Kinder Crossing and Blue Ridge

Weather:  72º, humid, clouds, occasional light rain

About this Hike:  I went up to the rim today planning to explore the short, but interesting, hike at Kinder Crossing. I figured afterward I'd hang around along FR-95 and see what other interesting sights there are. 

I parked the truck at the road for Kinder Crossing (95T) where it intersects FR-95. I didn't want to drive far down this rough, muddy road, opting to hike in instead. I reached the rim of East Clear Creek Canyon and took in the panoramic viewpoints. The sky was growing darker and I heard distant thunder. I second guessed if I should return to the truck, but stubbornly hiked down the switchbacks into the canyon anyway. 

A family was in front of me, and I eventually caught up to them. By the looks of their gear, they were headed down to East Clear Creek to go swimming. With recent monsoon rains, I imagine East Clear Creek would be a great swimming spot. The family was none to happy to see me, frequently watching over their shoulders while they stopped to take pictures and just generally block the trail. 

I took some photos of the striking cliffs and rock formations all reflected by the waters of East Clear Creek. The family continued blocking forward progress on the trail, and the skies kept getting louder. I decided I'd seen what I came to see today, and I turned back.

The approximately 1.5 mile hike back to the truck flew by. I hoofed it out quickly, nervous of the greenish-blue tint to the storm clouds. I hoped the family in the canyon would be OK. 

 I reached the truck before the first rain drops began to fall. While FR-95 is as good of a USFS road as you'll ever get, I decided to return to pavement. I drove down to the Moqui Campground turn off and parked at a trailhead for the Arizona Trail (AZT). 

Reading a book and eating lunch, I waited out the storm. Once it seemed to have past, dropping only a little rain, I ventured out on a new-to-me segment of the AZT. From Moqui to the parking area on FR-751 (Blue Ridge Reservoir), I have not explored that segment of the AZT. In fact, I wrote it off as likely being boring. I ended up being very wrong about this. 

This part of the Blue Ridge AZT segment wanders through grassy meadows, green from all the monsoon rain, and healthy ponderosa pine forest (nice to see since most pines along AZ-87 have either burned or succumbed to beetles). The trail passes by Moqui Campground and then goes straight through Blue Ridge Campground, exiting the camping area right next to the host site. 

The trail climbed a volcanic rock formation, opening up into a wide vista. The San Francisco Peaks were visible, as was a body of water. Too shallow to be Blue Ridge Reservoir, I believe what I saw was Long Lake, or one of the other small lakes in that area. 

As I got closer to where the AZT intersects FR-751, I began to hear dogs and people. I know this to be a popular area for dispersed camping. Having hiked south on the AZT from the FR-751 trailhead previously, I opted to turn around. The skies were getting ornery again, and I didn't think there was anything more to see. 

While I dodged a couple thunderstorms, it made for a rain-cooled and pleasant atmosphere on today's hikes. While Payson was getting slammed with storms and hail, it was a surprisingly nice day in the northern part of Rim Country. 

Monsoon Desert Hike - Canyon of the Waterfalls

Weather:  75º, humid, clouds, rain

About this Hike:  Since its recent rise in social media popularity, I've become intrigued by Canyon of the Waterfalls in the Superstition Mountains. Located on the periphery of Lost Dutchman State Park off First Water Road, I've driven by this trailhead countless times without ever noticing it. 

My plan was to visit this area in the cooler months. An active monsoon this week meant cooler temps and the potential for the waterfalls to be flowing. The stars seemingly aligned for a unique desert hike during an otherwise unthinkable time of year. 

I left Payson early, fearing many others would have the same idea as me. I expected full parking along First Water Road, and I anticipated a possible muddy mess along the road. 

Upon arrival at the waterfall trailhead, I scored the last available parking spot. The road was fairly dry, and the wash that comes right after the waterfall parking area was also dry. This was despite the fact it was still raining.

I parked the truck and wondered if I should have brought my rain jacket. The rain was steady, but not heavy, and there was no lightning or thunder. The jacket would have just made me too hot. As it goes with summer rains in the desert, it never cools things down that much, but it sure does drive the humidity high. 

I found this hike to be challenging to stay on trail. As I neared the first of the rock formations, I noted a lot of slippery black rock that I had to hike up. The slickness was exacerbated by the steady rain. I feared what coming down was going to be like. While wet rocks are inherently slick, I was surprised to find that I had good traction. 

I pressed on past the rock formations, losing the trail and having to search for it several times with my hiking GPS. I followed the trail into a wash that was dry. A large rock outcropping stained black had to be navigated around. I assumed this to be one of the waterfalls, and it was definitely not flowing. 

Beyond this first waterfall, I reached a slick, steep scramble. It wasn't long, nor completely vertical, but I watched other hikers having a terrible time coming down it. Once they passed I gave it a go. The rain was picking up, adding to my overall nervousness. Having hiked in about two miles at this point, I made the tough decision to turn around. 

From a higher point on the trail, I used my binoculars to look up-canyon. I got the impression that the wash in the canyon wasn't flowing much, despite all the recent rain. One of the hikers I encountered at my turnaround point also confirmed this by calling the rest of the hike, "A would-be river." 

Shortly after turning around, the rain stopped. I followed a couple of other hikers who took a path around the slick rocks that I climbed up on the way in. This path stuck to mostly gravel and offered far better traction. This is what happens when you're hiking on an unofficial trail and relying on the footprints of those who've gone before you. 

I'm not sure if I made the right call or not by turning around. Shortly after I turned back, the rain stopped. The trail was already well on its way to drying out by the time I was back at the trailhead. A picture I found on AllTrails dated from the last couple days does show the waterfall up-canyon flowing a bit. While I can be a stubborn individual and keep pressing on in less-than-ideal circumstances, I also can be overly cautious at times. A YouTube video of this hike also indicated there may have been a narrow ledge, rock-wall clinging, and a sheer drop further up-canyon. I am very limited by my extreme fear of heights in such scenarios.  

Maybe one day I'll come back. Perhaps I'll try the waterfall canyon again on a combined trip with another relatively unknown trail in the area that has recently earned social media fame:  Triple Arch Trail.