Camelback and Woodbury Views

Weather:  97º, sunny

Time:  38.5 minutes

About this Hike:  It's about time I started having some adventures again!  This weekend has had no shortage of hikes. 

Camelback Echo Canyon is best in summer.  It's even better when the June temps are below average. 

So while the trail wasn't crowded, it wasn't completely desolate either.  Parking was easy.  Below average in Phoenix certainly does not mean that it's not still hot out.  The heat definitely got to me today, as my time attests.  I always live by the motto, "If you finish with enough water, then you didn't have enough."  I had three bottles and had downed most of the third when I reached the trailhead parking lot. 

I also wonder if I should have paid more attention to air quality alerts today.  The smoke from Woodbury Fire is just in a giant circle around the entire valley.  Four Peaks and other points north are invisible.  When I got home I developed a headache that's still with me off and on tonight as I write this.  My hiking clothes smelled strongly like a campfire.

Fire and Water - Wet Beaver Creek Swimming Adventure

Weather:  90º, sunny

About this Hike:  With below-average temps, this was the perfect weekend for a hike at the Wet Beaver Creek via Bell Trail.  Since first discovering this spot in October 2017, I've wanted to go back prepared—swimsuit, aqua socks, and a towel.  Past hikes here have been with hiking mates who ran out of water, were in a rush, expressed concerned about bacteria in the creek, etc.  I decided to fly solo on this one.

As of Friday night my plan was to get up somewhere around dawn and be on the road early.  The parking lot gets crowded fast in the summer and I figured an extra-early start would help me beat both the heat and the crush of traffic flocking to the high country on a typical summer Saturday morning.  And then the Badger Springs Fire ignited.  I-17 was closed as of bedtime on Friday night.  I considered a detour via 87 to 260 thru Payson; however, I-17 was re-opened when I got up Saturday morning. 

So about that fire...As I drove by, the smoke plume was still visible.  The burn scar along the interstate was fresh.  And the guardrails—they were still on fire and at least one had collapsed onto the shoulder.

Arriving at the main parking lot around 8am there were spots to be had, although they were filling up fast.  I choose a nice spot on the end and got my hike underway.

Since Bell Trail runs east to the 'Beaver Crack' swimming hole, I was hiking into early morning sun.  It was intense and hot.  Once I got thru the meadow and into the red-rock canyon, some outcroppings provided shade.  The trail was busy, and  I was working my way around a lot of active senior citizens.  Kudos to them for attempting this hike.

The four miles to the swimming hole went by quick as there isn't major elevation gain or obstacles on this hike.  People were cliff jumping at the swimming hole, and I was able to get a good spot on the rocky beach below. 

I wasted no time jumping into the crystal-clear blue-green water of Wet Beaver Creek.  It was cold, but felt so good after the hike.  I took care to stay out of the cliff jumpers way, and some of the active seniors joined me in the water.  My core temperature dropped fast, and when I got out I was shivering hard and had a raynauds attack in my left hand.  Nothing a little sun bathing on the flat red sandstone didn't cure. 

On the hike out I detoured down Weir Trail to the a USGS water monitoring site.  There's sandstone so flat that it almost feels man-made at the end of Weir Trail. If you go back into the woods a little ways there's a beautiful pool that's shaded by big trees.  The water is emerald-blue, and a little waterfall feeds into the pool.  Ferns form a hanging garden from the red cliffs.  Such a beautiful, serene spot... 

Back out at the monitoring site, I got in the water just downstream of the flume formed by the flow-detecting equipment.  One final cooldown...

As I headed back out thru the canyon and toward the meadow, clouds began to build in.  Cloud cover, along with an occasional breeze, made the hike out a lot cooler than the hike in was.

The drive home on I-17 was uneventful.  Badger Springs was still smoking, and the southbound guardrails were also on fire.  ADOT reports say by mid-morning the backups were bad in the fire area.  I made a good choice leaving early.  Oh, and 87 ended up being closed due to the Slate Fire yesterday, so my detour wouldn't have been such a good idea anyway...