AZT 2019 Day 5: Campsite near creek (mile 71.1) to Forest Road 4026 (mile 92.5)

21.4 miles

The morning proved to be a walk through the history of the Santa Rita Water and Mining Company. I had seen some of the ruins yesterday as well. There were wonderful information signs along the route that explained what you were passing by on the trail.

Informational sign.

The mining company was attempting to use hydraulic mining (spraying pressurized water onto the dirt) to extract gold from the region. It wasn't a very successful endeavor. It required extensive construction to funnel enough water down from the mountains and ended up extracting far less gold than what was originally thought to be in the area.

A pipeline system was created, starting at Bear Spring, and funneled water through several canyons to the valley below. A dam (Stetson's Dam) had to be constructed for there to be enough pressure for the hydraulic mining to work. I passed by ruins and remnants of these structures and headed down into the valley below.

Stetson's dam in the morning light.

Looking back at the mountain and canyon.

Pipeline remnant. 

Making my way into the valley.

The valley itself was rather “bumpy.” This area was mined even before the hydraulic mining was attempted. To get down to the gravel layers that contained the placer deposits, miners had to dig down and discard the top layers. This created a series of mounds and pits, now covered in grasses.

Informational sign.

The valley.

I then moved from the valley into Kentucky Camp, the headquarters for the area's mining operation. I was surprised at how well maintained the buildings (built in 1904) were. There was a hotel, assay office, and a couple of Adobe cabins, all currently managed by the US Forest Service. The hotel is a Visitors Center, and you can rent out one of the adobe cabins to spend the night. While I was there, I chatted with the three Canadian men who had rented it out for the previous night. As an added bonus to thru-hikers, Kentucky Camp also had toilets and potable water.

The gate leading to Kentucky Camp.

The hotel.

Inside the assay office.

Hydraulic mining equipment. 

Ruins at Kentucky Camp.

I left Kentucky Camp and took a series of dirt and two track roads for an extensive tour of the Santa Rita foothills. As always, there were plenty of cows in the area. The trail took me up to a nice viewpoint of the surrounding area, then dropped me back down in elevation to get to know the foothills in even more detail.

Mountain roads.

Mountain views.

More mountain views.

It was mainly grasses I was walking through the rest of the day, at times sparsely dotted with trees. It was incredible windy the whole time. I had my sun hat tied down tight, but the wind kept my brim in a constant state of “flipped up” and was even strong enough at times to push the hat partially off, despite being well secured.

Foothills.

Towards the end of the day I started seeing more cactuses and desert plants such as prickly pears, ocotillos, and agaves. I also saw deer. Lots, and lots of deer.

There weren't many good water sources in the area, but I found a small stream about a quarter mile from where I set up camp and was able to pick up water for dinner and hiking tomorrow morning.