Luckily, the forest road leading to the trailhead had dried out enough from the recent rains.

The day was cloudy and temperatures ranged only from 45-55 degrees, but the ten Trailblazers on this hike were thrilled that we were able to sneak this hike in before the next forecasted rainstorm.

The tops of the Mazatzal mountains were dusted with snow, and we could also see snow covering a good part of the Mogollan Rim in the distant skyline, which was a treat for us desert Phoenicians.

Despite some fire damage still lingering from the 2004 Willow Fire, the area is recovering pretty well, and there are plenty of amazing sights along the way. Vegetation includes Pinon, Manzanita, Juniper and Century Plants. Most of the rock in this area is Rhyolite and Porphyritic Jasper, Quartzite, Schists with Quartz veins, and some Slate as well. It was very interesting to see how the forces of nature have gone wild in shaping this mountain. One example is shown in our group photo in front of what I have dubbed “Charlie Brown Mountain”, because of the zig zag ribbons of Quartz visible. Other examples are the vertical, horizontal and curvy rock striations seen in a couple of the other photos.

The rather rocky trail was a little soggy in parts, but that actually was exciting, because we knew it would mean a better show of waterfalls on this trail.

By the end of the trail I counted about 15 waterfalls (probably many more that we couldn’t see from the trail) both near and far. There were also a few places where you could see frozen mini waterfalls.

We could hear the powerful sound of the water rushing by throughout most of the hike, which motivated us to push on with the steady climb, especially when we would begin to round a corner and hear water coming from yet another new direction.

One part of the canyon in particular had a great echo quality, so as the group became spread out along the trail, we could still sound out a welcome call across the canyon to each other. A couple of us tested out the small patches of snow on the trail, and found that it was fairly decent packing snow. Luckily, only a couple of snowballs were wielded!

Our lunch spot and turnaround point was at the Big Kahuna waterfall, whose name was fitting, and the deep red rock color was gorgeous.

Half of the group did a bit of exploring there before eating, and were treated to a hidden waterfall for their efforts. Those who ate their lunch first were becoming a bit chilly by the time the rest of us returned from our adventure, so they started back to the trailhead while we had a quick bite.

Once back at the trailhead, Rudy asked if anyone wanted to make a quick stop on the way back to see three crested saguaros (around the Four Peaks road area).

So, most everyone joined him on an off-trail adventure in search of those special saguaros.

Although it took longer than expected, sure enough, we did see two of those three cacti.

Although we were enjoying the sun that had finally popped out for the end of the day, some of us had our fill of cat’s claw by then, so we decided to skip the third one and head back.

Total hike distance for Barnhardt Trail was 6.25 miles, plus possibly another mile or two for the side trip (crested saguaro hunt).

A couple of us remarked that perhaps we should make Barnhardt an annual hike for the club, so until next time...!