In this section we will publish various articles about hiking the Superstitions. We invite readers to submit their own articles to add to our archives. We will also be announcing various hikes that folks might be interested in taking with the people involved in this website. Hopefully we will be putting together one hiking trip a month to various locations involved in the history of the Lost Dutchman Mine. Please check here often for announcements about our hikes!     Peter's Mesa in Pictures by Peter  Here are some photos of the historic Peter's Mesa area. I know it is a difficult place for most folks to access, so enjoy the pictures. ! Peters Dome viewed from the south. The earliest explorers claimed there was an "Indian-circle" of rock in the foreground. Jakes Camp viewed from the west. Thats Tortilla Mountain in the background. Exposed bedrock at the Salt Flats. Some have surmised that the hole in the rock was made for an arrastra pole by early Mexican miners in the area.  Another view of the Salt Flats. T'le-go-nah-ai nas-bah-say rising over Tortilla Mountain. Some believe that the Spirits of the Mountains will walk on a night like this.       Greg Davis doing what he loves best !     The John Chuning Mine By Kevin     The crack was about eighteen inches wide and filled with boulders. He ran the entire distance without any timbering, and all alone. Every foot had to be blasted..... I think it was the most dangerous piece of work I ever saw accomplished by man.   Fifteen years ago, that paragraph tweaked the interest of Greg Davis. The dedicated Dutch Hunter was talking to his friend Dan Hopper. Dan was describing a mine Dans father had shown him many years earlier. Dans father had worked with Ralph Morris at the Paint mine in the 1950s and apparently Ralph had discovered the location at that time. As they talked Greg became convinced that Dan could very well be describing the Chuning mine. So in 1992 Greg and Dan set out to find it.   Our doughty explorers  head to the mine !     Greg believes they found the mine that day, over fifteen years ago. You see, right in the area where Dan thought it would be, a mine was found. A mine which fit Bark's description to a tee. Without flashlights the men explored as much as possible. The trail home soon called and the Chuning mine was again left to the many Spirits of the Superstitions. Fast-forward to January 10th of this year. On that day I received an E-mail from Greg. He was going back to the mine to finish the exploration he started long ago. Greg enjoys hiking with other mountain enthusiasts and asked if Id like to tag along with the group hed assembled. Luckily, I would be able to set aside the everyday things for one day, so I agreed to go.             Weavers Needle seen through a saddle   Dutch-Hunting in LaBarge Canyon by Rick Woods Copyright 2001 After five years of studying the literature and talking to people more knowledgeable than myself, I finally came up with a glimmer of an idea of where to look for the Dutchman mine. The process basically consisted of picking a subset of clues that seem to compliment each other from the overwhelming mass of contradictory clues, and trying to apply them to an area within the Superstitions. I chose the area of La Barge Canyon just south of Battleship Mountain, based on the following collection of clues: From atop a ridge above the mine, the Four Peaks align and appear as one. Map study suggested that from this point in La Barge, this would be the case. Several clues suggest that the mine is high on a west-facing slope. The mine is in a tributary canyon off of a north-south running canyon, which is heavily overgrown. There are stone ruins at the head of this canyon. Although I have never seen them, I have read of such ruins at the head of La Barge Canyon. La Barge runs north-south, and there is a tributary canyon leading east up Geronimo Head/Malapais Mountain about half-way down Battleship Mountain. This side canyon was my target. Tom Glover's book speaks of elevated levels of mercury in the atmosphere above La Barge, which supposedly indicates mineralization in the area. This certainly didn't hurt. Black Mesa ridgeline with Malapais Mountain in the background If you pass three red hills, you've gone too far. You would pass the Red Hills shortly after exiting exiting La Barge Canyon, going southward, at the point where you intersect the Cavalry Trail. These clues seemed to suggest the small side canyon as a good possibility. So, on January 6th, 2001, my buddy Darrell and I set out from First Water trailhead. We traveled up Second Water trail through Garden Valley, finally hooking up with Boulder Canyon trail. This we followed north about a mile until we found a good spot to leave the trail and enter La Barge Canyon. We jumped in the creek bed and began heading south. Initially, the going was rough due to the boulders. We passed an area where the eastern slope of the canyon had the appearance of having been blasted. There were jagged chunks of white rock all the way from high on the slope to the creek bed. This was interesting, but was not our goal. We passed an undercut on the west side that looked slightly like a walled up enclosure, but after careful inspection we decided it was the natural rock and the surrounding soil had been washed away. Also on the west wall, at one point, was a low, shallow cave that had what appeared to be a charcoal drawing of a box (house?) with