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Pueblo Canyon Hike
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November 16, 2024
by Robert Plowman

Our weekend adventure consisted of only six hikers and two HC 4x4 vehicles. The weather was excellent – cool, cloudy, only a short sprinkle of rain at the very start and the very end.

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Cherry Creek. [photo by Li]

The club had last hiked Devil's Chasm in March of 2022. I had intended to lead this trip again in the spring of 2023 and 2024, but both years the stream flow was too high to safely cross. This fall, Cherry Creek was the lowest that I can recall. Beyond the last stream crossing, the remaining few miles of road have deteriorated, almost at the limit of what my stock Jeep Wrangler could manage.

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Time to start hiking. Terry, Joyce, Robert, Anna. [photo by Li]

Driving the 3 miles from Devil's Chasm trailhead to Pueblo Canyon took longer than we expected. We started hiking at 11:00 and finished at 4:30, leaving us just enough time to get back and set up camp before dark. I last hiked the Pueblo Canyon ruin trail about six years ago, since then the brush has grown thicker, which slowed us down so much that we ran out of time and were only able to explore the first ruin. The waterfall at the back of the canyon was barely a trickle. We met two other hikers on the way up, one of whom fell and broke his arm on the way back.

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Pueblo Canyon ruins. Anna, Robert, Li, Robyn. [photo by Li]

We were fortunate in terms of weather and water levels, but the shorter daylight hours were a limiting factor. Night time temps stayed above freezing, but our campfire was very welcome.
A couple of hints for staying warm while sleeping in cold weather camping:
1. Zip up your coat and pull it over the end of your sleeping bag to keep your feet warmer.
2. Wear socks over your hands.

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Arizona Trailblazers Hiking Club, Phoenix, Arizona updated December 21, 2024
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