GET 2017 Day 16, May 11, Thursday.
Start Salt Trap Road just after intersection with Solomon Pass Road, Segment 12 mile 14.8 of 21.9
End Segment 13 mile 12.9, down from the Bellmeyer Saddle
Miles walked: 20
The route goes up a “braided wash” for a few miles.
Then up a road…
…And down the other side.
The trailhead is pretty lonely.
The route that follows is a mixture of trail, wash, and dirt road.
I enjoy a narrow slot canyon. Watch out for that rock.
Cool formations on the way up Turtle Mountain reward the climb.
The trail crosses onto a tiny sliver of San Carlos Apache reservation at the saddle. Here is the view.
On the way down is the traditional breaking of the trekking pole during a fall. I seem to break one every long trip.
The trails today have often been faint and hard to follow, and overgrown with shrubs like mesquite. After a few days of faint trails, my “Trail Eyes” kick in, and finding a faint path becomes automatic and does not require my entire concentration.