a cross on top of it. This didn't appear to be very old, and we dismissed it as graffiti. When we finally came to the side canyon, we had to do some scrambling to get to the mouth, where we then climbed a short steep dry waterfall. The grade became much gentler after that. We went about ¾ to 1 mile up the canyon, but saw no signs of anything - ruins, petroglyphs, tailings, nothing. By this time it was about noon, and we still had a long way to go to get back to the car before dark, so we decided to turn around. It was obvious at this time that I had misjudged the terrain. The canyon continued for a considerable distance, and the terrain was beginning to look more interesting, but Geronimo Head/ Malapais was far too high to make a "short climb" to the top to see the four peaks as one. Had we had more time, the canyon would have taken us pretty much to the top of the mountain, and it's possible that we would have found a location matching that particular clue. But we had to make it back to the car by dark, and Darrell had a knee injury from about seven months previous that was giving him a lot of trouble. So, we turned around and headed back. I 'd still like to check this canyon out more thoroughly. We re-entered La Barge canyon and started fighting our way south. It became more and more overgrown. Then, just about a mile north of the Cavalry Trail, the canyon takes a sharp turn to the northeast, then immediately turns back. This was a beautiful area, where the rock was smoothed by the action of flooding through the bottleneck, and large, deep pools and small waterfalls ran into each other. This went on for about ¼ mile, then the heavy, razor-sharp underbrush returned. Darrell ended up getting pretty bloody in this area, at one point almost impaling his hand on a dead branch during a fall. We finally broke out to the Cavalry Trail, which we took west to Boulder Canyon Trail, then north to Second Water Trail, then retraced our steps back out. It was long after sunset when we reached the car, aching and exhausted. Luckily the moon was near full and we didn't need our flashlights. I still feel that this location has possibilities, but we just didn't have the time to investigate properly.     A week later we all met at First Water Trailhead at 7:00 AM. This trip included Greg, Randy, Larry, Wayne and myself. The hike started out downright cold with an outside air temperature around 19 degrees.   ICE !!! ???  Thought Arizona was always hot ?   We were soon off and heading towards the old first water ranch site. Passing the creek bed we came upon the old well pipe. Greg pointed out that when this well was being drilled Brownie Holmes was attempting to mount a skittish horse just as the drill engine was started. The engine backfired, the horse bolted, and Brownie injured his ankle. This injury ended Brownies ability to search the mountains. Moving past the ranch area we soon reached the flat of Garden Valley. Moving past the ruins, we took a few moments to look at the pottery shards strewn about and discussed the burial mounds located off in the distance. We also discussed the possible location of the Rancheria that was attacked and destroyed by Lt. Dubois back in 1866. We quickly passed through Garden Valley and soon were heading down towards Second Water. Still making good time both Greg and Wayne pointed out the locations of interesting petroglyphs which we all took a few moments to examine. American Indian petroglyph ?   Greg pointed out many other locations where petrogyphs were to be found, but we were all focused on reaching the mine site. The numerous markings would have to wait for another hike, another time. Reaching the bottom of the Second Water Canyon at the confluence with Boulder we realized just how cold it was. The creek had iced over in the pools. It was about a quarter of an inch thick and as smooth and clear as glass. Since all of us had been here when the heat was almost unbearable I think we all took a picture. It is  kind of tough to see, but Wayne is holding a piece of ice as a bundled up Larry looks on. We continued on and soon reached the area to start the search. After a short break we lightened our load and headed out on the last push towards the site which Greg had last visited years before. It did not take long to find the spot. Greg photographs every hike, coordinating each photo with a topographical view, which includes a detailed direction of the photo. The mine itself is located under a house-sized boulder, which had fallen, unknown years ago, onto another boulder forming a cave. The opening is located at the extreme back of this cave. Larry standing at the entrance to the entrance. You have to climb under the rock, back in about thirty feet or so to actually get to the entrance. For the life of me I cannot understand what possessed Chuning to start digging there. Entrance to the mine.   We were kind of strung out at this point so we waited until everyone reached the spot. It is a fairly large area so we all climbed inside to take a look. There was a small amount of debris, which had to be moved aside. Once this was completed Randy was unanimously elected to venture in first, primarily due to his fit and trim presence. A task he willingly accepted. After a flashlight scan for critters, down he went headfirst. Its a little hairy going into a small hole in the ground not knowing if something else lives there. Little did we know.   