Weather: 77°, sunny
About this Hike: This was a tough 14 mile hike. I have always wanted to see La Barge Canyon and Music Mountain, for no particular reason other than it sounds like an interesting area.
This entire hike is through Sonoran Desert, much of which is surprisingly still in tact despite multiple fires in these hills the past few years. The worst burn scar is near the Miner's Needle and then only intermittent fire damage thereafter.
One thing that has recovered without any trouble is catclaw. The approximately two-mile Red Tanks portion of this loop through La Barge Canyon was very overgrown in spots. Actually, the overgrowth starts along Whiskey Springs Trail before it joins Red Tanks. Along the Whiskey portion I encountered another hiker with ripped pants and scratched up arms. He assured me I was in for more of the same along Red Tanks.
Determined not to come out looking like him, I picked my lines carefully. Much of the catclaw is manageable and can be side stepped. Red Tanks is a hard trail to follow in spots, and I was constantly relying on All Trails GPS. I got one catclaw scratch in my leg, and it was my fault because I had gotten off trail. Finally, I decided to follow the creekbed. While boulder hopping can have its own share of risks, I found this much better than the overgrown trail.
At the end of Red Tanks there is a large stand of cottonwood and sycamores in La Barge Creek. Backpackers had setup camp in their shade, and the cottonwoods were beginning to show some fall color.
The Dutchman / Bluff Springs portion of the loop back to Peralta Trailhead is much better maintained. There isn't much overgrowth to contend with. I will say this portion seemed to take forever (about two hours). I was at that point where I'd had enough and just wanted the hike to be over, but it just stretched on and on. I returned to Peralta Trailhead just before sunset, sore and tired, but glad to have completed this challenging 14 mile loop.
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