Coronado Mesa - Superstition Mountains

At 5:28 PM, I began my hike on Coronado Mesa. It took me 1 hour and 10 minutes to reach the end of the mesa. It was 1.8 miles. I got there at 6:39 PM. At 7:00 PM, I headed back, and arrived at my car at 8:19 PM. Going back in the dark took longer and I wore my headlamp at maximum brightness. But I frequently was headed in the wrong direction. I had to frequently check my location on my cell phone and correct my direction. My hike was 3.5 miles round-trip, and it took me 2 hours and 50 minutes.

Peralta Canyon Trail - Superstition Mountains

I started my hike at 8:18 AM. I was hiking this trail because I had forgotten my prescription glasses at the Fremont Saddle the day before. It took me 1 hour and 9 minutes to get to the Fremont Saddle, and I found my glasses. The time was 9:28 AM. It was 2.3 miles to the saddle. I took a short break and headed back. I was back at my car at 10:32 AM. My hike was 4.6 miles round-trip, and had taken 2 hours and 14 minutes.

Carney Springs Trail & Peralta Canyon Trail

At 8:22 AM, I started this loop hike at the Lost Goldmine Trailhead and headed east to the Carney Springs Trail. It was 1.1 miles to the Carney Springs Trail, and it took me 22 minutes. From there it was 1.2 miles to the junction of the Superstition Ridgeline Trail, and that took me 1 hour and 27 minutes. The ascent was 1,365 feet. It was 10:12 AM when I got there. The next landmark was the Fremont Saddle at Peralta Canyon. I got there at 11:43 AM, and I had hiked another 1.5 miles. Then, to the Peralta Canyon Trailhead was 2.6 miles. I arrived there at 12:56 PM. From there it was 0.6 miles to my car. I got there at 1:10 PM. My hike was 6.7 miles, and it took me 4 hours and 47 minutes.

Ittindi Rock - Canyon Lake

My hike up Ittindi Rock was 2 miles round-trip. It was 108 degrees when I started at 6:25 PM. It was 29 minutes to the summit, and 43 minutes to the edge. I returned to my car at 8:01 PM, and it was 98 degrees.

The westernmost cliff was struck by lightning in 1898 and left a very visible mark. Thus, the name "Ittindi", the Apache word for lightning was applied to the feature.

Tortilla Creek Massif - Tortilla Flat

At 6:56 PM it was 104 degrees when I started my hike up Tortilla Creek Massif. The walk to the trailhead in the campground was 0.73 miles, and it took me 18 minutes from Tortilla Flat.  I reached the summit at 7:40 PM. From the trailhead the elevation gain to the summit is about 460 feet in a half mile. The summit is a 1.3 mile hike from Tortilla Flat, and it took me 44 minutes. It was quickly getting dark when I head back down. When I reached Tortilla Creek a Western Diamondback Rattlesnake crossed my path. It got in the strike position and rattled. Fortunately it moved away, but I could no longer see it, and it was still rattling. I had hoped it wasn't too close as I walked cautiously past the buzzing sound on my right. I was close to the campground and eager to get out of the brush. My round-trip hike was 2.8 miles, and it took me 1 hour and 45 minutes.

Double Arches Loop - Superstition Mountains

I started my hike at 7:21 AM, from the usual parking spot for Black Cross Butte. From there it was a short walk back on Forest Road 80 to Crucifix Canyon. After following a jeep trail I was soon on a narrow trail and descending into the canyon. The canyon was wide here, and soon I was looking for the route up out of the canyon to the arches. It was about 1 mile to the Double Arches, and it took me 40 minutes. From there I followed various overgrown trails northwest and up out of the canyon, and looped back to where I was above the arches. Then I followed periodic faint trails back to my car. My loop hike was 2.4 miles, and it took me 2 hours and 13 minutes.

Black Cross Butte - Superstition Mountains

The temperatures were in the low 80s this morning so I headed out to Black Cross Butte. I had decided to do the 2 mile loop hike to the top of the butte. It's been nineteen days since I got stung by stingray, and I'm back to hiking in the desert again. Although, my ankle is still sore, I can now do a short and hard hike.