Kevin near a rock monument.   Randy gave the all clear and down we went by twos. Randy soon met the present owner of the mine. "SKUNK" was heard from the hole, but little more, as it was soon discovered that for a Skunk he was a rather tolerant fellow. Scared but tolerant. So two by two we each took turns sharing his warm home for a few moments. The mine itself was an incredible piece of work for a man by himself. It extended back about twenty feet, made a 90 degree turn, and extended another thirty in and cut entirely into a hard form of decomposed granite. We couldnt actually walk right up to the end of the tunnel since the present owner was occupying that portion of the mine. He put up with us, but in that small area, none of us wanted to get too close. All he wants is to be left in peace............   Wayne is keeping an eye on the critter while Greg is setting up behind him to take a picture. Surprisingly, at least to me, there were no remnants of the mining activity left in the mine. No broken bits, candle holders, or even an old can. This is Greg getting that one last shot past the 90-degree bend at the end of the mine where, 100 years ago, Chuning finally said, "Enough is enough." All to soon it was time for all of us to say the same and leave the mine to it's present owner. On the way back to a rendezvous point we all chose our own course and each did a little exploring in the area. While doing so I stumbled upon what appears to be one of Chunings claim markers. It was located roughly 200 yards away from the mine. I was hoping to find a can with a claim inside (at which point, I would have had to pack out the trash) but no dice. Looking between the monument rocks revealed nothing.   Here's a sample of the material Chuning was working.   We all converged a short time later and had lunch in a wonderfully scenic spot. We reminisced on what we had found and seen on this hike. We talked of what it must have been like for John Chuning, alone in this desolate spot, working his mine. We also spoke of hikes past, the memorable friends, acquantances, places and things. As we talked and ate I couldn't help but think of Greg. The innumerable places and people he was lucky enough to have done this very same thing with over the years. All too soon we were on the trail, heading back out of the mountains. Past the Paint Mine, up Boulder Canyon, the long haul through Second Water, the welcome flat of Garden Valley, and finally back to First Water Trailhead. A great hike not soon to be forgotten.   The Bark Notes Who's this handsome guy?     The Mysterious Cave by Rick Woods     Copyright 2001 One day in the early-to-mid 1980's, My wife and I decided to hike up into Hieroglyphic Canyon. When we got to King's Ranch, we discovered that we had no way to get to the trailhead, as it is on private land and trespassing was prohibited. We studied our map, and decided we could park off Peralta Road, and hike west cross-country until we picked up the Hieroglyphic Trail. On our way east on State Route 60, we saw on the southern slope of Superstition Mountain what appeared to be a waterfall. We pulled over and looked through our binoculars, and it was a waterfall. We immediately changed our destination. We parked off Peralta Road as planned, and began hiking west. There were a lot of cows. We finally reached the point where we planned to head north towards the mountain, and did so. We went up the canyon that appears on the topo maps as the second canyon east of Hieroglyphic Canyon, and which goes between two buttes along the south face of Superstition Mountain. I remember the two buttes distinctly. There was no trail, and the brush was very thick and dangerous, since it was all boulders and you could never tell where there was ground and where there wasn't. Luckily, it was cold and there were no snakes. It took a long time to get up to the waterfall. As we headed into the canyon going north, we came to a small flat area next to where the water fell creating a pool - a beach of sorts. At this point, the canyon hooked to the east a little, creating an alcove. The waterfall was at the northeast, then the wall curved back on itself, creating a north-facing wall that was invisible from outside the immediate area. Up on this hidden wall was a cave. The remarkable thing was the aluminum extension ladder leading up to the cave. My wife wanted to go explore the cave, but I had seen too many action movies and I was visualizing trip wires and shotguns. I did not know anything of the Dutchman lore at the time, but I did know that some dangerous characters frequented the Superstitions, and whoever had gone to all the trouble of bringing that big ladder out to this extremely hard-to-reach spot obviously did not want to be disturbed. We ate our lunch and started back. On the way, my wife had a mishap on a boulder and badly bashed her shin. She began going into shock and shivering violently, and I held her and warmed her up. Somehow, we managed to get back to the car and get home. Since that trip, I had been wondering who was using the cave. I've been meaning to go back and check it out with someone who is also armed and can cover me. I've never seen any reference to that cave except for possibly one: On the inside back cover of Barney Barnard's booklet (mine is the seventh edition), there is a map. On the bottom left, between "King's Ranch Resort" and "Old Jim Bark Ranch" is "Old Cave", and an arrow