesnake skin on the top of the rock causing hikers along the path to stop and comment.

The junction with Coffee Flats is at about 2.75 miles. There is a little clearing with rocks for sitting and enjoying a picnic.  No shade is available but on a cooler day, it is pleasant.  (Note: This is not a hike that should be done during the hot summer months in Phoenix.)  Here we stopped and enjoyed a snack before heading back.

Rating:  4 out of 5.  It's more a moderate/easy-moderate trail. Definitely more challenging than Papago and South Mountain but still relatively easy. Highly recommend this hike in March after winter rains help to wake the wildflowers.

Two things we realized on this trail:
1) Knowing where you're hiking provides interest and motivation.  Although we have hiked the trail, it's been over a year and memory fades.  The hike out went much faster because we knew what to expect and what was coming. It seems that the more we know about our trails at the Grand Canyon and the points of interest along the trail, the easier the hike will be.

2) Breathing.  The ascents were much easier this week than previous weeks, mainly because of breathing.  Oxygen is key.  Using controlled, rhythmic breathing kept my heart rate down and allowed me to keep a steady pace all the way without any thought of needing to stop.  Yoga and breathing techniques will become part of our training program going forward.

Next week's hike: Back to the Superstition Mountains and the Peralta Trail to Freemont Saddle.