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Big Lake Car Camping Trip
White Mountains
June 13-16, 2008
by Chuck Parsons
  Campground Map 
group
Anxious hikers at the trailhead,
including one chomping-at-the-bit Labrador retriever.
From left to right: Sandy, Sheila (either with three legs or with Glenn behind her), Doug, Mike & Zeke, Debbie, Ray, and Barry (with Chuck behind the camera lens).

Hikers pose for a quick group picture around the West Fork of the Black River Trailhead sign. We are about to start the first hike on our second annual car camping trip to the Big Lake area in the White Mountains of eastern Arizona. The weather on this mid-June day couldn’t be more perfect, with clear sunny skies and a temperature of 78 degrees.

Flowers
Fields of Flowers

The abundant snowfall of this past winter and spring in the White Mountains has helped to restore a long-parched land and its vast forest cover.

Wildflowers, such as this colorful field of wild Mountain Iris, have benefited as well and carpet large tracks of mountain meadows with a spectacular display that hasn’t been seen in recent memory because of Arizona’s prolonged drought period.

The drought isn’t over yet, but this will surely help to loosen its vice-like grip over the land.

Iris
Iris Close-Up
Signs of Big Bruin
Signs of Big Bruin

This fallen aspen shows tell-tale signs of a recent visit by a brown bear. Bears frequently use trees and rocks as nature’s files to help sharpen their huge four-inch claws.

Downed trees like this aspen lay across the West Fork Trail by the dozens on this hike, especially along the first mile or so of trail.

We determine that it’s probably heavy wet snow, high winds, dead or dying trees weakened by invading armies of pine bark beetles, or some combination of these factors that brought down all of these trees.

We are forced to make our way over, under, or around these fallen giants of the forest blocking the trail.

Numerous budding pine cones from pine and spruce trees lining the trail are another positive sign of a recovering forest after the trees have soaked up generous amounts of moisture this spring from heavy blankets of melting snow. Many areas of the White Mountains saw near-record amounts of snowfall over the winter and spring months, including another 18-24 inches over the Memorial Day weekend, one of the latest spring snowfalls.

Ray, Debbie, Glenn, Doug, and Barry stop for a short rest break in the shade along the West Fork Trail.

Although we are hiking at an elevation of about 8,700 feet, as the day progresses the temperature is also rising and now stands at about 83°. However, we are only too aware that the Phoenix metro area is currently sizzling under 110° temperatures, so far be it from us to complain.

pine cones
new generation of pine cones

shade
Taking a break in the shade.

No siree—we are perfectly happy and content hiking in this mountain paradise with temps in the mid-80s. Anyone ready to head back to Phoenix now? Didn’t think so.

Fording
Fording the West Fork [photo by Sandy D.]

Ray offers a helping hand to Sheila and Barry, with Chuck waiting a turn in the background, as we wade almost knee-deep across the icy waters of the West Fork of the Black River. The river crossing marks the junction of the West Fork and Thompson Trails.

This time last year when we crossed the West Fork, strategically placed rocks and small boulders in the riverbed allowed us to easily step across without getting wet.

With the large snow pack from this past winter and spring, snow is still melting in the higher elevations of the White Mountains, and all rivers and streams are flowing faster and deeper than normal with the resulting runoff.

Zeke
Zeke, the happy Lab. [photo by Mike A.]

Zeke is grinning ear to ear, as he races across large grassy meadows alongside the West Fork and leaps and bounds through the cold waters. He is truly in his element here and having the time of his life at one of the most scenic spots along the entire trail. If you were a dog, where else would you possibly want to be?

We stop here and find a nice shady area in the trees for a lunch break, as we watch Zeke play and frolic in the water.

The West Fork of the Black River, swollen by the still-melting snows in the high country, follows a meandering course through pristine alpine meadows, deep valleys, and rugged mountain terrain with thick conifer forests of Douglas fir, ponderosa pine, and Colorado blue spruce as it continues on its journey to the confluence with the East Fork of the Black River about five miles north of Hannigan Meadow.

West Fork
West Fork of the Black River

Where these two forks merge, the Black River begins its fifty-mile journey through the White Mountains, dropping 2,000 feet in elevation before merging with the White River.

This confluence then marks the beginning of the Salt River.

Cataracts
Cataracts along the West Fork
Doe
Doe Elk and Fawn [photo by Mike A.]

On the drive to the trailhead we discover this doe and her fawn crossing a meadow after some early-morning grazing.

Alpine meadows throughout the White Mountains are now lush with nutritious green grasses, giving rise to a new generation of deer and elk. Abundant rain and snow benefit all wildlife, from the top of the food chain all the way down to the rodents and insects at the bottom.

Although we don’t see a lot of deer and elk, we certainly come across plenty of their calling cards along the trail.

Spud
Ray and the Magic Spud Gun [photo by Sandy D.]
    Look, up in the sky! Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Is it Superman?

