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Yaeger Canyon Day Hike
Jerome
May 24, 2014
by Chuck Parsons
GPS Map
 by Bill Zimmermann 
Group_John
Twenty Terrific Trailblazers at the Yaeger Canyon Trailhead. [photo by John]
Front Row: John, Anikó, Quy, Molly, Bill, Rudy.
Back Row: Chuck, Jim, Wendy, Barry, Mark, Barbara, Becky, Rich, Denise, Brian, Lance, Bob, Funyung, Michael.

Under mostly sunny skies with a pleasant temperature of 70 degrees, twenty Arizona Trailblazers begin a long 1,300-foot descent from the Yaeger Canyon Trailhead. The time is exactly 10:00 AM on a beautiful Saturday morning in late May. At 7,300 feet, we are starting from the top of Yaeger Canyon Trail # 28 off of Forest Road 413. Yaeger Canyon Trail is the first of three trails making up today’s seven mile counter-clockwise loop hike. After an initial false start on a smooth dirt track to the right, we correct ourselves and continue straight ahead down a rocky, boulder-filled path.

Hikers_TH_Jim
Getting ready to hike. [photo by Jim]
Hikers_TH2_John
Going over the trail map and junctions. [photo by John]
Hikers2_John
Trailblazers hit the trail running. [photo by John]
Hikers1_John
Wrong way guys! Come back! [photo by John]
Hikers4_John
Now we’re on the right track. [photo by John]

Several people emailed me before the hike, inquiring about the Slide Fire burning in Oak Creek Canyon (at the time of this writing that fire has torched over 21,000 acres in the canyon) and possible road closures and smoky conditions on the trail. I talked with one of the rangers from the Verde Ranger District, which also covers the Mingus Mountain Complex, earlier in the week. He said there has been some light smoke settling in parts of the Verde Valley late at night and into the early morning hours as the winds shift to the south and sweep some of the smoke out of Oak Creek Canyon. Later in the morning the winds reverse course as they come out of the southwest and move the smoke back toward the north.

Hikers1_Quy
One of many large alligator junipers along the trail. [photo by Quy]
Hikers1_Denise
Hikers work their way down to Highway 89A. [photo by Denise]
Hikers2_Jim
We begin the long descent. [photo by Jim]
    Fortunately, we should be high above any potential smoke since the Yaeger Canyon Trailhead sits at 7,300 feet. Our lowest point on this loop hike is 6,000 feet at the bottom of Yaeger Canyon near Highway 89A. Also, there have been no road closures at all on the lower end of 89A, only above the Sedona area in Oak Creek Canyon.

Today’s weather forecast is calling for a 30% chance of rain, so let’s keep our fingers crossed that all the 30% falls in Oak Creek Canyon and helps knock down the Slide Fire. Oak Creek Canyon is one of the most scenic and popular destinations in Arizona, and a fire of this magnitude is absolutely devastating in the confined environment of a canyon. It will be many, many years before the burned out areas of this canyon are fully restored to what we remembered before the fire.

Big_Juniper_Lance
Big alligator juniper on the Yaeger
Canyon Loop. [photo by Lance]
Juniper2_Lance
Close-up study of alligator juniper bark.
[photo by Lance]

We’ve seen a number of large alligator junipers on several recent hikes, including Pine Mountain and Horton Creek, but the junipers we encounter on the Yaeger Canyon Loop trail have to rank as some of the largest in Arizona. Junipers belong to the cypress family of evergreen trees, and alligator junipers (named after their distinctive checkered bark suggesting an alligator’s back) are among the largest of all junipers, ranging to 50 feet in height and up to 5 feet in diameter. Some of these larger junipers can live to 250 years or more.

Clouds_John
Fluffy cumulus clouds build over Mingus Mountain. [photo by John]

The first mile or so of the Yaeger Canyon Trail is especially rough and rocky as it drops steeply and relentlessly toward Highway 89A and the bottom of Yaeger Canyon.

But the scenery is spectacular along the way, with commanding views of the Prescott Valley area and Granite Mountain in the background.

Granite Mountain peaks at 7,626 feet, 326 feet higher than our own starting point near the top of Mingus Mountain.

Hikers1_Barbara
Rudy plays his air harmonica.
[photo by Barbara]
Hikers5_Barbara
Wendy and Rich work their way down the trail.
[photo by Barbara]

Granite Mountain is named after the predominance of Precambrian Granite throughout the area and is home to one of the largest populations of mountain lions in Arizona. Although we have hiked the mountain several times over the years, we have never even caught a glimpse of these elusive and secretive big cats. But you can be sure they are watching us from a safe vantage point, curious about these strange creatures slowly walking upright on two legs, many with the aid of two metal sticks at their sides.

