Yes, I think it actually started with “It was a dark and stormy night...” Or maybe not. When you live in a place that brags about 300+ sunny days a year, sometimes your vision gets skewed. The clouds were somewhat like a mottled pan of monkey bread though. I guess that’s fitting considering the activities I partake and the friends I claim.
The Black Canyon Trail, is a little like a fruit-n-nut bar (sounds a little like the author). It’s a tasty trail with a few tech crunchies thrown in every now and then. A little river crossing (not much of a river to those outside AZ) which, most of the time, is a trickle. Sometimes however, the Agua Fria River flows freely with upstream downpours [
link] and not so freely, like this day.
The trailhead starts at Rock Springs exit, or the south end of Black Canyon City. The segment running north is known as the Kay Mine Segment. The Kay Copper Mine was discovered in 1910, and consisted of a Copper, Gold, Silver, Lead, Zinc mine. In it’s heyday (1925), it was a little over 15,000 feet of tunnels and almost 18,000 of diamond drill holes.
2 Boots Junction marks the intersection of the trail with a jeep road, although currently, there are more than two boots.
The Black Canyon Trail Coalition [
bctaz] has done a fantastic job of trail building, organizing and mobilizing individuals to create such a trail. The equestrians, hikers, and bikers, all coming together to build a pretty spectacular piece of trail. All the way down to cattle guards and gates.
It was a good ride, and I don’t know if it was the cloudy light or the recent light rains, but the lichens were neon, more neon than a Cyndi Lauper True Colors video.
Finally, the OAB (out and back) was complete, sandwiches were consumed, and streams were crossed. That meant the completion of the ride, and the end of this story. The BCT is just a fun place to be, along with some excellent views. Which, leads to a plug for the AZ Spring Fling, it's right around the corner you know...
AZSF 2012 Ride Thread (updated periodically)
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