What the heck is Ray doing with a bazooka, anyway? Trying to shoot down Superman?

Turns out this is no ordinary bazooka. It’s a high-tech, super-deluxe, whiz-bang, belch-fire spud gun. What the heck is a spud gun, you ask?

It shoots spuds, of course.

Ray claims that he can shoot an ordinary garden variety spud almost into sub-orbit, and when his spud flinger is switched into hyper-velocity mode the spud is then capable of penetrating an armored tank. Sounds a bit far-fetched to me, but he sounds pretty danged serious about it.

Relaxing
Relaxing by the fire after a hard day of hiking. [by Sandy D.]
trail
A new day and a new trail
    Glenn unwinds and relaxes by the campfire after a long day of hiking the West Fork and Thompson Trails. Tomorrow will bring an even longer hike on the Indian Springs Trail. We brought along plenty of firewood for this trip and had a nice campfire going every night.

One of the best things about camping is gathering around the campfire at night for warmth and companionship, lively conversation, a bit of revelry, and soaking up a few suds after a long day of hiking in the mountains.

Mike and Zeke, Sandy, Karen, and Glenn (with Chuck behind the lens as usual) stand in front of the weathered hollowed-out logs that serve as watering troughs at Spillman Spring on the Indian Springs Trail.

Indian Springs is a 7.5-mile loop trail through the heavily forested highlands and expansive meadows surrounding Big Lake.

We will also be hiking the half-mile spur trail up to the Big Lake Lookout tower for a better view of the surrounding area which will make the total hiking distance 8.5 miles, a couple more miles than Saturday’s hike. But it’s a brand new day in paradise, and we’re up for the challenge.

Tower
Big Lake Lookout Tower

“Hello! Is anyone home up there in the tower?” No answer. We trudge up a long series of steps to the base of the tower, finding to our dismay that the entrance to the bottom of the stairway leading to the top of the tower is securely padlocked. Strange.

Why wouldn’t the tower have a 24/7 lookout watching for signs of smoke and fire in the forest by the middle of June, we wonder? Probably because of the heavy snow pack the White Mountains received this winter, which ensured plenty of ground moisture and little chance of fire until the dry lightening storms of late June and early July start to hit.

Disappointed, we head back down the steep half-mile spur trail that brought us to the tower and rejoin the main Indian Springs Trail.

Meadows
Meadows and Forests
Aspen
Surrounded by Aspen
    Big puffy cumulus clouds begin to move in over the thick forests and rolling meadows of the White Mountains, providing temporary relief from the broiling overhead sun. Despite our 9,000 foot elevation, the thermometer dangling from my camera bag is showing an unseasonably warm 90 degrees along the open, sunny areas of the trail. Fortunately for us, most of the Indian Springs Trail runs through heavily-forested areas that provide plenty of shade on this warm June day in the White Mountains.

A circle of tightly clustered Aspen trees provides an interesting prospective looking straight up into the overhead canopy, as they conceal all but a small bright blue circle of the Arizona sky.

Sandy, Glenn, and I were walking along near this area when we suddenly heard a loud crashing noise and looked up just in time to see a long-dead ponderosa pine falling down less than 100 feet away on the other side of the trail.

Unfortunately, this is becoming a more common occurrence throughout Arizona’s vast pine forests as increasing numbers of pine trees, especially the stately ponderosa, continue to fall victim to marauding armies of voracious pine-bark beetles.

shade
Taking a shade break.
Moving Day
Moving Day [photo by Sandy D.]
Sunset
Sunset over Big Lake [photo by Barry A.]
    Mike, Zeke, Karen, and Sandy take a long rest break under the cool welcoming shade of a tall ponderosa pine at the edge of a large open meadow. We are finally getting closer to the end of the trail, but as the day wears on into early afternoon and the sun continues to bear down on us along this long open stretch of trail, the heat is gradually wearing us down. We are forced to take longer and longer breaks in the shade to cool down and drink plenty of water.

Zeke isn’t complaining one bit, since his jet-black coat is the perfect heat magnet in the hot sun.

It’s Monday morning at Rainbow Campground, and a large tent with eight legs is walking down the road. Now that’s a sight you certainly don’t see every day.

We get a few surprised looks as we re-locate Karen’s new tent to another campsite across the road from our large group site. She wants to stay another day for some additional hiking, while the rest of us are packing up and getting ready to head back home.

Unfortunately the camp host will not let her stay in the large group site by herself, which is why her tent suddenly grew legs and walked off.

The setting sun slowly dips below a long forested ridge behind Big Lake in this beautiful silhouette shot taken by Barry. This sunset marks the end of another great day in the White Mountains, as well as the end of our four-day retreat from the desert heat to one of the most beautiful and spectacular places in this state of seemingly endless beautiful and spectacular places. In addition to the great memories, great pictures, and renewed friendships we will take away with us, we can always look forward to a future return to Big Lake and the White Mountains.

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updated October 29, 2017