Boulder Canyon from 1st Water
Thursday, February 26th, 2009This hike, in the western Superstitions, was a complex combination of several trails foring a loop that hit several highlights of the area.
Date Hiked: 31 Jan 2008
Companions: none
Actual mileage : 13 miles
Actual time: 10am to 7pm
I got my butt kicked on this hike, mostly because Boulder Creek was running at well above normal level and I stopped counting crossings at 12. It was, however, one of the few hikes where water was never a problem.
There were pockets of ice on the trail when I started, but by late afternoon I had shed clothes down to my t-shirt. The shadow of the sign near the second Black Mesa junction was indeed quite long. If the details about the latter portions of the Dutchman Trail seem scanty, I walked that part by flashlight.
In my opinion, this was the best and hardest hike I took in the western Supes.