A Weekend in the Superstitions
MLK Day 2020
As you may know by now Casey and I do NOT mess around when it comes to 3 day weekends. 3 day weekends are hard to come by for those of us stuck in the classic 9-5 setting so when they come up we take full advantage. (Well, Casey had the 3 day weekend and I had to take a day of PTO but who’s keeping score…). January in Arizona means warm 65-70 degree sunny days and crisp 45-50 degree nights so its the perfect weather for a local backpacking trip (humble weather brag to all my fellow east coasters still bearing a terrible winter). We haven’t spent much time in the Superstitions so it was an easy pick for our weekend get away. Casey got to work and planned the perfect 3 day backpacking trip for us.
We had full intentions of starting our adventure bright and early Saturday morning but that changed at about 11pm on Friday night when Casey and I were scrambling to get packed after a few beers at Four Peaks. We had already done our pre-trip REI stop and realized too late that we were just about out of camping fuel and needed to restock. There was nothing open at the time so we took to google to reroute our trip and find a Big 5 on our way to the trail head. Turns out Big 5 doesn’t open until 9am and If you ask me it was a fantastic turn of events as I now got to sleep in much later. So we woke up Saturday morning, leisurely got ready and enjoyed some bacon egg and cheese sandwiches (#domestic) before enduring 3 days of dehydrated food.
We started our trip at First Water Trail head around 11am and didn’t get to our camp site until around 3:30 - 4:00pm. We both brought about 3 liters of water (including some “just in case” water we had for the dog) and it seemed to be just the right amount for the first day. It is Benci’s first backpacking trip and with him still being young we didn’t want to overload his pack so we kept extra water in case his pack didn’t have enough. IMPORTANT: Always check the trail head statistics to make sure the water supply is reliable! The hike the first day is the worst in my opinion. Worth it, but the worst. The terrain for the first 3 miles isn’t bad, but the last 4-5 are nothing but loose rocks which had me sliding every step and made me FURIOUS. There’s nothing worse than loose footing with a 30lb pack on your back. The first day is about 7-8 miles depending on where you decide to set up camp at White Rock Springs and about a 1,200 foot elevation change throughout the hike.
We were a bit nervous about the amount of people that would also be out backpacking for the weekend especially because when we were at REI Friday night we heard multiple other groups talking about their upcoming weekend in the Superstitions. It was seemingly hard for us to find common camping spots so we assumed it would be pretty crowded in the areas we did find. We were pleasantly surprised that this was not the case! We had seen a few other groups throughout our hike but were largely alone which was refreshing. A lot of local spots seem to be pretty common here in Arizona since everyone is so outdoorsy.
We did adopt a boy scout for our last mile and let me just say, he was the reminder I needed. I am actually pretty surprised that he approached me in the first place if were being honest. Full disclaimer, I was GRUMPY day 1 (sorry Casey). My footing kept sliding every other step and it was hot and I was a mess. At one point I told Casey to just go ahead and I would catch up. I needed to be alone. Casey was having the time of his life and it was only making me more miserable given my current state. I was so mad that when I slid on the loose rock at one point I yelled “I AM GOING TO F*CKING MURDER SOMEBODY” thinking no body was around. Well only seconds later I happen to turn my head and see this young boy (maybe 8 or 9) who waved at me. “Excuse me” he said “Have you see a man and another young boy wearing orange pass you”. Sure did kid. They flew by as I huffed and puffed and grouched my way up the mountain. So I told him yes I had seen them and they were a little bit ahead and he explained that they are his troop leaders and asked if he could stick with us. Of course we said yes and he proceeded to tell us about his life story, recent holiday plans, dogs, and grandfather as we marched through the desert and I prayed that we were going the same way as his troop leaders as I am not responsible enough to look after this child. Well about a half mile later we came across his troop leaders and dropped him off safely. I couldn’t be happier that we met Grayson. He reminded me why I was out there, that everything wasn’t so serious and that its just about enjoying our surroundings while we can.
We got to camp at White Rock Springs and set up camp. There were many nice sites with fire rings, but most of the sites are best for 1 or 2 person tents. We have a 3+ person tent so that we can fit comfortably with the dog so it was more difficult to find a good spot. The spots are along a flowing river so there’s ample opportunity to refresh your water supply. We made dinner as the sunset and it got cold fast. Unfortunately all of the wood in the area was wet so we were unable to make a fire. We climbed into bed around 6pm and called it a night. Wasn’t our best nights sleep as it was our pups first backpacking trip and he had NO idea how to use his sleeping bag. He is so spoiled and used to sleeping in our king bed under the covers snuggled between us so he did not understand why he had to sleep in his own sleeping bag and couldn’t sleep in ours. We also ran into a situation where he managed to pop Casey’s sleeping pad on his first step into the tent. Se we were already starting the night off on the wrong foot. Thankfully Mr. Prepared had a patch kit with him and he was able to patch it up. This is why I keep him around. I can confidently say that prior to this the thought of bringing a patch kit had NEVER crossed my mind. So along with Benci keeping us up all night and the weather being quite cold and humid (weird combo, I know), it wasn’t our best nights sleep.
