Grand Enchantment Trail

The town guide info alludes to this, but just to emphasize a
bit more…

Copper mining is currently booming in the Safford and
Morenci areas. Safford has a new mine opening north of town,
while Morenci is mining presumably at capacity. The upshot
for hikers is that motel rooms in Safford, Morenci, and
Clifton are sometimes unavailable without prior
reservations, or perhaps an early check-in on the day of
arrival.

An arrival date in Morenci/Clifton would be easier to
pinpoint than for Safford, at least when heading eastbound.
Yet although Klondyke doesn’t have a pay phone or cell
reception, the Pinaleno Mountains sometimes offer the
latter, especially atop Webb Peak. Eastbounders would reach
Webb Peak a day or two before arriving in Safford.

The lack of motel space in Safford is something of a crisis,
I’d imagine for the local C of C as well. However, by
supporting the new mine development for the sake of economic
growth the powers-that-be have brought this crisis entirely
upon themselves. Rumor has it that once the initial
construction phase is complete, the journeyman contractors
will leave, and things will get back to normal.

I’ve seen normal – back in spring and fall of 2005 – and
normal was good.

Pretty nifty…

Google Earth has recently updated some of the satellite images that cover the GET route. The Superstition Wilderness is among the areas now featuring improved resolution, and the terrain just springs to life.

For those interested (and who’ve downloaded the GET KML file, check out the second half of Segment 1, all of Segment 2, and when you reach Segment 3 (a red line), pause to climb Picketpost Mountain, the towering, flat-topped peak just to the east. To do so, turn on road detail, and note “NF 310.” Follow the red route line south from the trailhead parking lot at the end of NF 310 to the obvious side road that heads east away from the wash, toward the peak. This road doubles-back near an abandoned mining adit, where switchbacking trail proceeds up the bajada. Zooming in close, and on an angle, will reveal the line of this trail – which becomes little more than a route farther up, with white arrows painted on rocks and plenty of class 3 scrambling. For a first ascent, the climb is probably impossible to execute without the aid of the arrows, but following them to the letter the ascent is safe with due care.

The route is lost on the sat images where it heads directly up the prominent gully, but note where it re-emerges farther up, then levels off on the summit for its final jog toward the actual high point. A mailbox register is here, typically chock full of entries from folks of all ages and places – even kids and retirees – which strikes me as incredible, given the steep, rough nature of the climb and the fact that Picketpost Trailhead is almost always empty!

If Picketpost Mountain were a little closer to Phoenix, it would have made for a fine starting/ending point for the GET. Either way, the side-climb is highly recommended for those with the time, energy, and perhaps above all, the gumption!

A quick glance:

http://outdoors.webshots.com/photo/1366060503038317822ALxOrW

http://outdoors.webshots.com/photo/2461332580038317822YFbejx

http://outdoors.webshots.com/photo/2593356690038317822OgnHwA

http://outdoors.webshots.com/photo/2585166170038317822LhaEBR

Spring 2007 update

Klondyke will continue to serve as a maildrop location this
season. Although the Klondyke Country Store (and Horsehead
Lodge) is closed and remains for sale, proprietor Bonnie
Garwood who lives behind the store will continue to accept
mail, including parcels, shipped to:

(hiker’s name)
c/o Klondyke Store / Garwood
36951 Klondyke Rd.
Willcox (Klondyke) AZ 85643

Ship via US Postal Service only.

Postal mail is delivered Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays
only. (Tuesday replaces Monday on holiday weekends.)

Ship early enough so it gets there before you, but not so
early that it’s languishing (and wearing out the welcome).
No need to call Bonnie to confirm your plans, although I
suppose it couldn’t hurt to verify package arrival before
committing on foot.

Parcels are stored in a large metal cooler located on the
back porch of the store, with 24/7 access. According to
Bonnie they’ve never had any foul play, although she
emphasized that it’s an honor system only. (I experienced no
difficulties the one time I sent a maildrop to Klondyke.)

Bonnie looks forward to meeting folks as they pass through.
If she isn’t out and about, feel free to check at the house.