Hikers1_Jim
Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Omygosh! Is it Superman? [photo by Jim]
View1_John
Overview of the Prescott Valley area and Granite Mountain. [photo by John]
View1_Quy
Interesting rock columns seen from the trail. [photo by Quy]
Trail2_Barbara
Close up shot of rock columns near the trail. [photo by Barbara]
Trail3_Barbara
These trees appear to be growing out of solid rock. [photo by Barbara]
Trail1_Denise
Overview of Highway 89A and Prescott Valley from the trail [photo by Denise]
Trail_Lance3
Yaeger Canyon at the bottom of the trail. [photo by Lance]
View_Trail_Lance
Second view of Yaeger Canyon. [photo by Lance]

It’s about 11:15 by the time we finally bottom out at 6,000 feet in Yaeger Canyon, as it begins running parallel with Highway 89A. But the trail runs for another half-mile or so before finally reaching the junction with Little Yaeger Canyon Trail # 533. We stop here for a short rest and snack break before continuing on. And its here where we catch the first faint smell of smoke from the Slide Fire. Although we can’t actually see any smoke in the air, the unmistakable odor serves as a stark reminder of the virtually uncontained wildfire still raging through Oak Creek Canyon north of Slide Rock State Park, about 30 miles to the northeast of our current position as the crow flies.

Hikers3_Jim
Michael and Becky at the bottom of the trail.
[photo by Jim]
Hikers4_Barbara
Jim comes down the home stretch.
[photo by Barbara]
BreakTime1_John
We stop for a short rest break before the second leg. [photo by John]
BreakTime2_Quy
Mark, Lance, John, Wendy, and Anikó take a break. [photo by Quy]
BreakTime3_Wendy
Regrouping near the Little Yaeger Canyon Trail junction. [photo by Wendy]

Before we hit the trail again, Bill informs me that he wants to scout out an off-trail route he hopes will take him back to the trailhead we started from. So he, along with three victims — oops, I meant to say hikers (Rudy, Molly, and Bob), splits from the rest of the group to do some serious Zimmerman-style bushwhacking. I follow their progress over the TalkAbout radios, along with a copy of Bill’s map. And then I start to wonder if poor Molly and Bob know what they’re really letting themselves in for with Bushwhack Bill. Rudy knows only too well (heck, he’s a master bushwhacker himself), but these two are newcomers to the Trailblazers and may not be aware of the hazards of bushwhacking. Will we ever see either of them again on a future hike?

Flowers_Funyung
A colorful field of wildflowers along the trail. [photo by Funyung]
Lichen_Quy
The lichens certainly love this rock. [photo by Quy]
View1_Barbara
Highway 89A runs a serpentine course through the mountains. [photo by Barbara]
View2_Lance
Woodchute Mountain reaches for the clouds. [photo by Lance]

The rest of us hit the unmarked Little Yaeger Canyon trailhead to begin the second leg of this loop trail. It’s time to pay the piper now, as we make up the 1,300 feet of lost elevation to get back to the trailhead. And the Little Yaeger Canyon Trail wastes little time, as it bends southeast and quickly begins to switchback up the west rim of Mingus Mountain.

Up, up, and away we go through an endless series of switchbacks, as the pinyon-juniper covered slopes of the west rim gradually give way to towering ponderosa pine forests as we gain elevation on the mountain.

As we climb higher on the trail we begin to pick up a cool and refreshing breeze blowing out of the northwest. We are also well above any residual smoke from the Slide Fire still lingering on or near the canyon floor. The large ponderosa pines and oaks that line the trail provide cooling shade, although the temperature is still holding in the mid-70s for now. But we should only get cooler as we climb all the way up to 7,300 feet at the trailhead. We will gain a little over 800 feet in elevation on this second leg of the loop trail. We then make up the last 500 feet on the Yaeger Cabin Trail, which will carry us all the way back to the trailhead we started from earlier this morning.

