'Lose' yourself on Gaddes Canyon Trails

Brandon Johnson from Chino Valley checks out a red penstemon.

Brandon Johnson from Chino Valley checks out a red penstemon.

Author's note: Exercise and a healthy diet can help ward off diabetes and some other ills. The 100-mile club began on Hopi awhile back to promote healthy lifestyles. As a hiker, I do more than 200 miles per year. This year I hope to hit the 365-mile mark in order to average one mile per day. I know some hikers who average more than 100 miles per week. We each have to decide what is the right amount of exercise for us. To promote exercise, hiking, a love of nature and cool points of Arizona this weekly column will appear throughout the summer.

GADDES CANYON, MINGUS MOUNTAIN, Ariz. - The latest hiking adventure turned into more of an adventure than it should have been.

Despite the possibility of rattlesnakes, poison ivy and thunderstorms, Gaddes Spring Trail sounded too alluring to pass up. Ron Smith, author of "A Guide to Prescott and Central Highlands Trails," made the hike sound attractive in his book as he described a lush riparian area - my favorite type of hike.

Since this is one of the trails at the top of Mingus Mountain, it's at an elevation of about 7,000 feet and a perfect cool-off during the warm summer.

There are many wildflowers and birds along the way. Smith describes where to enter the trail from the north trailhead and the south trailhead. But he only describes the route leaving from the south trailhead in detail.

Unfortunately, I entered the trail from the non-described north side and dragged my grandson Brandon Johnson along. It wasn't soon before we lost track of the trail and ended up on Gaddes Canyon Trail #110.

Rather than returning to the initial trail, Gaddes Canyon Trail #110 held out promises of scenic views and more wildflowers. Smith only describes the entrance to this trail from the south trailhead and, again, we were entering from the north trailhead.

Bright red penstemons, a couple types of blooming cactus flowers and other wildflowers were found along this route that eventually led its way to a cattle water tank. The trail appeared to end here, although a trail going off to the left went to the nearby campground. We took the trail to the right that went down into a canyon and went a couple miles further before turning back.

On the way back, we figured if we found the water tank we would know the way from there, but we somehow missed it and ended up lost.

Most hikers end up lost at one time or another and the question is whether they are ready for it. I did some things right and some things wrong. We had plenty of food and water. We also had a cell phone. I usually carry a GPS, which includes a compass, but my car was in the shop and I left my GPS in it.

Without the compass, we were lost. Fortunately, I was able to telephone the Yavapai County Sheriff's Office, which let me know that we were near the electrical towers. We walked the ridgeline until we hit the towers and it was easy enough to find our way back from there. Much thanks goes to the Yavapai County Sheriff's Office.

Nice easy terrain on these trails, plenty of trees providing shade, great flowers and nice mix of birds, but it would be nice to know the trail. So next time we'll enter it from the south side.

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