Please note that the property remains for sale, and there is
no guarantee of continuing mail service through the store,
although Bonnie anticipates that any future owner would
uphold the current arrangement.

Bonnie also mentioned that the landowner’s gate on Aravaipa
Canyon Road is currently open, but that the landowner
(Norma) is up for parole in March, so all bets are off once
she’s back at the ranch. (!)

Also, it seems that Aravaipa Canyon still holds some of its
riparian canopy toward the east end, as I suspected. The
road to the west trailhead has been repaired in its
entirety. And according to rumor, the canyon itself has
received a bit of work since the flood, and may be more
passable than I’d anticipated.

- blisterfree

— <spiriteagle99@…> wrote:
>I can guess for the Gila (lots of water vs. fewer
>crossings)
> but can you tke the time to come up with a brief
> description of the
> alternative routes shown on the maps that would explain
> the reasons
> for the alternative? Or will that become pretty clear
> once we look at the smaller maps?

The detailed maps should help in figuring things out until
the guide is finished. I’m hopeful that anyone starting out
at Phoenix, and using the maps and guide together for a few
weeks, will get a pretty good feel for navigating the route,
and then feel better about approaching the rest of New
Mexico with just the maps. Anyone else who’s finished the
GET so far (just Trippin Ant I suppose) has done so without
any guidebook at all. Ant (veteran of the CDT, etc.) was
able to get by with just the maps.

As for alternate routes, here’s a rundown from the Pinalenos
eastward.

FR 286 alternate:

This is currently a “required” alternate route, since the
portion of the main trail route that it avoids is overgrown
and
basically unfollowable for at least a mile. It’s no love
lost here, as the alternate is a much easier walk on quiet,
forested 4WD road, with likely water at Dry Lake Tank. South
of the tank it may be possible to use the Blue Jay Ridge
Trail, signed at roadside (though not appearing in its
entirety on maps) to connect with the main route near
Government Spring (dry). Otherwise, follow FR 286 all the
way as indicated.

Mt Graham loop:

Optional side-trip. Currently closed, as with all summiting
trails, to protect the Mt Graham red squirrel.

Deadman Canyon alternate:

Both this and the main route pass through the area burned in
the Nuttall Fire of a few years ago. Frye Canyon, along the
main route, gets the hiker out of the burn sooner and is
easier to navigate since the trail stays close to the creek
bottom most of the way – good to know when you inevitably
lose it here and there. As I understand it, both trails are
destined for eventual rehabilitation, at which time the
Deadman route might be preferable for its extra distance on
the scenic slopes here.

Safford loop:

Optional side-hike to visit downtown Safford and its
services. Downtown was formerly on the main route. Now the
best route seems to be one that avoids the main drag,
keeping to the rural fringes, and crossing US 70 in the
village of Solomon about 5 miles east of Safford. Solomon
has a post office, and possibly a convenience store, but
most hikers will probably use Safford for everything -
perhaps hitching in and out as helpful.

Gold Gulch bypass and Chase Creek alt.:

These are probably obvious enough from the guidebook
description. Chase Creek alt. is a 2-lane highway walk, and
not preferable to the main route, though maybe a bit easier
to navigate.

High Country Bypass:

This is the optional low route around the crest of the
Mogollon Mountains, to be used when snow is an issue. The
map set will offer a good idea of mileage and terrain vs.
the main route. Part of the detour follows the Bursum Road,
which crests Silver Creek Divide at ~9000′, and can see some
snow here, but it’s not a hazard. Apart from the Bursum
Road, the bypass is on good, well-watered trails throughout.

Whitewater Baldy alternate:

This is shown on the overview map, but not labelled. It’s
simply an optional route that goes by Whitewater Baldy, the
highest peak in the range. The main route is arguably
preferable, since it avoids additional fords of Whitewater
Creek. Especially in spring, I think the main route strikes
the better balance between time spent with the creek and
that spent along the possibly snowbound crest.

West Fork bypass:

With the exception of a single ford, this one bypasses the
West Fork of the Gila along the main route, for use during
high water, early/late season, or when not wishing to
confront the 50+ fords of this scenic headwater stream. Note
that the bypass route is entirely lacking in water, although
a few unconfirmed sources appear to be a little ways
off-route. The various feeder trails shown on the overview
map are optional approaches to the bypass, which uses Trail
164 most of the way.

