Nice Little 4.5 mile 1000ft gain/loss hike on the tip of the Mogollon Rim, Pine AZ

The Fall is Here in Arizona

Upper Tonto Creek Campground

Derrik Trail to Horton Creek Trail Loop
Mogollon Rim

Hike to and through People Canyon (kinda)

Though we didn't take the 'Traditional' trail head into the Arrastra Mountain Wilderness, my partner and I still made it to the Canyon to post a wildlife monitoring camera at South Peoples Canyon Spring.

Large Pool Collecting Spring Water

One Camera Up!And Then Shit Hit the Fan.
After Surprise Heavy Rain, Treacherous Rock Fall, and Hail--A Flash Flood.

Badnic Comes for a Visit, With Vader!

Arizona doe's have some really diverse and accessible biomes. I think the state has some of the most diverse biomes in any one state.

Jenny and I proved that by hiking to the top of the Hualapai Mountains and then driving through the Sonoran Desert and Black Mountain range to swim in lake Mohave all within 24 hours.

The Clacks, Clacks Canyon, Kingman, Az

Not too much to report today, but I did explore a new climbing area that I am dying...re-phrase...that will make it hard to sleep tonight: Clacks Canyon.
In true Ya'WannaBumAQuarter style the boulder spot is in need of development...So bring yer' brushes folks! Meaning, I'm bringing my brushes.

I was going to put off going back until after the weekend, because Badnic is coming up, but why wait? There's always after work. So whats in store for morrow?
*«:::B:::» «:::O:::» «:::O:::» «:::O:::» «:::O:::» «:::M!:::»*

Isn't she a beaut? I call her the Three-Quarter Boulder, 3/4 Boulder.
Shes pretty much square, and 3/4 of the sides have great potential.
I think the most prominent side, the one facing you know is going to be sent.

o00o---°(_)°---o00o-- This side however --o00o---°(_)°---o00o

In addition to the nice project of arranging the pile of small stones below,
this side has some tough, nice, pockets. Its all lava, but relatively smooth.
Whats nice, is this boulder will allow more confidence--for the rock is also
very sturdy.

When I get tired of being pampered by, relatively clean rock, I will be
working/developing this sit-start of a problem. We'll see! Wish me luck.

Just A Little Farther

Awesome run! Cerbat Mountain Traverse 8 miles in 2.5 hours

I started after work at 6pm. Filled up the Camelback and decided to go for a run. Didn't know exactly where I was going to go; I headed North down this sandy 4X4 road into some Arizona State Trust Lands. I look to the west and I see a well established 4X4 road--so naturally I say "Just a little farther".

I've been going out nearly every night, exploring something, somewhere, I've never been before in my new summer backyard. So, I know the sun sets at 8pm but I have light until 8:45 at the latest. I get up-into where the steepness of the mountain grade starts to show itself. I start to see the saddle that the trail is heading to so I go "Just a little farther". Problem, The trail doesn't head to the saddle I was looking at, it turns and heads to what could become the highest peak of this section of the Cerbats. Naturally, I want to get to the top, or at-least to some saddle, so I go "Just a little farther".

I wanted to go for a run, so this whole time I've been trying to jog, with spurts of faster jogging and hiking. Its all up hill now, and will end up being 1,100 feet of elevation gain to the saddle(Click on Elevation Profile above). Getting to the saddle I find a small quarry for Quartz and a small pool of water at the bottom; though this quarry makes the white scar in the top-right section of the map above, I think about the Sheep and Deer that may drink from this. The highest peak of this section of the Cerbats is only 500 feet higher; a summit I've been postponing for a special occasion. From here, I have a good view into the center of the Cerbat Mountain. There's a couple of houses/industry buildings and the 4X4 trail continues over the saddle.

Right now, I'm NOT thinking "Just a little farther". I see this as a leap into the unknown. The time is surprisingly 6:45 and I'm impressed with the amount of trail that I've covered; I can see the whole trail I've sped up--from the saddle it makes a big circle back down one of the spines of this Beast. I know I can get down quickly but I have a choice to make--which side of the saddle to go down. The way I came doesn't interest me; I turn to the center of the mountain and I start to hope that the path ahead completes a big circle around the peak--back to the bunk-house. If I descend, I don't know if I will be able to easily hike back up. One benefit of the descent is that the sun has left the the inner mountain, making the risk of dehydration less if I run out of water.

During the orientation for the Game and Fish Departments internship they told us something I haven't forgotten. When you're feeling 'in-trouble' out in the back country remember there is two kinds of trouble--the Life Threatening kind, and the Inconveniencing kind. I looked down at the trail before me and knew that with my feet on solid ground the only trouble I will encounter, as the sun continues to set, is the inconveniencing kind. I begin my run down.

At this point during my internship here in Kingman, there's been a lot of talk about rattle snakes. I am concerned about running across one, but after the many miles I've hiked here I've only heard one in a bush--while driving to check a Water Catchment for Big Horn Sheep. I also imagine what I look like, and sound like, to a hungry mountain lion. I probably look like a small bodied, heavy panting, sack of thoroughly hydrated meat; so from time to time, when a Quail bursts from the brush my heart does tend to skip a beat and my feet propels me into the air and towards the center of the trail, like a juvenile antelope.

I'm down. I look up at the saddle from where I came and I look at my cell phone--which still HAS service--and the time is 7:10! "Wow" I think, but is ther a trail ahead of me, or will I be bush whacking through the night? "Just a little farther" I find a wash, the sand has tread marks in it, and I think if those treads came from one of those heavy duty golf carts that I saw on the other-side of the mountain just the other day. I hope that this is the best trail that leads back to my summer bunk house. I keep that high peak to my left, I know if it remains there I can't get too far off track, and I hope...

Progress and New Problems

Saweeeet, finally got enough lock off strength and worked a heel hook enough to get over this buldgy sit start I've been working. Though I tried the top-out again and it shut me down. Still piecing together the north-side of the YaWanna'BumAQuarter Boulder.

Feel a lot better getting out though. The hike up to the YaW'BAQ Boulder got me stoked to attack the unnamed problem--where the heel hook to side pull came quick, I threw my chest into the face and locked off...Bumping my right hand from the start to a nice crimp I was able to keep working my body over the buldge. New crap arose though, still near the ground a foot has the tendency to touch as I work through the problem. Piecing this thing together, I hope to FA soon.

New problem! It has a similar start, on the Quartz flake. Can't decide on which direction to go yet, but ultimately its going to go over a less worked section of the YaW'BAQ Boulder to a beautiful Jug at the top--well I hope its beautiful when I get there.

Worked all the same problems today--drank some beer, came back and did some pull ups.
80 degrees right now folks! Love'n that!