My Journey

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

PNWY.....nope, no air compressor installed in this rig. I had one in my Chevy truck plus a portable one, but I've never bothered to install one in this truck.....

Sierra Valley.....yep, it's felt good to help her out. We were in no hurry.....

Ace.....I remember that story.....



Next up for us was a couple of easy climbs in the Penaleno Mountains. This island range has over 7,000 feet of vertical relief, more than any other range in the state of  Arizona. I parked the rig along the side of Highway 366.....maybe a thousand feet above the valley.....and that's where we camped for the first night.....traffic was light and the site was fairly flat.....it certainly wasn't a bad spot to spend the night.....



The following morning I unhitched the Jeep, left the camper behind, due to the size limitations on this narrow, winding road.....



That drive up to our trailhead was fantastic.....truly sensational.....




Several times we crossed small streams that actually had water flowing.....they reminded me of how much I miss the flowing water.....such a common sight up north yet so rare in the southwest.....



The Jeep did most of the work that day.....our trailhead came shortly after passing this sign.....



I wished that our goal for the day was Mount Graham (10,720').....the highest peak in the Penaleno Mountains, but that was not to be the case since they close Highway 366 for the winter long before one gets to its trailhead. The consolidation prize for us was Heliograph Peak (10,022').....



There are two ways to climb this peak.....one is by trail and the other is by Forest Service road. With the knee still bothering me, I unfortunately thought it best to use the Forest Service road for our hike up.....



A good bit of the Forest Service road ran along a northern slope and that's where we encountered snow.....unfortunately not much of it but I guess it's better than nothing.....it's just so, so dry.....

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

It felt good.....maybe I would even say enlightening.....to hike through the towering pines that covered the higher elevations.....much like the flowing water, these trees too have been greatly missed.....



From the Forest Service website.....

"The Pinaleno Mountains are the highest of Arizona’s Sky Island mountain ranges and are the only range with peaks higher than 10,000 feet in elevation. While other Sky Island mountain ranges may have a few sharp peaks that project well above the general elevation of the range, the summit of the Pinaleno Mountains is relatively level with extensive areas above 9,000 feet in elevation."



It continues.....

The elevations above 10,000 feet support the southernmost Engelmann spruce-corkbark fir old growth forest in the United States. Extensive Douglas-fir–mixed conifer forests are found throughout the mountaintop above about 8,500 feet and lower in canyons and on north-facing slopes. Subalpine meadows are found in many of the areas identified as “flats” on topographic maps; Hospital Flat and Chesley Flat are two examples."



On the summit we found an old log cabin.....constructed in 1933.....



And nearby.....



.....the 99 foot tall lookout tower.....which I did not climb (it's off limits).....



Other than this guy sitting in his chair with a computer in his lap and headphones on his head, we saw not another soul on the mountain.....it was difficult not to wonder what he was up to.....he didn't care to speak.....



As you might imagine, we had some of the most incredible views from the summit.....to the valley.....it was at least 7,000 feet down to that valley floor.....




The 2 mile hike back to the Jeep seemed to take a toll on that sore knee.....I suppose it was the added pressure of hiking downhill that caused the ever increasing pain.....

 

[ocdiver]

The gentleman on the peak was likely a HAM radio operator participating in something called "Summits on the Air". It involves hiking to the peak of a mountain, setting up your radio gear and making contacts with other radio operators. You get "points" for "activating" a peak that has not previously been activated. Here is a link https://www.sota.org.uk/ if anyone wants more info.

Great reports and pictures as always.