East Fork alternate:

This is for those who just can’t get enough of the creek
fording
thing. The main route fords the East Fork of the Gila only
once, while the alternate sticks with the river for several
miles, then heads cross-country up a class 3 box/slot
canyon. I haven’t explored this alternate firsthand, but
Trippin Ant had this to say about it:

———————-

I did follow Tom Moore [canyon] for its lenght to the E
Fork. I also was confronted by dusk, which is a commom
occurance these days as the sun sets at 1700. I stoped for
the evening just before begining the xc section. BTW there
was water flowing, just past Middle Tom Moore Well through
the slot and beyond. The slot posed no serious problem.
Like I said the presence of water, liquid and frozen, made
the slot very slick. There were only 2 drops of note, one
about a metre the other about 2. Due to ice I had to climb
around the higher one. This was prob. the one that gave you
issue. These were cut drops, no rock was lodged in the
slot, at this time anyway. I suppose you should make note
on your guide that slot canons can change drasically from
year to year.

I acctualy enjoyed the E Fork, despite the rote finding post
ford. Beasuse the grass along the course was high, dry, and
very seedy, I stuck close to the bank. Pleasent walking, as
it had been washed clean by the floods. Having not hiked
the other route I cannot say which is better, astheticaly,
but I think the Slot/E Fork route is prob nicer than the
other.

————————-

Monticello Canyon alternate:

This is a side hike, or possible hitchhike, into Monticello
for resupply. It follows a level 4WD the entire way, fording
ankle-deep Alamosa Creek numerous times in a scenic canyon
setting.

Trippin Ant says:

————————-

Mont is a nice little community, everyone I met was friendy,
firendly enoughto let a conplete strainger use their
bathroom. If there was a pay phone in town I missed it.
The PO lady was friendly, although she was having a bad day,
something about being out of stamps. Note, she has a credit
card reader and when she learns how to use the debit
function, cash back will be a possibility. The canyon walk
was pleasent, steady water after the first ranch. There was
a county road crew repairing flood damage. I wound up
stealthing after the Mont Box Ranch. Supprisingly no hunter
were seen, infact only one truck drove by while I was in the
canyon, alas he was going the other way. All the fords, and
there were many, were shin deep, about a foot or so, some a
little deeper. The box was beautiful. Ojo Caliente was
fantastic, it was gushing out water, not the hot, about the
temp of a mild swimming pool, but great for a soak.

__________

Burma Road and San Mateo Peak alternates:

Trippin Ant pioneered these. The Burma Road alternate serves
either of two purposes – to form a loop with the Monticello
Canyon alternate (instead of hiking out and back exclusively
on the latter), and to link with the San Mateo alt. for
those seeking more time along the crest of the San Mateo
Mountains. Both the main and alternate routes are
followable, although vague in places, and both pass through
spotty burned terrain along the crest. I’m hoping to explore
the San Mateo alt. this spring, flagging where needed.
Here’s Ant’s take on it [westbound]:

——————–

Blue – San Mateo Pk
This is where I diverged from your route. I continued on
TR43, burn and rough untill after the jct with TR46, then
easy going. I took the N seg of TR44, Cowboy Tr., to the
summit, very steep, I there is a pipe spring .5mile before
the top. The cabin has been opened to the public, bunk beds
and a wood stove, and a resident skunk, be careful. The
tower is techincally not acessable but you can climb to the
steps.

San Mateo Pk – Monticello
I came down the S seg of 44 much easier then the N, to
rejoin 43, an easy hike to TR50. Which I took the rest of
the way out of the wilderness. Water was found at San
Meteo(piped), Nave, and Myers Springs, flow in canyon after
Myers. TR 50 in Shipman can, was steep and vague, but
followable. I followed the Burma Rd, 377, to RD139. Great
views back to Vicks and San Mateo Mt, esp in Cañon de
Quirino. In all this added an extra 25+ onto the hike, not
including the 10 back to route up Mont Can., but I would say
worth the effort. I will elaborate more on water sources in
my final water report.