that points to the approximate location. On Saturday, 02/03/2001, I made the trip back to the waterfall/cave area that I had visited with my wife nearly twenty years earlier. I couldn't find anyone to accompany me, so I went alone. As it turned out, I really wish I had had someone with me. I parked my jeep about two miles west of Peralta Road. At the first place I parked, there was someone shooting a large gun to the east, and I heard several voices to the west. Not particularly wanting to encounter anyone, I drove the jeep about 2/3 of a mile farther down the trail, and parked outside a cattle gate. I went through the gate and began walking along the old jeep road. After a couple of miles, I left the road and started cutting northwest through some extremely rough terrain. I ended up spraining my ankle slightly on the way in, but it wasn't too bad and there was nothing I could do about it anyway. A mile or two of this type of travel brought me to the head of the canyon I was looking for, the one passing between the two buttes. As I made my approach, I came to what appeared to be a rock wall. It was about 30 feet long and maybe 4-5 feet high, constructed of stacked medium-sized stones. It looked artificial, but it didn't seem to be part of anything; there was no sign of any other man-made structures in the area, at least that I could see. The area was, however, completely overgrown with extremely hostile vegetation, so I could well have missed something. The wall was on the east bank of the creek bed that went up the canyon I was heading into, and on the other side (west side) of the wall, it dropped fairly steeply into the creek. I speculated that it could have been a blind for hunting, or perhaps a barrier for fighting. I was pretty much bushed by the time I made it to the waterfall. Everything was pretty much as I remembered, but the waterfall was only a trickle. The aluminum ladder was still there, but across the canyon (on the north side) from the cave for some reason. At this point, I must say that although this was definitely the same canyon I had visited before, there is no way the waterfall could possibly have been seen from the road. I can only assume that on that day long ago, we saw some other waterfall in some other canyon, and did not end up reaching it. There was a very steep alluvium leading up to the cave, covered with very loose rock. I scrambled and slipped my way up to the base of the cliff, some 75 feet or so above the canyon floor. At the base of the cliff was a man-made undercut, with an old dilapidated leather satchel in it. In my head, I began to hear the Indiana Jones theme music. I cut a branch from a bush and gently fished the satchel out, holding my breath. It was empty. There was an old rusty rake head nearby. From the base of the cliff, the only way to reach the cave was up a narrow, absolutely vertical chimney which had an old, knotted hemp rope hanging down the 25 feet from the cave. At the bottom of the rope was a very small man-made shaft, angling upward at about a 20 degree angle. I dropped my pack, and climbed the rope to the cave area. The rope was fastened to an old rusty metal bar wedged into a crevice at the foot of the cave. Just below the top of the rope, was another shaft, roughly three feet high and 12-18 inches wide. There were animal tracks leading into it, including one track that could have been lion, but mostly small critter tracks. I pulled out my flashlight and began crawling in. The shaft went in about ten or twelve feet, then appeared to widen out into a substantial room-sized cave. I had only crawled about five or six feet into the shaft, when it narrowed slightly and I felt myself beginning to get wedged in. I gave a strong push backward and freed myself easily enough, but I didn't want to try again, as I was alone and if I got into trouble it would be just too bad for me. Besides, the air was so musty and dusty that I could hardly breathe. I think I could have made it in if I could have taken off my shoulder holsters, but there was no place to put them down so that they wouldn't slip back down the slope. I couldn't reach the actual cave, as the rope was fastened about 6-8 feet below the cave proper, and beyond that point I had nothing to hold on to. Again, if I had had someone with me, I would have tried it. I threw a rock up into the cave to see if it would fall through into the room at the end of the shaft, but it didn't. The cave seemed more like a big crack, and from my vantage point I couldn't tell whether or not it actually had a floor that you could stand on. There was another, smaller cave around a dangerous-looking outcropping, and the two may have been joined, but I didn't try to reach it. I was tired, and starting to slip and stumble, and I didn't feel confident of reaching it in one piece. I climbed back down the rope and scuffled back to the floor of the canyon, had a bite to eat, then started back. The hike out was just as strenuous as the hike in, and the multitude of jeep roads was confusing, but I finally made it back, completely beat. I want to go back yet again, with someone to pull me out of the cave if I get stuck, and with a brighter flashlight. I am writing this on the same day, while it is fresh in my mind, and as I enjoy the effects of a hot shower, a cold beer, and several aspirin. The Superstitions were absolutely beautiful today, I couldn't have picked a better day for my trip.

