Black Canyon Trail
May 19th, 2002
(Trip Report by Todd Zuercher)
Jon Hanna, Deano and Bonnie Hathaway and I comprised the club contingent that congregated in the Burger King parking lot on Sunday morning for the Black Canyon Trail trip. Dale Bergersen arrived in his VW Passat to deliver the club camera, but bowed out from trying to run the trail with his black beauty from the Black Forest.
We headed north on I-17 after a short meeting. An exit at Table Mesa Rd. brought our tires in contact with dirt After ingesting some dust from the vehicles in front of us, we exited onto the Black Canyon Trail which has lost all its bumps and boulders thanks to the AZCO Mica Mining operation back in the hills.
The Agua Fria River, indicative of our drought conditions, was dry as a bone as we drove across the usual crossing location near Gillette. As we wound our way down the back of a large hill, we spotted the familiar outline of a greenish blue Nissan pickup parked in the wash at the beginning of the Lower TerminatorTrail. A smiling Mike Corder hailed us and so we sat and talked for awhile.
Mike was out for a Sunday morning hike which he decided to cut short so he could join us and see the trailhead of the 4WD section of the trail. The trail cuts off just to the right of the locked gate at the AZCO property and it was here that we stopped to air down and lock in the hubs. The trail narrows considerably at this point and from here on, we didn't see a soul, as it should be. Mike left us as well, telling us he didn't have a kitchen pass to join us for the entire trip.
The three of us in Broncos continued on, climbing and dipping over hill and dale, while steadily gaining altitude. It soon became evident that summer is arriving again in Arizona-the red needles on the temperature gauges rose to regions they had not seen since last fall as our trucks continued to climb to the highest point on the trail.
A nice breeze greeted us as we pulled at the trail's summit to chat and survey the view. Directly to the east lay Black Canyon City. Dean and Jon broke our their digital cameras and started snapping away at the panoramic scene before us. After the break, we pointed our trucks downhill on a trail that definitely sees more quad and ATV traffic than regular 4x4 travel. Several tight turns and the frequent interference with errant vegetation slapped this point home at numerous times.
Although the temperature was warmer in the lower regions, we decided to stop at the old windmill for a quick bite to eat since it was around noon at this point. The windwill, which still works, added an eerie creaky backdrop to our conversation as we munched on snacks and swatted gnats.
The gnats drove us from the lunch stop sooner than we planned, but I believe we were already thinking of pie at Rock Springs by this time anyway. We bounced and crawled our way over several more ridgelines before the thriving metropolis of Black Canyon City appeared in the low lands below us. It was then a quick drop to where the trail exits into a residential area just west and slightly north of the old dog track.
At about the time we hit pavement, we spotted Mike Corder again. Apparently after he left us, he called his wife and was granted permission to come out and play so here he was! We rolled on soft tires to the Texaco station in town where we aired up our tires with an awesome compressor with free air!
The pumped up tires ensured our quick arrival at the Rock Springs Café for a late lunch and of course some great pie to top it off. After a filling lunch, our group headed back to Phoenix for a mid-afternoon arrival at our homes.
All in all, another fine trip for the club. Get those trucks ready for the Stampede!
-Todd Z.