——————–

Water Canyon alternate:

This links up nicer with the trail in Segment 29, but is not
recommended until the trail along this alternate is
rehabilitated. Deadfall is currently severe for about a
mile. The main route also passes through some burn and
deadfall, but is far less difficult.

Sawmill Canyon alternate:

The main route on the southern end of Magdalena Ridge passes
through an area where a telescope array is under
construction (which, along with the nearby Very Large Array
will replace the ailing Hubble Telescope as world’s most
powerful). Forest Service says the ridge is entirely public
land, but NM Tech (the builders) seem to be touch-and-go
about public access near the sites. Trippin Ant and I have
each hiked by (on the road here), but not without first
explaining ourselves. For fewest hassles, use the
Sawmill Canyon alternate, which completely bypasses the
construction zone, along with its noise and dust. It’s
longer than the main route, and gains more elevation
overall, but is not as steep, has perennial water, and
oodles of quietude.

On the telescope construction zone, Ant writes:

—————-

As far as I could tell all the construction on the route is
complete, altough they are in he process of bulding another
telescope facility at the Langmuir end and have bult new
roads. There is a guard house at the jct south of Baldy,
the guard to me it was all right to walk through, just watch
out for trucks. I encountered a guy from NMTech, he seemed
to be in charge of the opperation. He told me I was really
not supposed to be in the area unless I worked there. I
told him what I was doing and he let me pass.

—————–

Rio Grande Highwater Bypass:

The river is sometimes unfordable, especially in spring.
When safe, the ford is the quickest, shortest way to
proceed. Otherwise, use the bypass, which heads south along
an aqueduct road in the bosque for 5 miles to a bridged
crossing, then follows 4WD to a rejoining of the main route
eastbound. Westbounders could either anticipate fording
conditions, opting in or out before reaching the river.
Otherwise they could apparently follow the main route to the
river, then walk south along its east bank to avoid the
ford, traveling cross-country perhaps. Trippin Ant did as
much last fall, when only a few weeks after my successful
ford he confronted a higher, swifter flow that proved
unmanageable – likely the result of autumn snowmelt runoff
from Colorado:

——————–

Despite my best effort to breeze through the I25 corrodor, I
have found my way into Socorro. The reason, I was unable to
ford the Rio. I made it to your ford yesterday midmorning.
The first thing I did was an attemted crossing without my
pack. You were right about the silty bottom, with the silt
I was up to my waist. Not a problem had the flow been
slack, unfortunaly in mid channel there was a nice 8knt rip.
The water was welling up chest hight. Worse, the sand
underfoot was scouring and I could not hold footing and took
a swim. I tried in several other spots up and down stream,
no luck, either faster or deeper.

Unable to cross, I proceeded down stream. I will elaborate
on that route later, I think it might be preferable to your
current high water bypass. After 13 extra miles I found
myself in Polvadera at nightfall, so into town for the
night. Off now to Magdalena.

Again thanks for the trail updates. The Socorro cab guy
remembered you, I guess he does not see many hikers.

——————

Along with the 1:24,000 series topo maps, the new map CD
also has an updated set of 1:500,000 series overview maps,
which highlight the distance, location and terrain of the
route between town stops. Like before, the overview maps are
also available on the GET website. The updated maps are now
online; for an example, see:

http://www.simblissity.net/500000_series_03.shtml

(click on the map to view full-size)

The overview maps now show the main route (the red line)
along with all alternate routes (blue lines), and the alt.
routes are labelled, so it should be easier to compare these
maps to the guide descriptions and get a feel for the
possibilities.

The example map shows segments 6 thru 11 of the route. This
is probably the most challenging stretch of the GET. For
one, it’s over 100 miles from Mammoth on one end to Safford
on the other, and Klondyke (along the way) may or may not
still work as a maildrop option. (I’m planning to call
Bonnie Garwood in Klondyke soon; has anyone else?)