Hikers5_QN
Trailblazers work their way around a large ponderosa. [photo by Quy]
Hikers2_QN
Hoofing it up the Little Yaeger Canyon Trail. [photo by Quy]
Hikers1_Funyung
Another fallen tree partially blocks the trail. [photo by Funyung]

We enjoy and savor this weather as much as we can, because all of us know only too well the scorching triple-digit temperatures soon to hit the desert floor. Eventually, our only escape from the unrelenting and oppressive summer heat will be a prolonged dip in the pool, sitting on a large block of ice in front of a high-speed fan, a long trip to Antarctica, or these high elevation hikes in northern Arizona. And at some point Mt. Humphreys, at 12,633 feet, may be our only relief while hiking. That or anything else above 11,000 feet.

Tree_Hugger_Quy
Can you stretch those arms just a little more, Quy? [photo by Quy]
TH_Wendy_John
Wendy hugs a really big alligator juniper.
[photo by John]
John_by_John
We men simply do not hug trees. It’s one of those unwritten rules. [photo by John]

As we approach the top of the trail where it intersects with Allen Spring Road, I hear Anikó’s voice over the radios announcing that she and several others in the lead have already reached the road and turned left toward the junction with Yaeger Cabin Trail # 111, the last leg of this loop trail. I tell her to watch carefully for the trail sign, since its offset at least 50 feet or more from the left side of the road and very easy to overlook. But Anikó is a savvy and experienced hiker, and by the time the rest of us top out on the road she has already reached the junction and is hiking up the trail with her small entourage. Since it’s well past noon, I ask her to scout out a good lunch spot so we can all break for lunch.

Hikers1_WR
Denise, Brian, and John take five. [photo by Wendy]
Trail111_Sign_Quy
John captures the Trail #111 sign for the record.
[photo by Quy]
    All good things must come to an end, so when we finish eating we gear up once again for the last leg of today’s journey through the Mingus Mountains.

We start hiking north on Yaeger Cabin Trail #111 (no, we never actually saw Yaeger Cabin) on the final two miles of the loop trail. We continue ascending through a heavy forest cover of pine and oak, before eventually beginning a long descent along a tributary of Little Yaeger Canyon.

Unfortunately, it’s not all downhill from here though, and once again we begin climbing relentlessly as we slowly work our way up the headwaters of the canyon.

Periodically, Anikó radios a warning of oncoming bicyclists and on one occasion a pair of horseback riders. I think the number of bikers we encounter on the trail today just about equals the number of hikers we come across.

Trailblazers spread out for lunch under the pines. [photos by John]
Lunch1_JR
Lunch2_JR
Lunch3_JR
Lunch4_JR
Rich and Lance deep in conversation. [photo by John]
Lunch1_WR
Mark offers suggestions for dinner later today. Hey, hiking works up one heck of an appetite.
[photo by Wendy]

Meanwhile, I follow Bill & company’s progress from time to time over the radios. He is not quite following the route he had mapped out earlier, but his small group of explorers is generally following a track to the north and eventually links up with Yaeger Cabin Trail #111 that we are hiking. We will not see them again until we all arrive safely back at the trailhead.

Horses_John
Step aside! Equestrians coming down the trail.
[photo by John]
Hikers2a_WR
Strongman Mark lifts a fallen tree to help Jim.
[photo by Wendy]
Hikers4_Quy
Hercules calculates his next move. [photo by Quy]
Manzanita_Barbara
Manzanita is in full bloom along the trail. [photo by Barbara]
Hikers3_Quy
Trailblazers continue on the last leg of their journey. [photo by Quy]

And what trip report would be complete without a collection of great flower pictures from Quy? We also have a beautiful Claret-cup Hedgehog picture by Wendy in this exotic floral collection. Quy’s picture of the Cliff rose bloom is nothing short of amazing. But I guess that unfortunate fly is certainly none too thrilled about the situation. Chomp! Munch! Great job Quy!

Flower pictures by Quy:

Claret_Quy
Claret-cup Hedgehog
Clarkia_Quy
Canyon Clarkia
Fleabane_Quy
Fleabane
Lupine_Quy
Blue Lupine
Gambel_Quy
Colorful cluster of Gambel oak leaves.
Manzanita_Quy
Manzanita bloom
Fendlerbush_Quy
Wright’s Fendlerbush
CliffRose_Quy
Cliff Rose “Welcome to my parlor,” said the spider to the fly.
Claret_Wendy
Claret-cup Hedgehog. [photo by Wendy]

As we get higher on the Yaeger Cabin Trail and it gets cooler, storm clouds are beginning to roll in and it looks like we could get some rain any time now. About a quarter-mile from the trailhead we get a weather update from Meteorologist Mark, who is checking the weather app on his smart phone. He informs us that rain is moving in fast, and we should all hustle to get back to the trailhead as quickly as possible. We do get a few raindrops, but we all manage to reach the trailhead by 2:30 before anything serious breaks loose.

