Climbing the Siphon Draw Trail (2016)

Hi Blog! Today is Tuesday, January 12, 2016, and we're back in Apache Junction, Arizona. We finally got our rig back last Thursday after a four day delay. We spent a total of nine weeks away from the RV. It took us days and days to get restocked and everything back where it belongs. We're feeling good. It is a new year and time to get back on the trail.

For our first hike of 2016, we decided to visit an old friend. The Flat Iron is a mesa located in the westernmost mountains of the Superstition Wilderness in the Lost Dutchman State Park. We hiked this same trail two years ago, but never made it all the way to the top. Here's a link to the prior blog. This year, we were going to make it to the top (or at least try again)!

After days of rain, we finally got a bluebird day. The weather has been unseasonably cold. As we hiked higher up the draw, we could see how close the snow came to reaching our campground.

New trail signs point the way.

The closer we get, the larger the rocks become.

The mountain soon surrounded us as we work our way up the draw. The trail spider webs in different directions as prior hikers picked various routes up the rocky terrain.

After a brief snack, we continued to work our way up the draw. The Flat Iron didn't get any closer. We began to realize that we wouldn't have enough daylight (or energy) to keep climbing to the top.

It was slow going. We passed the point we reached two years ago and, at our furthest point of progress, got a good look at The Flat Iron:

We take comfort in the fact that we made it further than we ever did before.

If you want to see what it looks like from the top of the Flat Iron, try this link.

We marked our turnaround point --

-- and then found a nice scenic overlook to rest and recoup for the hike down.

The afternoon light highlighted a rock we like to call the "Rhino Horn" as we looked past it down into the valley:

With all the hard work behind us, we took some time to poke around. Back in the day, prospectors combed these mountains looking for gold. There are still remnants of old cabins and mines. Here Kathy explores a foundation not far from the trail.

It's been months since we hiked any distance. It felt good getting back on the trail. We're looking forward to heading to Quartzsite on Thursday and getting out and about in the Arizona desert!