Last week, when we were on top of
Hancock Peak, we could see an interesting mountain off to the north. Tom said it was a peak known as Adams Head and was one of his favorite hikes he's done in the last couple of years. He said there was a maintained ridgeline trail that went to the top and it provided incredible views all along the route. With a recommendation like that, and the fall leaves changing colors, we quickly made plans to celebrate our 34th wedding anniversary with what has become a tradition for us - a hike!
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| Adams Head (10,426 ft) can be seen off to our west as we drive along FR125 |
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| The trailhead is well marked with ample parking for two or three vehicles |
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| An Astragalus! We've seen a few of these on recent hikes . . . they are so unique |
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| The trail was well maintained and the views were amazing! |
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Remnants of the Sandford Wildland Fire . . .
78,000 acres burned in 2002 |
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| Blue Flax |
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| We stopped for a quick selfie since this an anniversary hike for us! |
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Hunt Creek Trail junction
(We possibly will use this trail to hike Crow Peak sometime in the future) |
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Wow, not only are the views amazing . . . the fall colors were spectacular!
If there is anything good about a massive fire,
Then it must be the aspens that are some of the first vegetation to return and carpet the land |
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| Adams Head Benchmark 10,426 elevation |
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| We could see the Powell marker on the east end . . . so we went to check it out |
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John Wesley Powell Survey Cairn (circa 1871-72)
This was built when Powell retraced part of his 1869 expedition of the Grand Canyon |
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Looking back at some of the cliffs on Adams Head and the location of the benchmark
Hancock Peak, which we hiked last week, is one of the distant "bumps" on the ridgeline |
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Ever wonder what happens to a balloon when you set it free?
We picked it up and gave it a proper burial |
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| Looking north towards Mt. Dutton (11,041 ft) . . . you can drive to the summit |
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| Arizona Skyrocket |
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| Heading back toward the trailhead |
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| Layers of color |
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| One last view of Adams Head as we work our way back to Johns Valley Road |
Tom was right! This is an amazing hike with beautiful views in all directions. We can definitely see ourselves doing this one again! Click
here for a link to Tom's Peakbagger.com post and you will find a topo map and GPS tracks for this outstanding trek. We guarantee you'll love this hike!
