Viewing posts about Malapais Mountain.

Tortilla Peak

Morning light on Tortilla Peak

Yellow rock on Tortilla Peak shone in the early morning light. I stood and panted in the valley below, cold air rushing in and out of my mouth, already out of breath from the quick mile of rocky hiking in from the trailhead. With some guesswork I could make out my planned route to the peak: cut…

  • Category Hiking
  • Posted January 23, 2017
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Establishing Hiking Tiers

For the last eight years I've embarked on a wide variety of hikes. Most of them have been easy, quick treks less than five miles in length near or in well-traveled areas. Some hikes, on the other hand, have been fraught with danger. Long distances, remote locations, and difficult off-trail sections…

  • Category Hiking
  • Posted March 4, 2016
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Malapais Loop: Failed Return in Peter's Canyon

Distant view of the winding wash in Peter's Canyon

Peter's Canyon winds and twists for a short distance through the northern Superstitions before joining up with Tortilla Creek and emptying into the Salt River. It starts near Music Mountain, drains the north side of Peter's Mesa and the shoulders of Tortilla Mountain, then cuts a deep gorge next to…

  • Category Hiking
  • Posted February 28, 2016
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Malapais Loop: The Peak of Malapais

Goliath bulk of Malapais Mountain

To reach Malapais Mountain from Geronimo Head meant taking a zig-zag path while avoiding two canyons. One canyon drains south to La Barge and the other north to Peter's, and of course they don't line up nicely. If I wanted to avoid several treacherous drops I had to do the zig-zag and rack up some…

  • Category Hiking
  • Posted February 19, 2016
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Malapais Loop: To Geronimo Head

Dim sunlight over Coronado Mesa

One location in the Superstition Wilderness that has been on my hiking todo list for months is Malapais Mountain. When Chris and I first ventured beyond Black Mesa to Boulder Canyon and Battleship Mountain it dominated the eastern horizon like a giant, lurking monster. I took one look at the thing…

  • Category Hiking
  • Posted February 13, 2016
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Battleship Mountain and Yellow Peak

Humbling climb ahead

Anticipation grew as we zipped along the old Apache Trail northeast of Phoenix. For the last few months Chris and I had hiked around the city and slowly started to venture into the Superstition Wilderness. So far we had only tackled the very westernmost sections of the wilderness, climbing up…

  • Category Hiking
  • Posted February 15, 2015
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