Saturday November 25, 39.6km/24.6mi

Woolsey Spring (246.7/1010ft) to Base of Saddle Mountain (271.3/1320ft) (AZ)

We started off at 6:15am, which is noticeably dark now that we are further west.

After 30 minutes we left our dirt road, which was good timing since it was now light enough to easily walk in the wash.

We hiked in a wash or xc all morning, and eventually the sunlight started to reach our little valley between the mountains.

Morning hiking is the best hiking!

We crossed over a little pass, where TopShelf decided to invent an alternate route, so we got a little separated for a few minutes. The descent from the pass was down another wash, but this one had cool little potholes of water in the rocks.

It also started to look a little like a mini-canyon, as we continued down it.

By 10am, we had finished our wash and xc hiking, and emerged onto an old dirt road, which led us to train tracks. Unfortunately, there was also a train parked on them, which made getting across a little difficult.

The train was apparently abandoned, as it looked like it hadn’t been moved in many months, maybe years. We climbed over.

We had a break by the train, enjoying our snacks and beverages. I made crystal light, sometimes it’s nice to have a flavor other than plain water. Afterwards we hiked on roads towards our destination for tonight, Saddle Mountain.

After lunch, we came across some private property next to the road, which had these weird carved signs on the fence.

The afternoon was uneventful, and relaxing on the maze of old dirt roads that led us steadily towards Saddle Mountain. It was relaxing to watch the sunset over the nearby hills.

We arrived to camp at 5:45pm and setup in the waning daylight. Another long but easy day!