The Wisdom of Mountains Mount Blady East Trail #95 By Anne Groebner GYMOAZ: 07-16

When writing about hiking mountains, Mount Baldy is the first one that comes to mind. From its heavily wooded areas and beautiful open meadows to its series of dramatically shaped basalt pinnacles, there is something magical about this mountain. Once an active volcano, Baldy’s unique display of stone figures can be attributed to a series of eruptions that ceased about 8-9 million years ago and its slopes were carved by water erosion and glaciers. The fact that this mountain is sacred to the White Mountain Apaches, gives it an added mystique — it is known to inhabit the mountain spirits and is part of the four most sacred mountain ranges: The White Mountains of Eastern Arizona, the Pinaleno Mountains near the town of Safford in Southeastern Arizona, the Four Peaks near the City of Phoenix and the San Francisco Peaks near Flagstaff.

I have hiked Mount Baldy many times in my 21 years of residency in the White Mountains and I will certainly hike it many more. It’s a challenging trail that brings many rewards to its hikers. It is one of the few wilderness areas in the country that travels through a sub-alpine life zone. The heavily forested slopes are made up of a variety of trees including Colorado blue spruce, white fir, Douglas fir, Ponderosa pine, white pine and aspen. The Little Colorado River and the Salt River have their headwaters on the slopes of Mount Baldy. A variety of wildlife inhabit the lower reaches of the mountain, such as Rocky Mountain elk, black bears, Mexican grey wolves, mule deer, porcupines, wild turkeys and blue grouse. Wildflowers are sprinkled across the meadows and strawberries, raspberries and mushrooms (during and after the monsoon season) line the trail in late summer.

Quote: “I took a walk in the woods and came out taller than the trees.”— Henry David Thoreau

Phelps built his homestead on the East Fork of the Little Colorado River back in the 1800s at the entrance to the trailhead and this entrance to Baldy has been known to many avid hikers as the Phelps Cabin Trailhead. There is plenty of parking but, unlike the West Baldy Trailhead, there are no restroom facilities. For many, a quick four-mile shuttle from one trailhead to the other is the best way to hike Mountain Baldy so you can hike up one side and down the other but, on our last hike, we chose to stay on the East side of the mountain and only took one car. You could, however, hike the 3.5-mile Crossover Trail #96 and end up back where you started. That would put you at about an 18-19-mile hike.

Mount Baldy comprises 6,975-acres and is one of the smallest, but most pristine, areas included in the federal wilderness system. Once on the trail, it’s not long before you see for yourself that it is one of the most amazing trails you will ever hike. The East Fork of the Little Colorado River snakes through vast meadows dotted with colorful wildflowers at the beginning of the hike and, about half a mile up the trail, you’ve ascended 800 feet and the views are incredible. My favorite part is the first ridge that looks across portions of the White Mountain Apache Reservation, Big Lake, Crescent Lake, part of the Black River Valley, Escudilla Mountain, the Blue Range and into the Gila National Forest in New Mexico. The basalt pinnacles here seem to watch over the landscape and resemble something out of a Grimm’s Fairytale book. The folds in the rock sculptures show the heat of molten lava that at one time flowed down the gentle slopes of Baldy.

Quote: May your trail be crooked, winding, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view. — Edward Abby

The wind-whipped trees on this ridge make the terrain resemble something from a Star Wars movie as it shapes the pines and bends them in Bonsai fashion. Once you leave the ridge and head back onto the forest-lined trail, step lightly or be surprised by a grouse as he maneuvers his way up into a tree and out of your path. At about 5.5 miles on the trail, you can see the remains of a plane wreckage that took place around the late 1940s or early 50s. The foliage takes on riparian qualities from the small stream that flows through the slate rocks that form the stepping stone path. We didn’t make it all the way to the plane wreckage on this trip because of the monsoon storm that was brewing. In his book, “A Sand County Almanac,” Aldo Leopold talks about the storms that hit Mount Baldy, or “White Mountain” back then. “When I hear anyone say he does not fear lightning; I still remark inwardly: ‘He has never ridden The Mountain in July.” That said, if you are going to hike Mountain Baldy during monsoon season, check the weather before you enter the trail and leave early enough to return before the thunder and lightning hits. Not only is the lightning dangerous, but on the mountain, temperatures drop incredibly fast and getting wet and cold is a recipe for hypothermia. Once the rain starts and you are on top of the mountain, you still have about seven miles to hike back down. Note: Hiking to the peak is prohibited without permission because it is on the White Mountain Apache Reservation.

To me, the East Trail of Baldy has the best views and is the easiest of both trails to hike up the mountain. Either way, the starting altitude is 9,300 feet and at the top it ranges around 11,203 feet. It is definitely an up-hill climb. I feel, however, that the incline is gentler on the east side. It takes several hours, regardless, and is usually visited by many travelers that want to hike Arizona’s seventh highest mountain. As part of the wilderness system, there are some restrictions when visiting Mountain Baldy. The number of people in your group is limited to 12 for day hiking and six for camping. No metal or glass containers and pack out what you pack in. No motor vehicles and keep on the trails (don’t cut corners). If camping, stay approximately 100 feet from water. Pack and saddle stock have the right of way on trails and hikers should move a few feet off the trail and stand quietly until the animals pass. Remember: we didn’t inherit this land, we are merely borrowing it from future inhabitants and users.

I always think about Black Elk and his vision from the top of Harney Peak (the highest mountain in the Black Hills). He says he was at the center of the world… “I looked ahead and saw the mountains there with rocks and forests on them, and from the mountains flashed all colors upward to the heavens. Then I was standing on the highest mountain of them all, and round about beneath me was the whole hoop of the world.” …and then he later mentioned that “anywhere is the center of the world.” (Neihardt’s Black Elk Speaks) I think it’s when you are on top of a mountain and you have a 360º view that you feel most centered.

To find the East Baldy Trail: There are two Trailheads; both off of Rte. 273. The main trailhead is on the north side of the East Fork of the Little Colorado River. Take Rte. 260 about 34 miles from Pinetop- Lakeside to the Sunrise Park Resort Turn on Rte. 273. Turn right on 273 and follow it past Sunrise Park Resort, the West Baldy Trailhead and Sheep Crossing until you reach the East Baldy Trail on the right. The other trailhead is located in the Gabaldon Campground, an equestrian campground. It is located further down from the Phelps-area Trailhead on Rte. 273 on the right. The trail from Gabaldon meets with the main trail in about a quarter of a mile.