After arriving in Phoenix, and experiencing the thin, dry air for just one evening we decided I would need a couple of days to acclimatize to the elevation before tackling any major ascents. So we headed for Deer Creek which is a fairly steep hike down into the creek, adjustable length along the creek, then back up at a puffing and blowing hike back up. It was a cool afternoon along the mainly shaded, remote valley. We made it back to the truck, hot and exerted despite the cool evening, and enjoyed a beautiful sunset drive back out. Not being used to remote, unpaved forest roads, and having seen the evidence of a really old car that never made it back down, and is now holding up part of the road, I was glad to make it back to the highway just at dark.
Once I felt I was adjusted we headed out to the Sierra Ancha area which has many cliff dwellings. It is accessed along Cherry Creek Road (FR203), an unpaved forest road which starts out fairly wide and with a good packed surface, but after fording several creeks becomes rather rocky in places. In several spots there were very large boulders washed onto the road which we had to negotiate around, too close to the edge of the prepipice for my liking, but obviously not too much for an experienced 4 wheel off road driver! We decided to tackle Pueblo Canyon as the main hike, and maybe tackle Cooper Canyon as a second hike if we felt up to it. At Devils Chasm we were almost stopped by the steeply washed out creek, but again, 4 wheel drive experience prevailed and we made it to the trailhead without incident.
Next morning, clear blue sky, not too hot, not too cold. We set of hiking, headed straight UP for the first mile. After almost an hour we reach the Marker rock with it's spiral petroglyph, then, climbing higher, the next section is along the edge of the outcrop, through gnarly old Manzanita growth. These hard, and brittle shrubs are pretty, with their brilliant red new growth and silver old stock, but they snag on and scratch at everything. I'm very glad for the advice to wear long sleeves, heavy pants and work gloves! As we scramble through the manzanita and around the end of the outcrop we change direction. A last brief glimpse back down into Cherry Creek shows our campsite.Now we are into Pueblo Canyon and we see the first view of the outermost structures at almost the same elevation as our current position. The trail turns more to mixed deciduous trees, which was quite unexpected and adds some beautiful fall colour. We still have some up and down scrambling through the ravines to accomplish, but will basically be level hiking from here. The Canyon is beautiful. The combined colours of yellow lichen covered rock (below left) and green, red, and yellow trees (below right) is beautiful and serene.
We emerge from a tree filled ravine and suddenly the main cliff dwellings are directly in full view in front of us. It is an incredible sight. There is a convenient rock ledge here with the perfect view across the canyon to the cliff dwellings. It's an incredible place to rest, snack, rehydrate, and enjoy this remote and wonderful place. After a short while we continued on into the canyon, and soon came to the first structures. There is an old mine here, whose tailings have apparently filled and buried some of the old dwellings. One room is still exposed, along with some fallen walls. Continuing on to the end of the canyon the trail skirts around the back of a waterfall. There was a small amount of water flowing, and the trail is a little slippery and exposed, requiring careful footing for about 10 - 15 feet behind.
The final assault is about one tenth of a mile of scamble through scrubby brush and loose soil underfoot. There were a couple of steepish loose areas, but nothing too much to be concerned about. The end result is WELL WORTH IT! The hours passed quickly poking around the cliff dwellings and too soon it was time to head back. We descended much faster than the trip in, mainly with the goal of getting back to camp in daylight. The lower light and cooler temperatures made for a pleasant and uneventful hike back. Of course, we took time to stop at the overlook for a rest break and enjoy a last look at the cliff dwellings in the softer late afternoon light.
After a lazy recovery day in the Sierra Ancha camp we returned to Phoenix to resupply and set out almost immediately for another trip, this time to the north. First stop was Sedona. It is beautiful, but in a totally different way to the wilderness we had experienced for the early part of the week. We did the tourist potter around the town, but I confess I was not quite ready for civilization yet!
So we enjoyed the statiary, a meal we didn't have to cook ourselves, and set out on for the scenic drive up Oak Creek. The trailheads were all packed with cars, and this was a week day, not in the height of the season! Not keen on hiking with the masses we continued up Oak Creek and enjoyed the overlook.
At the top we made the decision to skip Flagstaff and points north and head for the Mogollon rim and return to solitude. OK, so there was the little controlled burn we had to drive through to get there, the collecting firewood and setting up camp in the dark, oh yeah, and it was kind of chilly! But the Mogollon Rim was beautiful and very remote.
BUT......The sunrise definitely made the cold windy night worthwhile. We spent the day rock hopping along the rim. Lots of up and down and some loose footing and lots of thorny scrub, which we mostly tried to avoid, but the views from the rim were extensive. As this was just a lazy, hike as much or as little as we please day I took the time to take flower, burned out stump pictures as much as the views. This area has been extensively damaged by beetle blight and fire. It made for some interesting pictures (at least I thought so), and there were also some signs that the area could recover if the climate is right.
......and then the sun started to set. All thoughts of an early dinner in daylight were abandonned while we just watched the valley blaze with yellows and finally into gold. So we ended up cooking and eating in the dark again. The sky cleared off after the sunset and we watched stars above and the lights of Payson below,sitting by a blazing hot fire until very late.Nature was not intending for us to have wonderful weather for the whole trip though!
There was to be one more display for us before we returned to civilization. We woke in the clouds to a mysterious low rumbling which we debated as planes, ground vehicles, mining or construction,....or maybe thunder. A brief lightening of the sky and simultaneous drop of the wind and suddenly we were enveloped by a lightning, thunder, and SNOW! Needless to say, we packed up camp very quickly, jumped into the truck and headed out of the now two inches of snow back to civilization.
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