This is a pretty handy app, and Mark saved us a couple of years ago on the Abineau-Bear Jaw hike when it looked like we might have to turn back before we even reached the Bear Jaw Trail because of a threatening thunderstorm. But his weather app indicated the storm (actually several smaller storm cells) was moving out of the area and we should be OK. We continued on and the storm did eventually move off, leaving mostly clear skies in its wake.

Hikers_TH1_Quy
Post-hike gathering at the trailhead. [photo by Quy]
Hikers_TH1_John
Let’s get ready to roll, people. [photo by John]
Hikers_TH3_John
Michael, Becky, and Chuck discuss the hike over a few cold ones. [photo by John]
Hikers_TH_Wendy
What’s up, Becky? (She’s not telling.)
[photo by Wendy]

Once back at the trailhead, we discuss dinner options which include a walking tour of Jerome and perhaps dinner in Jerome if we can find a restaurant large enough to accommodate all twenty of us, dinner only in Jerome with no walking tour, or skip Jerome entirely and have dinner at a Mexican restaurant in Cottonwood that comes highly recommended by Mark. The vote is for dinner in Cottonwood, so we stow away our gear and head back down the long and winding road toward Jerome and Cottonwood.

Before reaching Jerome, the skies open up and that 30% finally catches up with us in a big way, but thankfully not while still on the trail. It continues to pour all the way through Jerome and half-way into Cottonwood. As we slowly make our way through Jerome in the pounding rain, we watch as dozens of hapless tourists huddle in doorways, under awnings, and anywhere else they can stay dry, as they anxiously wait for the rain to stop. So perhaps not such a good idea after all on the walking tour through Jerome, that is unless we were ducks. But I didn’t notice webbed feet on any of our hikers today. On a more serious note, hopefully this rain is also falling on the Slide Fire, which should help to at least temporarily slow its advance.

Dinner0_John
Food at last! [photos by John]
Dinner1_John
Good grief, Anikó! Are you going to eat all that by yourself?
Dinner4_John
Quick, get the fire extinguisher! Jim’s smoking-hot caldron is about to erupt!
Dinner2_John
Barbara opts for a slightly smaller meal.
Dinner3_John
That burrito is almost as big as you, Quy!

Part of our group decides to head back to Phoenix, while sixteen of us descend on the Plaza Bonita Family Mexican Restaurant in Cottonwood. But to their credit, the staff does not cut and run when they see this motley band of ragtag hikers walk through the front door. And as you can see in the following pictures, one certainly does not leave this place hungry. The food is great, the portions are huge, the service is prompt, and many of us take half our food home for another meal.

Sixteen Trailblazers get serious about eating. We don’t fool around when it comes to food.
Dinner5_John
Dinner6_John
[photos by John]

Excellent recommendation, Mark! We will definitely come back here after future hikes in the area. Bottoms up, Trailblazers! We’ve just completed another one for the record book.


Hike Statistics, by Jim Buyens:

IMG_0540a_419
Total Distance:7.07 miles
Moving Time:2 hours 57 minutes
Stopped Time:1 hours 18 minutes
Average Speed Moving:2.4 mph
Average Speed Overall:1.7 mph
Starting Elevation:7325 feet
Maximum Elevation:7327 feet
Total Ascent:1317 feet
Starting Time:10:05 AM
Finishing Time:2:20 PM
Starting Temperature:68°
Finishing Temperature:73°

Dave French and I pre-hiked this trail a month earlier. At that time his GPS indicated a minimum elevation of 6,000 feet at the bottom of the Yaeger Canyon Trail next to Highway 89A.

Chuck   


Supplemental Report
by Bill Zimmermann

With permission from the hike leader, Molly, Bob, and Rudy joined Bill extending the hike with a little off trail exploratory (400ft 2 miles). We left the trail at “Y6” and returned at “Y7”. Rudy shared de-spined cactus with the group.

Y07GROUP
The fabulous foursome: Molly, Bill, Rudy, and Bob.
Y04R
Rudy expertly slices a prickly pear.
Y10B
Bill tries a taste of it. “Yum!”
Y09
Road sign in the forest.
Y11M
Molly finds her lucky number by the trail.

We stumbled in to a neat campsite with a huge timber lean-two. While off trail, Molly found a survey stake with a special significance. It was her number at the group introduction countdown: sixteen.

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updated June 3, 2014