cows

A view of the Santa Catalina Mountains from FR4407 Brush Corral Road. April 2017.

Back to the Brush Corral area! Unlike my last trip into the area the goal wasn’t a long hike on the Brush Corral Trail – but instead just a chance to explore a little.

There are some great views from Brush Corral Road (FR4407) – the edge to edge view (above) of the Santa Catalina Mountains is amazing – familiar peaks are labeled below in a reference image from PeakFinder.org (note that this is showing the USGS Guthrie Mountain rather than the peak at the end of the Brush Corral - Cedar Spring, Georges Spring, Pearsons Spring - 4/30/2017).

A view from the PeakFinder web application - www.peakfinder.org - showing the peaks in the panorama above. May 2017. — A view from the PeakFinder web application – showing the peaks in the panorama above. May 2017.

Hopeful curiosity and extreme skepticism and his a fair description of how I feel about blue marks on the maps of Southern Arizona. The area south of Evans Mountain down to Buehman Canyon has 11 springs marked on the map – an interesting concentration, I wonder how many of them still flow…

The area between Evans Mountain and Buehman Canyon has 11 marked springs. May 2017.

From a ridge-top camp west of Brush Corral Road I drop down into a a dry wash, crawl under barbed wire fence at the forest boundary and quickly find a dry tank where Cedar Springs is marked on the map. Pipes run up canyon from the tank, but there is no sign of water where they seem to end.

Cedar Spring Tank - dry... April 2017. — Cedar Spring Tank – dry… April 2017.

Mesquite Flat, North of the Brush Corral Trailhead. April 2017.

Around Mesquite Flat and over to the Georges Spring area – after finding Cedar Spring dry the number of pools of water in the area surprised me!

A beautiful pool in the Georges Spring area. April 2017.

From Georges Spring it was a short walk to Pearsons Spring – in its small side canyon the only sign of water was a single, small depression with damp sand at the bottom. Returning to the canyon just west of the Brush Corral Trailhead I don’t have to walk very far before both cows and small pools of water appeared in the canyon bottom. It looks like there was quite a bit more water in the canyon earlier in the year. The canyon merges seamlessly into Buehman Canyon a short distance above the Brush Corral Trailhead – from there it doesn’t take long to loop back to the start of my hike.

Water in the canyon just west of the Brush Corral Trailhead. April 2017. — Water and cow manure in the canyon just west of the Brush Corral Trailhead. April 2017.

For several years I have looked down into the Peck Basin Area and wondered what was down there… I suppose that the easiest way to get into that area is via the Davis Spring Trailhead on the north side of the Mountain – but part of my fascination with Peck Basin is a curiosity about a trail that seems to be disappearing back into the mountain: the Knagge Trail…

I was dropped off at the bottom of the Incinerator Ridge Road, walked up to the Trailhead and soon enough I was headed down the Knagge Trail, familiar territory and notably easier to follow than it was last September with the plants along the trail brown and flat.

1403 Near the top Knagge Trail at the end of Winter — Near the top Knagge Trail. March 2014.

The Cabin, the mine and the current end of the well established trail all come quickly – and then off onto the ridge below. Unlike my last trip I don’t use any time trying to find the original trail – instead I just work on finding the easiest way down the ridge – an occasional cairn, faint paths that look for a second like a trail, brushy puzzles, beautiful open grassy sections, views down into my destination…

1403 Open Grassy Area on the Ridge below the Knagge Trail — Ridge below the Knagge Trail. March 2014.

I am counting on water in the South Fork of Edgar Canyon and the canyon does not disappoint – clear rushing water!

1403 Water in the South Fork of Edgar Canyon — Water in the South Fork of Edgar Canyon. March 2014.

I work down canyon trying to find the easiest path – up around a box, past an old shelter, thru a fence – here I see the first signs of the cows who live in this area…

1403 Fallen Shelter along the South Fork of Edgar Canyon — Fallen Shelter. March 2014.

I cut out of the canyon, over the ridge and into the drainage with Araster Spring and Peck Basin (this canyon is referred to as Edgar Canyon in the Cowgill and Glendening guide but the USGS 7.5′ Map labels the canyon to the south as Edgar Canyon…). I see more cows on the ridge above and follow their tracks and dung up canyon to Araster Spring and slightly beyond. Araster Spring is beautiful but slightly trampled.

1403 Araster Spring — Araster Spring. March 2014.

Originally I had planned to camp here but the cows have made this area a bit less attractive than I imagined – I loop via hillside and ridge up to Point 4863 to spend the night – on the way stumbling across the Knagge and Davis Spring Trail junction sign! I find a good spot near Point 4863 – I only have to move one cow patty to setup where I want – and enjoy the view of the ridge I came from (with the blazing lights of Mount Bigelow) and the day’s journey!

1403 Camping above Edgar Canyon with the Lights of Mount Bigelow in the Background — Camping above Edgar Canyon – the lights from Mount Bigelow in the background. March 2014.

I get moving a little slowly in the AM – lingering to enjoy the view –

1403 View from Point 4863 — View from Point 4863. March 2014.

And then up up up up back to the Upper Green Mountain Trailhead to meet my ride down! 13 miles and about 4000′ of elevation gain and loss.

flickr – 2014 March Peck Basin and Araster Spring via the Knagge Route

Brush Corral – Cedar Spring, Georges Spring, Pearsons Spring – 4/30/2017

Peck Basin and Araster Spring via the Knagge ‘Route’ – 2014/3/12