While in the Phoenix Public Library, John
checked out a book about the Arizona outdoors, in which he found an
interesting trail for us to try. It was a five-mile long trail that leads to
Angel Basin, where there are Native American cliff dwellings. That peaked my
curiosity, as I had always been fascinated with Indian ruins. As a college
student, I used to visit the University of Arizona Museum during lunch just to
see the Native American exhibits. So I said, "Let's do it."
For this hike, we invited Erika as well as my best friend Nacole and her
roommate Rachel. Nacole and Rachel were busy, so it was only the three of us.
We left at six a.m. that morning and drove to Florence Junction, on US 60.
Just east of there we found FR 357, which leads to FR 172, in the Tonto
National Forest. FR 172 took us to the Woodbury Trailhead, which was where our
adventure of the day would begin.
Despite what we had read in the book, FR 172 was in very good condition and we
had no problem driving to the trailhead. We arrived promptly at eight in the
morning and began hiking the JF Trail, which is a three-mile long trail
leading to Tortilla Pass. According to the book, the JF Trail (which stands
for Jack Frazier, a local rancher) has the longest climb in the Superstition
Mountains, climbing 800 feet in 1.7 miles. I determined that it couldn't be
any worse than West Clear Creek #17, which climbed 1800 feet in that distance.
At first the trail was very easy as it was fairly level for the first mile and
a half. As we entered the Superstition Wilderness (a moment that John and I
celebrated with a kiss -- "Honey, we're in another wilderness area
together!"), we began the climb to Tortilla Pass. Although it was steep in
some places, I really didn't find it very difficult at all. I traveled at my
own pace and practiced some techniques I had learned on the internet; and
before I knew it, I was there! I was very happy that the uphill stretch didn't
kill me -- I wasn't even winded!
The view from Tortilla Pass was magnificent, but the winds were another story.
Bitterly cold winds blasted by us, chilling us down to the bone. We took a few
minutes to bundle back up again while we admired the beauty of the
Superstition Mountains. Then we continued hiking.
At this point, we were hiking the Rogers Trough Trail, a 4.5-mile long trail
that would take us to the cliff dwellings at Angel Basin. From Tortilla Pass,
it was all downhill to the creek that cut through Rogers Canyon, which was
still two miles away. Since it was all downhill, it didn't take us long to
reach Angel Basin, and by noon, we had found the cliff dwellings.
John and I loved Angel Basin. It is in a beautiful riparian area with large
shade trees -- some of which were bare because of winter -- and a large grassy
meadow. John and I added it to our list of ideal backpacking campsites, and I
know that someday we're going to do it. A hundred yards or so from Angel
Basin, in the side of the cliff, we found large caves, in which we discovered
the Indian ruins. Though it was a difficult climb through desert shrubs to get
to them, we managed to scramble up to the dwellings, where we had lunch next
to the crumbling ruins.
After eating our sandwiches and fruit, we explored the caves and found that
some of the cliff dwellings were in very good condition. One house in
particular still had a roof with only a small hole through it. I was amazed
that these houses had survived the ravages of time before the area was
established as a wilderness area. I read that, in the 1800s, miners came to
the Superstitions in search of gold, and yet in their efforts to mine that
precious ore they did not touch the ruins. Fortunately, the area is not as
frequently visited as it was back then, so maybe the ruins will still be there
for another generation.
Having accomplished our goal for the hike, we decided to leave, but the big
question was, which way should we go? Should we hike out the way we had come,
or should we complete a loop trail that would add two miles to our journey?
After looking at the map, we determined that completing the loop made more
sense because there wasn't much of an elevation gain involved. Returning the
way we had come meant that we would have to hike uphill for two miles. We
decided to complete the loop, meaning that we would hike the remainder of the
Rogers Trough Trail (another 2.5 miles) until we reached the junction with the
Reavis Ranch Trail, at which point it would be another 1.5 miles to the
trailhead. Then it would be another 4.5 mile hike back to the van.
Except for a few steep but short climbs, the remaining four miles of the trail
was not bad at all. It followed the creek through Rogers Canyon, occasionally
crossing the creek or climbing over ridges to avoid natural obstacles. By two
o'clock, we were at the trailhead. After taking a short break, we started
hiking down FR 172A towards FR 172.
John, however, knew that we were tired, so he hiked ahead of us in order to
get the van and come back to pick us up. Unable to hitch a ride, he decided to
cut his hiking time by going cross-country. In doing so, he managed to get at
least two miles ahead of us. His plan was foiled, however, when Erika and I
hitched a ride in the back of a pick-up truck, driven by a couple of hunters.
Two miles down the road we found John, and the hunters stopped for him. They
drove us back to the Woodbury Trailhead, and Erika gave them five dollars for
their troubles.
As we drove away from the Superstitions, the sun began to set on us, marking
the end of another good day of hiking. That night we celebrated with pizza and
wine as we rested our tired legs. |