Other complications include the post-flood condition of
Aravaipa Canyon, the possibility of encountering a locked
gate on Aravaipa Canyon Road on the east end, and the
condition of trails in the Santa Teresa Wilderness and in
the Pinalenos.

The upshot is that the main GET route in this stretch is
more of an ideal travel corridor than one that is realistic
to use in its entirety at this time. As momentum builds
within the hiking community, and as certain folks with the
Forest Service in Safford find their commitment, the odds
improve that the ideal will again become reality, that the
portions of trail which the GET should preferably use will
be maintained – and in some cases rebuilt – to make them
usable again.

In the meantime, I’ve tried to highlight a range of
possibilities for travel. Hiking these miles from one end to
the other will mean using a combination of the main route
and alternates. The options are several, and each has its
pros and cons. The guidebook attempts to spell it all out in
detail, but it might also be useful to touch on the whole
thing in more of a general way, more for planning purposes.

First of all, no matter how one chooses to hike it, this is
some amazing country, with ooh-and-ahh type scenery, plenty
of solitude, and extraordinary diversity. For various
reasons though, it is also generally quite rugged,
little-travelled, and most of the trails are in primitive
condition – this is NOT the Appalachian Trail or the PCT!
Away from roads, the walking here is work. In my estimation
it’s rewarding work, but it is obviously not for everyone. I
suspect it’s for those who are motivated to discover (and
feel) the land more than having a nonchalant stroll past
pleasant scenery.

Anyone choosing to hike Aravaipa Canyon – it’s open again -
will probably find that it’s now sub-1mph type territory,
all of it cross-country since the social trails were wiped
out by the flood. Very little shade in the canyon, as I
understand it, although I suspect the loss of riparian
vegetation lessens as one heads east. The advantage to
hiking through Aravaipa, besides the scenery and all the
available water, is that it’s somewhere on the order of 12
miles shorter than the suggested detour. The 12 extra miles
along the detour assumes that one walks (rather than
hitchhikes) into Mammoth (see vertical blue line at map’s
left), then continues east to rejoin Aravaipa Canyon at
Turkey Creek. East of Mammoth this detour becomes quite
scenic as it climbs over the Galiuro Mountains, although the
4WD “Rug Road” used here is extremely rocky and rugged, a
real rollercoaster of a swath through the hills, and water
is only “probable” at two locations in a span of 20+ miles.

The Turkey Creek Alternate is a good option for those
heading for Klondyke, which itself is 2.5 miles off the main
route. This alternate avoids the stretch of Aravaipa Canyon
Road which passes the Norma Tapia property, who has been
locking her gate to prevent vehicle traffic from continuing
west toward Aravaipa. In my experience the gate can be
climbed over when on foot, and this roadwalking approach is
a few miles shorter than the alternate. But the alternate
also has advantages beyond the access issue, in that Turkey
Creek features Aravaipa-type scenery, the creek usually
flows in places, and for 3 miles of the alternate it’s in a
wilderness-like area with much solitude – a wonderful
(rocky) cross-country canyon hike.

From Klondyke, one could head south, joining the Buford Hill
alternate, or walk north to rejoin the main route. Currently
the main route is not followable all the way to where the
Buford Hill alternate rejoins it. The guidebook therefore
only describes the alternate route. This alternate is
certainly workable; water is usually found along it at one
or more places, and the scenery is far-ranging, even if the
vehicle-free solitude may not be quite as good as the main
route. The primary issue with this alternate is that it
rejoins the main route eastbound in some seriously rough
country atop Cottonwood Mountain in the Santa Teresa
Wilderness. From here to the east boundary of the
wilderness, one must attempt to follow a vague trail in a
semi-burned environment, which is guaranteed to be
slow-going and navigation-heavy. This is too bad, since
otherwise the ridge views into Holdout Canyon are
jaw-dropping. For those not so inclined, one option is to
follow the Buford Hill alternate as far east as FR 667, then
take this road south to the Klondyke Road, and walk east to
a rejoining of the main route at the end of segment 8.

