AZ September Trip

[rkeegstra]

Chiricahua Run!

An easy run (Pinery Canyon Road) with several side trips of varying difficulty. Precise route subject to whimsy, but will almost certainly include portions of Hands Pass and Barfoot Park trails (Massey & Wilson South 21 and 23 respectively)

Date: 09/15
Time: Meet at 08:30, on the road by 09:00
Location: Intersection of Pinery Canyon Road and 181, just outside of Chiricahua National Monument
<wpt lat="32.0069075" lon="-109.3895817">

Attendees:
rkeegstra w/copilot
AZKJ w/copilot
M&P40
o8k
Signcutter21 w/copilot

Note that the National Monument has a nice campground. I don't know how full it will be on a Friday night in mid-September. It doesn't seem to be reservable.


So, September is still going to be hot, more than likely. Mary's thinking something high altitude. We're open for 9/15 and 9/22, and maybe 9/8. Massey & Wilson have some interconnected runs around one of our favorite places, the Chiricahuas. That's quite a hike for you Phoenix folk though, like 4-5 hours.

I know AJ wants to do the Mexican border road, and so do we, but most of that trail is only at 4500-5000 feet and so it won't be appreciably cooler - but while cooler is better, it isn't necessarily a requirement. I'd still like to do Gunsight Pass, just south of Tucson, so that's another possibility.

Thoughts? Suggestions? Wild hypotheses?

 

[AZKJ]

Beth and I are up for the Chiricahuas!!! We've been down there once, and it's pretty. We'll drive down Friday night and get a room, so the sooner you can post a date and place, the sooner we can book a room. Maybe pick a date a little later in the month, but anytime is okay, depending what the others want. I'll be watching this thread for details.

We can do the Border Road and the trails south of Tucson when it gets cooler, maybe Oct - Dec....

 

[rkeegstra]

We can work with either 9/15 or 9/22, makes little difference to us.

The trailhead is essentially Pinery Canyon Road:
N32 00 24.4 W109 23 20.2

...which is apparently very easy, but there are harder trails branching off it. (If you have Massey & Wilson's Arizona book, you're looking at trails South 20-23). We could meet there, or we could meet somewhere on the road and convoy it. If we decide to meet there we may just set up camp in the Chiricahuas National Park Friday night and Saturday night.

 

[AZKJ]

Sounds good to us. When you put this together, keep in mind we'd like to stay at the lodge in Portal, depending where you are going to start the trip. If you start on the west side, not a problem. We'll stay in Portal Sat night and head home Sunday....

 

[M&P40]

i am in !!! can you feel my excitment!!

 

[AZKJ]

The 15/16 works for us too. We'll leave Phoenix Friday afternoon and stay in Benson or Wilcox and meet everyone Saturday....

 

[desertkj]

It sounds like fun, but I am going to have to count myself out for this one. I don't anticipate having the funds or the time to be able to do a full weekend trip in September.

 

[o8k]

ill have to play stand by, work may require travel in my near future.... tho i think im good to go...

 

[rkeegstra]

Okay, so this looks like it should happen on 9/15 if I'm reading all the threads right. I'll start keeping the details in the first post.

So far - us, AZKJ, M&P40, perhaps o8k

We're probably just going to camp in the Monument, which is about three miles from the trailhead.

 

[o8k]

oooh hope i can go and have my camping gear out of storage to by then....

 

[minimedic]

It sounds like fun, but I am going to have to count myself out for this one. I don't anticipate having the funds or the time to be able to do a full weekend trip in September.

Would love to go on this, but I'm gonna have to say "ditto" to desertkj's response.
o8k, I've got camping stuff you can use if yours isn't out by then.

 

[Corwyyn]

Would love to go on this, but I'm gonna have to say "ditto" to desertkj's response.

x3. It truly ***** not being independently wealthy

 

[rkeegstra]

It truly ***** not being independently wealthy

We had already budgeted for a Colorado trip that now looks like it is just not going to happen. Mary's work pushed back a go-live into that week, and after she's freed up it'll be too late for CO campgrounds and the chance of snow goes up dramatically. Since we've accrued the cash into travel, we figure we'll just burn it off with smaller weekend trips.

 

[minimedic]

Since we've accrued the cash into travel, we figure we'll just burn it off with smaller weekend trips.

See, I need to budget smart and put a column in for weekend trips!! I'll just take half of what I'd spend on food and clothes, that should really set me up!!

 

[AZKJ]

Okay, Beth and I are all set to go.

We'll be leaving Phoenix on the 14th and drive down to Willcox. We're staying at the Best Western there. From the Best Western, it's an hour drive to the trail head the next morning.

The evening of the 15th, we're staying at the Portal Peak Lodge in Portal, which is on the east end of Pinerey Canyon Road. We'll head back to Phoenix on Sunday, the 16th after breakfast.

If anyone is interested in driving down together or wants info on the Best Western and the Lodge in Portal, let us know and we'll set something up. If not, we'll see everyone at the trailhead....

 

[o8k]

looks like ill be in colorado 12th thru 14th... if nothing crapps out, ill be back for the trip, if not, ill be in colorado working... but in all likely hood, ill not be able to make this trip =( Wogh, my first bow out! if feel so... yucky

 

[rkeegstra]

Let's bump the time up on this - meet at 8:30, on the road by 9:00. More daylight to play with.

Let me know if this is a problem for anyone.

Thanks,
Russ

 

[AZKJ]

Let's bump the time up on this - meet at 8:30, on the road by 9:00. More daylight to play with.

Let me know if this is a problem for anyone.

Thanks,
Russ

Sounds good to us....

 

[Signcutter21]

Yeah I'm in. Anybody camping on friday night? was thinking about it. If anybody want's to pull up a piece of carpet or set their tent up at my place I'll be off friday. I'm about 1 hr or so drive up to the main entrance to the park. Shoot me a pm.

Later,
Mike

 

[M&P40]

i am still up in the air on camping or not. i think it will take me about 4 hrs to get there in the morning but i am definately in on the run (unless work revokes my vacation time which is unlikely)