My First Dutch Hunt

(Sort of)

by Rick Woods

I started catching "Dutchman Fever" back in 1995, when I bought my copy of "The Hikers Guide to the Superstition Wilderness" by Jack Carlson and Elizabeth Stewart. This, to me, is the Bible of Superstition hiking. I had been hiking the mountains for 15 years, but I had never really had any exposure to the rich history and lore of the area until I got this book. As my interest grew, I started collecting all the books and pamphlets. (Besides the SMHS, my main source of titles to look for has been Doug Stewart's "Tale of the Lost Dutchman" website, which is terrific). After reading everything I could get my hands on, I finally decided it was time to look for myself. But how exactly do you go about Dutch hunting?

At first, I decided to check out the spot indicated in Karl and Alice Sidinger's "A New Trail to the Dutchman." This would have required rappelling down a cliff to the alleged mine - very appealing. I learned to rappel and everything. 
Then, I took a preliminary hike to survey the site. Jeez! Not only was the terrain completely user-hostile, but I never even found the exact location! I did, however, do a lot of butt-sliding, clinging to steep cliffs, and spraining of various limbs. I decided that this was for the birds, since I wasn't about to carry a backpack, much less rappelling gear, over that miserable terrain. I resolved to hunt somewhere with a good camping spot nearby.

