Ascent of Harquahala Mountain on 2017-09-23| Others in Party: | Katrina
----Only Party on Mountain | | Date: | Saturday, September 23, 2017 | | Ascent Type: | Successful Summit Attained | | Motorized Transport to Trailhead: | Car | | Peak: | Harquahala Mountain | | Location: | USA-Arizona | | Elevation: | 5681 ft / 1731 m |
Ascent Trip ReportWe took the Subaru this time instead of the Corolla, even though it had previously made it up the BLM access road to the trailhead. If you don't mind some scuffs on your bumpers, a passenger car can make it, despite the sign that warns against them. The road should at least be ok until the next monsoon season where the washes could widen and deepen. We hiked up the pack trail and made good time. We saw the covered up old mine shaft, the wire in the air, the thick saguaro forest, and the ruins of the brief mining camp. Once on the ridge it was quite windy and we almost lost our hats. The trail was much more overgrown than two years ago when I hiked it and merited wearing pants. Almost at the top we took a wrong turn at the horse tie-up spot. We went straight, but we should have gone right up the old road cut. We came up to the summit from the north side between bushes instead. There was not a regular register, so we left one by the benchmark. On the way down we followed the actual trail back to the horse tie-up, starting at the picnic tables. The BLM had a sign-in sheet there, but it wasn't the same as a summit register. The hike was pretty nice temperature-wise. The high was forecasted to be just 75 on the summit today. At the car we lazed about for a little while in a light breeze and moderate heat. It was a relaxing moment the likes of which I haven't had in a long while. |
| Summary Total Data | | Total Elevation Gain: | 3441 ft / 1048 m | | Extra Gain: | 40 ft / 12 m | | Round-Trip Distance: | 9.9 mi / 16 km | | Route: | Harquahala Pack Trail | | Trailhead: | BLM TH 2320 ft / 707 m | | Grade/Class: | Class 1 | | Quality: | 6 (on a subjective 1-10 scale) | | Route Conditions: | Maintained Trail | | Weather: | Pleasant, Windy, Clear | | Ascent Statistics | | Time: | 2 Hours 51 Minutes | | Descent Statistics | | Time: | 2 Hours 25 Minutes |
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