Day 1 Trail Details: First Water Trailhead - 104 (Dutchman s) .75 miles - 236 (second water) 1.49 miles - 241 (Black Mesa) 3.02 miles - 129 (Bull Pass) 1.55 miles - 104 (Dutchmans) .5 miles to White Rock Springs Camp
We woke up bright and early Sunday morning excited for the day ahead. We had planned for an easier day to let us rest and give us more time to hangout at camp. We have an unspoken rule that Casey gets up first and I don’t get out of bed until he brings me coffee. Makes me sound like a diva I know, but its best for the both of us honestly. So we woke up and Casey filtered us water while I started breakfast. Breakfast was our classic staple, Mountain House Breakfast Skillet. I genuinely get excited about breakfast because of this. We always bring tortillas and this time we happened to find the most amazing Yellowbird Hot Sauce in a 2 oz bottle to bring. We have had this hot sauce before at a local restaurant and fell in love. We looked into buying it online but forgot until we saw it again at REI. It was the best addition to our meals.
After breakfast we packed up camp and headed out, but not before Benci managed to get a thorn stuck in his foot. While we loved this campsite it was COVERED in cactus and thorns. It felt like every turn we took we ran the risk of getting pricked. We knew that the cactus would be prevalent in the superstitions so we bought Benci his own little booties to wear to try to protect him. It saved him a number of times on day one, but unfortunately he didn’t have them on at camp and took a thorn straight to the paw.
The terrain on day 2 was much better than day 1 which made for a much happier camper (me, I’m the happy camper). Day 2 was about 6 miles and another hot day in the desert. The path took us through areas that were badly burnt during the Woodbury Fire which was devastating to see. There were many sections where the path seemingly gets lost so its important to have a map on you and to be on the look out for cairns as they saved us many of times. Day 2 was much lonelier as we saw maybe 2 or 3 other groups of hikers and one couple on horseback. I will warn, the trail on day 2 was nothing but pricker bushes. It felt like every step my pants were being tugged at by thorns. Even if you’re typically not a hiking stick kind of person I recommend bringing at least one. There are a few sections where having a pole to push some bushes out of the way on your way by is extremely helpful. We originally had another path planned but decided to change things up mid day and it was for the best.
As we headed to Whiskey springs we found the most perfect camp set up. There was a campsite along the river big enough for our 3+ person tent and just a few feet away was a amazing 1 person camp with a campfire ring and a log perfect for sitting. That’s one thing I am not used to with backpacking - having no where to sit. I know it sounds silly, but most of the other backpacking trips we have done have been to organized campsites with some sort of picnic table or something to sit at and make dinner or just hangout. When we were at REI this week we each bought two seat pads to use at camp and they were a life saver!
We set up camp and sat around the campfire to have dinner. We had each brought a flask with some whiskey in it so it was only fitting that we broke it out this night since we were staying at Whiskey Springs. Benci had learned quickly and snuggled in his sleeping bag by the fire all night while we had dinner and talked about life. We had picked up an apple crisp dessert and it was the most perfect way to end the evening on a cool night. The weather was much more comfortable and we stayed out by the fire until like 8 or 9 before heading to bed. There was no one camping around us, so Casey broke out his iPad which he had downloaded Bad Boys on. Sounds like unnecessary weight to bring, but I enjoyed having that luxury. We watched bad boys and polished off our whiskey in the comfort of our sleeping bags before having a great nights sleep.
Day 2 Trail Details: Start at White Rock Springs Camp - hop back on 104 (Dutchmans) 2.41 miles - 107 Red Tanks Trail (full of prickers) 2.17 miles - here we decided to not go through Upper La Barge Box to Brad's Water and instead went on to 238 (Whiskey Springs) the trail we planned to take out Day 3. We found camp .31 miles on Whiskey Springs.
We woke up Monday morning and I was honestly ready to start the trek out of the wilderness. We made breakfast and coffee and headed out for the day. The terrain day 3 was the best - wide paths and stable footing. The trail out was about 6.5 miles and we met my dad halfway through. Since we were starting and ending at different trail heads we had planned for my dad to pick us up Monday morning. About 2 miles into the trek Casey randomly got a spot of service and his phone blew up with notifications to include 2 texts from my dad saying that he couldn’t get my car to start (his wouldn’t make it to the trail head). I was starting to get nervous that he wouldn’t make it (and about my car not working) but about another mile and a half in we ran into him on the trail. He had borrowed a neighbors car and it was refreshing to have his energy after we had been drained from the weekends activity. The weather was overcast and cool which made for perfect hiking conditions. There weren’t many opportunities for water along the way out so it is important to filter enough before leaving camp.
Day 3 Trail Details: From Whiskey Springs Camp hop back on to 238 (Whiskey Springs) 1.7 miles - to our old friend 104 (Dutchmans) which we take 4.23 miles back to the Peralta Trail Head.
Overall it was a beautiful weekend filled with nothing but the open air and wilderness. Arizona amazes me every time I set out on a new trail. The weekend was tiring but worth every step along the way.
