Hike #31 - White Tank Mountains - Mesquite Canyon Trail Phoenix AZ

Hike #31

Date: April 13, 2014 

Location: Phoenix AZ

Hikers: Me, Tina & Jim

Directions:  

101 (west side of Valley) to Olive Road. Olive Road west.  This road takes you directly into the Regional park.  Entrance Fee is $6. (We are still getting our money out of Jim's pass)  For this hike we parked at Ramada #7. Restrooms/Water/ Ramada. 

https://www.maricopa.gov/parks/white_tank/Maps.aspx
or
https://www.maricopa.gov/parks/white_tank/pdf/2013/white-tank-11x17-3d.pdf

We were supposed to be doing a 13 mile hike today at Skull Mesa but our plans changed.  We decided to head back to the White Tanks and do the other side of Ford Canyon.  It was a beautiful morning already about 70 degrees with a nice breeze.  There are many people already on the trail and someone right behind us, so it may be busier than hike #24 when we barely saw anyone.

Our hike started with Jim saving the wildlife.  We thought he was talking to himself in the bathroom. He was saving a bird that was stuck in there.  He will have to wait til we return to see if he was successful with setting the bird free.  He left the restroom door open.  I would have screamed and left the restroom.

We plan to take the Mesquite Canyon trail today. We are going to travel for one hour and then turn around. We know we do not have enough time to do the loop that picks up Ford Canyon but we will go as far as we can in an hour.

The trail immediately starts with an incline.  We commented that we thought it might be flat.  No!  Nice switchbacks with signs not to bushwack.  I don't know why you would want to.

These were definetly sweeping switchbacks.  It was beautiful.  We were mostly in the sun but there were a few spots of shade.  There were a couple runners that past us and a few hikers behind us.










This is a switchback that is behind us.  We are on our way up.  We had a great conversation today.  We were all over the place in topics.  We laugh because we know that we took the Hikers code not to share these conversations.  They are hiker secrets.  LOL

 We made it to the top of the switchbacks. This area was very pretty.  Jim remembered his poles today.  Yeah!  I would recommend poles if you do not like the rocky paths.  It helps make it easier especially on the way down.

We head down the trail where we will soon hit the juncture of the Mesquite and Willow Canyon.  We have hiked about 35 minutes at this point.  As we head down the trail started to look like the other side of Ford Canyon.  You can see where the water would flow down the canyon.

Tina was my model to show how the rocks changed as we headed up.  It was very pretty.

We hit the juncture faster than we thought but we decided that we would head back at this point.  It was Sunday and we would have to drive 35 minutes back towards home after so we flipped here along with the couple that had been hiking behind us for most of the trip.

Once we turned around Tina noticed this cactus.  There was something blue that stuck out. It looks like a bug.  My zoom is limited on my iPhone but it looks pretty cool. I googled it and found the Mexican Cactus Fly.  Yup that is what it is.  Oh and by the way if you don't like bugs don't google bugs.  GROSS!

Speaking of bugs.  Jim kept telling Tina and I that there were bugs flying around us and to make sure they did not bite us.  We could not see them but later we saw them on the ground. I started to research them but stopped. Again...don't research it.  You may think they will kill you.  Ha!  We did not get bit.







The path heading back down was very nice.  I really like this area and hope to come back before the heat hits and do the entire loop.

We did not see the pool of water on the way up but it caught my eye on the way back.  Just like the other side there was one spot that held the water.  March 1, 2014 was the last time it rained and that had been after a 70 day drought.  So it is pretty cool that there is water standing. 

 Two random cactus at the top of the hill before we head down the switchbacks. 

We made it back to the ramada after 1.5 hours.  We traveled 4 miles today. Little less than planned but a great hike.  One thing I notice as a see the pictures is the blue sky.  I think we often take for granted the great weather.  This is a typical spring day.  Not too shabby.

The ramada area at #7 is very nice.  When we arrived back the parking lot was packed.  Oh and good news the bird in the bathroom was gone.  Jim saved a life!

 This hike had good elevation for 4 miles.  It was 814 elevation.  

Hike #31 is complete!  We are in the 30's.  

Check it off!!