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in February 2012 we visited Lost Dutchman State Park in Apache Junction
Arizona. We listed this as our best hike, not only for the hike we did then but
for the possibility of the larger hike we couldn’t finish when we ran out of
water and time.
The
big hike at the park goes 2 miles to a point called The Basin (above). That’s as far as
we could make last time. The full hike is 3 miles to The Flat Iron (in the
middle of the picture below) with an elevation change of 3000’. That is a LOT of
climbing. Plus, from our campsite we added another 0.6 miles to the trailhead
so it was a total of 7.2 miles.
We
had plenty of water this time (2.5 liters each) plus snacks and started at 9:30
am. And we made it!!! This was the most difficult trail I’ve ever done. It’s
not just a hike, there is climbing up rocks with no discernible trail.
The
good news is that everyone helps each other on this trail. There is plenty of
encouragement and help with the route plus even physically helping each other
over rough spots.
By
the end of the hike, our legs were like spaghetti. My arms were exhausted from
bracing myself on the climbs and getting back down the rocks. We both hurt a lot the next
2 days, but we did it!
The
views are amazing at the top. Is it worth it? Yes, if you are young and in great
shape it would be worth hiking this several times. For us 50+ people, once is
enough!
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