In honor of George Washington chopping down a tree when he was a kid...
Let's do the Cherry Creek Trail!

The trails should be tame, but the adventure and getting away from civilization will make up for it! The itenerary is loose and we could rearrange it anyway to meet the needs of those attending. Here's a rough go at it:

Saturday Meet at Hwy 60/Idaho Road at the Texaco/Waffle House at 9:00am. We'll depart at 9:30. We'll be taking the Apache Trail to Tortilla Flat for some early morning Prickly Pear Ice Cream or a top off on the coffee, then on to the Fish Creek Hill and Roosevelt Dam. We can do a stop at Tonto National Monument. Then we'll make progress around the southern end of Roosevelt Lake and start heading up the Cherry Creek Road. Camp will be at the base of the Sierra Anchas near the Devils Chasm! Set-up camp!
Sunday will be a minimal driving day. We will hike up into Pueblo Canyon to attempt to find the cliff dwellings. (Bring your cameras, but not your GPS! to keep it a secret!) We'll return to camp and enjoy our adventure around a campfire. (Optionally we could complete the Cherry Creek portion and camp up in the timber on top. This option would get us home sooner on Monday)
Monday we'll complete the Cherry Creek Road and start the trip back to civilization via the Globe/Young Highway. Should be back in the east valley by 1pm.

Supplies:
Spare fuel (5 gal minimum) as there are no fill stations anywhere along this route, camping equipment (could be chilly at 4000 feet), water (1 gal/person/day), food, firewood if you are inclined and the more the better (the area did burn recently so dead fuel might be slim).


The Sierra Ancha includes abundant archaeological remains, especially in the form of cliff dwellings in the rugged canyons opening eastward toward Cherry Creek. The identity of the Native American builders of these structures remains uncertain, but the sites show characteristics of both the Salado and Mogollon cultures. Tree-ring dating of roof beams from the sites suggests that construction began in the late 1280s AD, and that the structures were abandoned by 1350 AD.
The highest point in the range is Aztec Peak, at an elevation of 7694 ft. This summit is the site of a U.S. Forest Service fire lookout once staffed by noted Arizona essayist and novelist Edward Abbey.

Like I said this is a wide open agenda. Post your thoughts. Anyone and everyone is invited. Could be fun for families too!

Please post up the following info: Name, number of adults/kids, days of attendance, and if you will be doing the hike to the ruins.
Attendees
TRDjonnie, 1 adult, 3 days, hiking
tibaal89, 1 adult, 3 days, hiking
R2FJ, 2 adults, 3 days, hiking
crazcarWes, 2 adults, 3 days, hiking
Homedad, 1 adult, 1 jr.,
CactusCruizer 1 adult,
SpeshulEd 1 day

mrfinchy????
gHost????

SOLD!! I'm in...

Sounds good. We still haven't figured out how to tie the fuel cans down, but I'm sure we can figure pout something. Any idea on the mileage we'll be driving from the nearest gas station? Just so we have an idea.

I'm definitely down for this.

I think it was 240 miles between gas stations, I do know that I did it on fumes.
And I can always strap stuff on my roof if anyone needs it. R2 don't you have a roof rack? Those bars are moveable I believe, so you could snug a fuel can up there. Check with Wes he made a setup for the fuel cans on his rack....or Big thick black Bungees! Either way!

Oh man I want to do this!

I don't think they like drilling on the R2FJ but I have been thinking about a way of putting racks up there like my gas can rack using the clamps Itanius uses for his hi lift. I think I am going to build a basket type thing for the front of the rack with the same 1" square tube and some expanded metal. I think I also want to incorporate some way to get some quickfist mounts for the axe and shovel too.

Wes

Well, a new roof rack is in the plans, but I'm sure we can figure it out in the meantime....Josh will just have to use some of those engineering skills.

I'm trying to get a confirmation from our friend with the 4Runner, but put him on the list for now.

TRDjonnie wrote:

I think it was 240 miles between gas stations, I do know that I did it on fumes. And I can always strap stuff on my roof if anyone needs it. R2 don't you have a roof rack? Those bars are moveable I believe, so you could snug a fuel can up there. Check with Wes he made a setup for the fuel cans on his rack....or Big thick black Bungees! Either way!

oh we do, no worries. Just looking for the best way to do it.

TRDjonnie wrote:

The trails should be tame, but the adventure and getting away from civilization will make up for it!

Sounds like my kind of trip. Good stuff.

Sold....I'm there..

I have nothing planned that weekend, and maybe if I work a long day the week before, I can sneak off on Monday.

I guess I really need to look into camping gear, gas cans, etc...Also, would this be a pet friendly excursion? I'd have to bring my two dogs. They do ok on baja style runs, but with rock runs and heavy bouncing, they tend to get sick. (I've had more dog barf in the back of my FJ then I ever thought possible!)

sorry to get off topic, but where's a good place to get those gas cans on the cheap?

Jonnie - this sounds fun and my style. I am more into the adventure and camping then the hard core stuff. How "tame" do you think the trail is? I want to try out my new expedition trailer that I am building but I don't have my Lock N Roll coupler (360 degree) on the trailer yet so it would be limited by a traditional coupler. If it is an easy trail then it is no problem, but if it gets technical at then I need to leave the trailer behind.

Thougts?

I may actually be down for this as well.... I don't think my girlfriend has Monday off, though, so we may only do Saturday, camp, and head back on Sunday. I'll have to speak to her about it this week.

Wow! The list grows! AWESOME!

Wes- is that a your in or what? We could make it Vegas style for Angie. And if you need Bday surprises or what not let us know! Anyone know how to make cake on the trail?

Ed- you can get quality cans at Equipt Expeditions, or you can do Wally world...as long as you have a way to secure them. Pets should be ok..this is no Coke Ovens trail. At because of the scenery, i'm sure there will be frequent stops.

Mr.Finchy- the trailer could make it. There are a few spots that are dips (ie washed out), but I'm sure we could get it across to avoid any flipping/jack-knifing. We have engineers in the bunch and we like to do this stuff! Also the trail is a one way loop...so no leaving it behind!

Homedad-awesome! Is jr. coming along?

gHost- The jeep will do fine! There is a possibility for those who need to bug out and be back in the valley on Sunday to do so. You'll just miss the hike to the ruins.

On that note, we will stop at the Tonto Monument. It's $3 a person to hike up to the ruins. I'll call tomorrow to see if I can get a special trip to the upper ruins set up. This is only done with a Park Service Ranger guide. It will give everyone a chance to at least see some ruins along the trip.

With all the rain...and snow up there, this could be an interesting road as it is not maintained. There is chances of washed out portions (similar to the Montana Mtn road). Also there is a major river (cherry ck) crossing at the bottom, hopefully it's not to deep!

As long as everyone is prepared for a camping trip, we can go anywhere we want!

I'm so excited and have never been to the Tonto Monument (that I can remember). Thanks for putting in the extra effort on organizing this!

I think I can swing the weekend too! I've got to get a better bag though, not setup for colder climates.

Is there a post on recommended camping equipment required?