Another option from Klondyke may exist, which I intend to
explore this spring. This option may be the best of the
bunch for the time being, in that it heads into the heart of
the Santa Teresa Wilderness – following the main route into
Holdout and Black Rock canyons – and offers more solitude
than the Buford Hill alternate, avoids the steep climb of
Cottonwood Mountain, and is not quite as challenging to
navigate. This “Black Rock alternate” – shown on the new map
CD – has just a couple of possible drawbacks. For one, it’s
the longest of the possible routes by about 6 miles. For
another, east of the Wilderness it unavoidably enters the
San Carlos reservation for a spell, passing through an
uninhabited corner along Black Rock Canyon and Telegraph
Wash. Most of the reservation is open to recreational use by
permit – including hunting and activities far more
resource-intensive than a quick walk-through sans camp. But
as far as I can determine, this portion of the reservation
is in a zone where permits are not being offered at this
time. (I intend to speak with someone who can answer
definitively.) There is also a private landowner near Black
Rock itself (“T. Hinton” on maps) who does not allow public
access to the road across his property, though it should be
possible to walk a ridge just to the north and remain
outside the property.

Perhaps not surprisingly, these days the Santa Teresa
Wilderness is often considered to have “no public access,”
at least according to conventional (and even sometimes,
official) wisdom. In truth, it’s just not so, but because so
few folks are inclined to travel here, the Wilderness is
truly wild again, and any travel feels like a pioneering
adventure. It’s a very special place; Holdout Canyon in
particular is every bit as magical as Chiricahua National
Monument, and yet comparatively very few have seen Holdout,
and virtually none of them while on foot from nearby
Aravaipa or the Pinalenos. All told, a challenging but
potentially very rewarding section of the GET.

Holdout Canyon:
http://tinyurl.com/22wbm3

Slideshow of Mammoth to Safford:
http://tinyurl.com/2235q2

More info on the Pinalenos in a follow-up note.

The updated topo map CD is ready (finally!) and will now
ship out to those who are waiting for it. (If it hasn’t
arrived within a week’s time, please let me know.)

Sometime soon I’ll update the product page (
http://www.simblissity.net/get-topo-cd.htm ) to include a
separate Add-to-Cart button, so anyone with an existing
(v.1.0) map CD can get a free upgrade.

As mentioned earlier…

[snip]
This version – updated for all of Arizona – features quite a
few mods and improvements over the original “v1.0″ maps,
including:

* A mile-by-mile correlation with the online guidebook
descriptions (chapters 1-18: Arizona)
* Depictions of recent changes/improvements to the route
alignment, as reflected in the guide
* Full map coverage of alternate routes, including the
Aravaipa Canyon bypass (Seg 6-7), Turkey Creek and Buford
Hill detours (Seg 8), each of which travels a fair ways off
the main route (and its map coverage)
* New, 5-digit waypoint naming convention. Waypoints are
listed on the maps by name only (eg, 01050 for segment 1,
5th waypoint in sequence, or 10230 for segment 10, 23rd
waypoint), which is the same convention used in the
guidebook descriptions. Actual waypoints are listed in
separate files on the CD, referenced to name. The files can
be printed and carried in the field, or uploaded to GPS.
(Why leave the actual waypoints off the maps? Mostly to
avoid the clutter and the obscuring of base map info.)
* Inclusion of go-to-map references at map edges. This
feature should make it much easier to figure out which map
the route continues onto, whether heading eastbound or
westbound along the route. Easier, because the route doesn’t
always head precisely east or west (not even close)! Each
map is numbered in series, same as always, but now you’ll be
able to progress with confidence through the map printouts,
easily picking up on the next map where the last one left
off.

The v1.1 Topo Map Set CD is updated for all of Arizona, as
well as the first ~10 miles of New Mexico from the AZ/NM
line to the town of Glenwood. This coverage corresponds to
guidebook chapters 1-18. The remainder of the route in New
Mexico is only minimally updated in this version, and is
otherwise the same as that shown on the v1.0 maps.
Still, it should be field-worthy, and in experienced hands
can be used without guidebook accompaniment. A subsequent
version – v2.0 – will be available upon the completion of
the guidebook, and will be uniformly updated for the entire
route of the GET. (Look for v2.0 hopefully over the summer.)