I’ve been on high of the mountain a few instances over the previous years. The first time was with my spouse. We hadn’t had the TJ very lengthy and I discovered about this little mountain high spot from a web page on the Internet. It is the location of a Twenties Smithsonian Solar Observatory. They constructed a few buildings and looked for this factor known as the “photo voltaic fixed” for the following 5 years. They took every kind of measurements with some particular photo voltaic telescopes and different units however the concept turned out to be a bust. One of the 2 buildings nonetheless stay, and it’s a good little trip up this 10.5 mile 4×4 path….or at the least it was.
On Dec.9, 2000, myself and 5 different automobiles (half of them Jeeps) headed out to the path head. This was a enjoyable run….no rock crawling, only a good simple path trip. I used to be main a gaggle of principally ham radio operators that I’ve ran a couple of trails with up to now. A few the parents had been new to the group (or at the least new to me) and they had been getting an opportunity to try the 4LO vary on their switch case. The climate was nice for December, sunny and temps within the excessive 50s, and the purpose was to make the mountain high by midday and have a pleasant as soon as we had been there.
We hit the path head round 9:30 or so. The path begins if you exit the little 2 lane black high highway and head west in direction of the mountains. There has been a small signal alongside the aspect of the highway saying the path. That was it. From that time on, you wound your means up the mountain’s many switchbacks and ran the ridge line till you hit the summit.
Well, immediately was totally different.
The very first thing we see is that this king measurement signal. “Back County Byway” What the heck is that? At first I assumed I had taken the mistaken path off the freeway. I shortly checked my GPS and confirmed the trailhead’s waypoint. No….that is the suitable place. Where within the heck did that signal come from?
A couple of hundred yards down the path and we discover an enormous pull off space to the suitable. Geez…..it has parking areas in it, an out home, and fairly little shaded constructions with BLM info shows arrange in them. They even made little walkways to the out home by arranging rocks alongside an imaginary path. Follow the yellow brick highway!
Oh boy….right here we go….my tax {dollars} onerous at work! I can’t consider it. What was as soon as a insignificant little 4×4 path to the mountain high seems to changing into somebody’s pet again nation byway!
The high of the mountain has modified fairly a bit too. There are a number of parking areas the place there was as soon as easy mountain high. I assume they figured they had to have the parking areas up right here since somebody is planning on having a bunch of automobiles expertise this again nation byway.
Woops…this isn’t too cool. A bit previous the car parking zone I discover some huge rocks and a picnic desk. Now the rocks will not be an issue. My TJ can climb over them, and the picnic desk can in all probability be circumvented….however what you’re looking at is a path….oops….I ought to was a path….at the least it was the final time I used to be up right here. Follow the yellow brick highway and keep the heck out of those off-limits areas! I assume with all of those automobiles developing right here now, they don’t need you wandering round up right here together with your car. Better to simply stick them within the two new parking heaps like good little off-roaders.
Now hey….the man that thought this one up was fairly good. Who within the heck would have ever thought that I would want 4 wheel drive on a 4 wheel drive path? And to high it off, it by no means would have crossed my thoughts that this 4 wheel drive path would have twisty turns in it. Amazing! As you possibly can see, extra of my tax {dollars} at work to make my again nation byway expertise even higher. You know what? On the best way up to the mountain, we handed a BLM ranger car…..AND I WAS IN 2WD WHEN I PASSED HIM! HA HA HA! I used to be in all probability fortunate he didn’t pull me over and verify my t-case shift lever.
I assumed I might save the worst for final. One of the blokes made a joke, as we had been climbing the mountain, about paving the path so the SUV grocery getters wouldn’t get caught. We rounded a good flip and certain sufficient….the BLM path gurus had laid about 100 yards of concrete on our 4×4 path. Maybe they had been anxious in regards to the Lincoln or Cadillac SUVs not having the ability to get any traction with their road tires. Now keep in mind, I ran this path a number of instances when my TJ was inventory. I assume some nice path engineer figured this part was going to wash away. WHAT A JOKE! Oh sure….extra of my tax {dollars} onerous at work….oops….I imply hardly at work!
This was in all probability my final journey to Harquahala Mountain. As I stated, the final time there it was simply this straightforward little 4×4 path with some ruts, a couple of washed out areas, and a whole lot of fairly surroundings. The surroundings continues to be fairly, the path has been bulldozed roughly flat, and with luck, there is likely to be some ruts after the following monsoon season (though they in all probability received’t allow them to keep very lengthy).
The unhappy half is that the land administration of us will now in all probability shut two dozen different close to by trails as a result of they spent their finances wad on this mess and they can’t afford to let the opposite ones simply be a plain previous 4×4 path anymore. IMO, they ought to have left this lovely path alone and used the cash to implement the present BLM guidelines (ie., rent some extra rangers and catch the rednecks trashing these areas nearer to the inhabitants facilities).