Day 1: On Thursday, November 9^th, 2000, my camping buddy Darrell  and I set off from Peralta Trailhead for Charlebois for four days of exploration. (I had started letting my whiskers grow a few days earlier, to sort of get that Dutchman effect, you know). At the trailhead, there is a $4.00 per day parking fee, and a machine so you can pay by credit card! This blew me away - things ain't what they used to be!

The day was chilly and clear. We went in via Bluff Springs trail (Jack and Elizabeth said it was the quickest route - trip 9), then took the Dutchman's trail north from Bluff Spring. We were cruising most successfully when we suddenly heard a rattlesnake right next to us - he was hidden under a prickly pear cactus! We stopped dead, and were trying to pinpoint the sound, when we realized this was a really wimpy rattle. After a moment, we found him - this poor (enormous) half-frozen snake, trying his best to scare us off, but so cold that when we circled around to see him better, he couldn't even follow us with his head. We admired his nerve for a moment, then left him alone and went on our way.

La Barge came into view, like a beautiful emerald tucked into the fold of the mountains below and ahead of us. We took a break there, and I went looking for the cement tank at the spring. I had been told that the Forest Service was tearing out all that kind of stuff, and I sure couldn't find it. The brush was so thick, though, I might have missed it. Just north of La Barge, the trail goes through some really, really dense wood, which was very spooky. We made jokes about the Forest Primeval, the La Barge Witch Project, etc. (we are easily amused when hiking). There was plentiful water all along the way.

We finally got to Charlebois (not a moment too soon), and set up camp. We then got to the serious business of dinner, a great meal of dehydrated beef stroganoff and tequila shooters (with nice fresh lemon slices - yum!), followed by the traditional cigars. We then built a cheery little fire and sat around discussing the issues of the day, as is our wont. I told Darrell the story of the Peraltas, the Dutchman, Adolph Ruth, Barry Storm, and the Piper-Jones feud. As I spoke, I couldn't help but think how bland and monotone my speech sounded compared to the talk I heard Clay Worst give about Al Reser a couple of weeks earlier, and which had brought me to tears. However, Darrell wasn't critical, and it was an excellent evening all told.

Day 2: Next morning, we woke up around 8:00. It wasn't clear anymore, and it began to drizzle even as we were rain-proofing the camp. After a quick breakfast, we set out in the light rain for the day's exploration. Our first target was to see the big "X" referred to in Charles Kenworthy's book "Treasure Secrets of the Lost Dutchman." It's on a big outcropping of rock about ÃÆ'‚¾ mile west of Charlebois, on the south side of Dutchman's trail. As we hiked, we just couldn't identify the outcropping. Nothing looked right. We finally admitted defeat, and decided to hike to the top of Black Top Mesa to see the "Spanish Hieroglyphics," which Darrell had never seen. As we hiked up Bull Pass trail, we happened to look back. Presto! There was the exact view of the outcropping that Kenworthy shows (via telephoto lens) on the back of his book. We looked through my binoculars at the "X", which is huge and easy to see. It looks considerably more artificial in his picture than it does in person! In fact, it looked downright natural! We ended up not climbing the outcropping to look closer.

We got to the "ORO" writing at the SE corner of Black Top, and stopped to eat a Power Bar and take pictures. On the back (cliff) side of the ORO rock there are some more petroglyphs, as well as "J. WALTZ 1888". Very funny! Someone's idea of a joke, I guess. (Somehow, I just can't picture a 78-year-old Dutchman climbing Black Top, then hanging off the edge to scratch his name). We then started to search for more rocks with carvings. We found the one with the cross, then I started looking for one I remembered reading about that says "STORM 1938". We didn't find that one, and I couldn't remember where I saw the reference (it was Jack Carlson's article in SMHS Journal Vol. 14). Finally, we decided to come down off the mesa rather than freeze. On the way back to Charlebois, I hit the jackpot - I found a small rock with several flecks of gold in it! ( It has to be gold. Running around with a crazed look in my eyes, yelling "Pyrites! It's PYRITES, I tell you! Hahahahahahahaha!!!" just doesn't have the right effect. I know, I tried it both ways).

