Starting from the Metate Trailhead in the Granite Basin, our group of eight hikers headed towards Granite Mountain.

The temperature was in the low 60s, and a nice change from Phoenix. We left Granite Basin and took a partially shaded trail two miles until we reached the junction with Trail #39.

We turned north and began hiking up Granite Mountain. There are no trees, because of the 2013 Dolce Fire; however, there were colorful displays of wild flowers.

The flowers combined with the views, compensated for the switchbacks as we climbed past a variety of interesting boulders.

The steepest part of the climb was over when we reached the saddle. Leaving the saddle, we continued a gentler climb until we reached a flat with many burned trees, but also some trees that had escaped the fire. The trail ran past a burned trunk that made for a good frame for a picture of Li.

Surprisingly, the same trunk was used to frame members from the Club’s 2016 hike.

The trail became less visible as we hiked over exposed granite, but we found our way again and arrived at the overlook. There were only a few hikers there, which was surprising considering the good weather. We took a long break, group picture and admired the views.

Leaving the overlook, we reversed course and hiked down the mountain. Arriving at the junction with Trail #39, we began our hike around Little Granite Mountain. As we hiked up to a low saddle, we found one tree with adequate shade for a short break.

The temperature had increased, but we had an occasional cooling breeze. The trail is completely exposed, running through boulders as we hiked south for about 2 miles.

Turning more southeast, we climbed 500 feet in 0.8 miles to reach the high point of this trail. Because of the warmer temperature, this part of the hike was tougher than the longer climb up Granite Mountain. As we climbed, we could see one tree on a ridge, and I couldn’t help wonder if there was good shade under it. As it turned out, the trail passes nearby and some of our group stopped to cool off.

The rest of us kept going to the junction with Trail #40. Luckily, there was also a tree with excellent shade for a long break. After regrouping, we started our descent in partial shade on Trail #40. Less than 3 miles later we were back at the trailhead. It was a good hike, and I recommend the direction we took.

After saying goodbye at the trailhead, five of us met for lunch at Leff-T’s Grill in Dewey. The food was good, but it was an odd experience eating indoors after a year of staying out of restaurants.

Statistics: 13.3 miles in 7 hours with 2500 feet accumulated elevation gain.