Have been very inactive this month, mostly due to having to suddenly be out of town two weeks ago. (I actually took my hiking gear with me, in the hope I would have time to get some miles in, but it was not to be.) After trudging up & down U.S. 93 and Carefree Highway looking at roadside memorials two days ago, decided today was a good time to finally do this hike, which I had been planning for some time. 🤔
When prescottstyle and I hiked out of Glen Oaks back in November, I mentioned wanting to look down Board Creek from the trailhead, but he seemed to think it would be too rough. In fact, it was incredibly smooth sailing. Much easier than grab & stabby cross-country would be. (And much easier than Board Creek is further down, near the hanta virus shacks!) There was a trickle of water, and some small pools in this area.
Just below the claim, I planned to turn left up to the jeep trail. There was a small dry fall a little over a mile into my hike, that I though I could climb … until my knee gave out. Cue pain, cussing and fear. After I gathered my wits, I thought I didn’t want to bail. I needed to exercise. But at the same time I had ~10 miles ahead of me, and if I continued no way to easily cut that short. (Remember, cross country = grab & stabby.) I opted to continue. 😏
I found an alternate route up, check out the improved claim, then headed over the saddle into a tributary of Copper Creek. Again, very smooth sailing. Video’d a cute little waterfall, before exiting the tributary near the remains of an old shack that was still (semi) standing last November.
I turned up FR 53, a slow, steady climb to its intersection with Copper Basin Road and FR 54. The FR 53 surface was smooth, and there was some shade, but I was feeling the effects of insufficient exercise. (Knee was holding up, though.)
FR 54 is much rockier, though really not that bad. But my knee felt the strain of going down hill — since that is what stresses as your body braces/brakes against the slope — plus trying not to lose balance on a poorly placed foot. Several times I failed, and it felt like someone had jabbed a needle in my knee. 😣
On the way back to Phoenix, there was a solid parade of cars heading west on Carefree Hwy. A few miles west of the first east-bound passing lane, a line of 20 cars approached. A white car had been a half mile ahead of me. Suddenly, there was black car ahead of me. I thought “Where did he come from?” Then I realized his headlights were pointing at me. (Thankfully he had them on, else I might not be writing this.)
The dumb fuck was fucking trying to pass a line of cars in less than a fucking half mile! What the FUCK!? I swerved right, and he somehow was able to bash his way between west bound cars. Stupid fucker almost made me one of the memorials!
Not too long after this, I bought a dashcam. 📽
GPS File: Copper_Creek_Loop
Distance: 10.82 mi.
AEG: 1,473 ft.
Time: 4h 36m