We trudged back to camp in the drizzle. At one point, we passed a really interesting rock with a mangled cactus growing out of the top (undoubtedly a treasure marker of some sort). When we got close to camp, we tried to find the "Peralta Master Map", but I couldn't remember exactly where it was. (It was right next to our camp, if I'd only had my Hiker's Guide with me!).We did spot Triangle Cave up on Malapais Mountain. Funny, I've never seen that cave mentioned anywhere except on that A&E video about the Lost Dutchman.

Once back in camp, we built another fire and had our dehydrated feast for the evening. Afterwards, having polished off my tequila the previous evening, we were forced to work on Darrell's Southern Comfort to accompany our cigars. Oh the privation! It rained all night and we turned in early. Our tents didn't ventilate very well, and we both woke up soaked in the morning.

Day 3: The rain stopped, and it was partly cloudy and completely beautiful. Over breakfast, we discussed the plan for the day: hike down Red Tanks trail to Upper La Barge box, and explore the Caverna con Casa that George Johnston wrote about in SMHS Journal Vol 13. For some reason, I thought it was the cave at the west end of the box, on the north slope, which is marked on the USGS map. Darrell and I labored up the steep slope to the cave, only to discover we had found Caverna con Guano! It must be bat heaven in there at times, although it was unoccupied when we visited it. There wasn't a trace of a Casa in it. We took some pictures, then labored back down.

On the way to the cave, we had seen some enormous mountain lion prints on the trail, heading north toward Charlebois. This was not lost on us! Then, on the way back to camp, just after we passed the point where the tracks left the trail, we suddenly heard something in the bushes. We both froze! Lion? Javelina? Aliens? Finally, I decided to force the issue and yelled "Boo!" For a moment, nothing happened - then, we heard more noises and saw movement in the brush. We inched forward, acutely aware of our newly- downgraded position in the food chain. Suddenly, we passed a break in the brush and realized it was a camp, and it was a person that was moving! We started breathing again, then laughed, and I called an embarrassed "Oops, sorry" to them. They laughed too, and we continued on to our camp. Once again we didn't find the Master Map, but we had another excellent evening, complete with campfire, dinner, and coffee.

Day 4: Time to pack up and head back. We looked in vain for the Master Map all the way down to La Barge, then gave it up. We passed several people (almost the only people we had seen on the trip), mostly day hikers. Then, as we entered Bark's Canyon from the north, we came over the rise and surprised some poor lady using the bush next to the trail! We immediately stopped and turned our backs until she yelled it was OK. She was so embarrassed! She said she guessed she could have moved farther from the trail. We just chuckled - I mean, there are two types of hikers: those who have been busted using the bushes, and those who lie about it. Farther south, we saw some rock climbers working their way up the steep cliffs on the west side of Bark's Canyon. Whuff - not for this little black duck!

Finally, there it was - the parking lot! We sat on the tailgate and sank a couple of beers (a tradition with us), enjoying the alarmed looks of the day hikers who hurried past us. The campers I had yelled "boo" at came out after us (two young men and a young woman), and we offered them a beer. They had their own ice chest waiting at their truck, however, so we went over and swapped stories with them for about an hour. They were very funny, and we had a lot of fun talking with them. At one point a short beer-belching contest developed between the girl and myself, but she was too good, and I conceded. Finally, we all headed home.

We only saw about half of the things we set out to see, but the trip was a lot of fun and the wilderness was absolutely beautiful. I'm planning at least one more trip this fall/winter, to find the stuff I missed this time. I have a suspicion that many Dutch-hunting trips are similar to ours - just an excuse to get out into the Wilderness for a few days.

But this trip was special: I found gold in the Superstitions! Woohoo!

 

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Hiker's Guide to the Superstition Mountains
By Jack Carlson & Elizabeth Stewart

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