Prescott Circle Trail 2/3 Thru Hike

The Prescott Circle Trail is a ~56 mile loop that encircles the city.  The trail traverses the mountains and hills and provides great views and hiking.  My plan was to do it over Memorial Day weekend with two 20 mile days then a 16 mile day.  I got through the first 2 days but bailed on the third.  It was going to be a bit hotter and there wasn't much shade on the last day; also my feet were killing me.

I did the trail in reverse order from the "official" mileage map.  So day 1 was from the Peavine TH and went clockwise.  The first section was through some nice rolling grassland.  Then, the trail went under the 69 and started climbing up to Badger Mt.  This part was pretty close to housing and roads but still was very pleasant.  From Badge, the trail went along the high ridge, mainly on the west side so you got views of the city and beyond.  It then dropped down to Senator Hwy and Goldwater Lake.  There, I took a bit a detour to use the bathroom and fill up on water.  It was then about 4 more miles to camp at White Spar CG.  I had reserved a site, but someone was already there.  They had mistakenly thought they had it for two nights.  But there was plenty of room for both of us so it worked out.  After dinner it was early to bed.

Day 2 started with a long steady climb westward to Wolverton Mt.  Then it turned north at Copper Basin Rd.  This part was my favorite and is the most alpine of the trail.  The trail then crossed Thumb Butte Rd.  I had cached water here and stopped for lunch.  The next few miles were a bit of a slog as it started heating up.  I eventually made it to my planned camp at Yavapai CG in the Granite Basin area.  Jyoti and friends joined me for a campfire but we ended up not camping and headed home for a shower and a soft bed.

Overall, the hike was great and I will finish the last section soon enough.  It will be cool to try in the opposite direction sometime.  All my gear worked great as well except for a cell phone battery that zonked out and did not charge my phone.

My tarp set up at White Spar

Rare surface water along the trail

Views!

Wooded path

A sign along the trail

Another great western view

Trail flowers

Rolling grasslands

Start of the trail

Amazon Orders Through the Ages

I placed my first Amazon order in 2000 and it is interesting to go back and see how my orders have reflected the changes in my my life.  Early on, the books were mostly geared for the kids.  There were also some from my hobbies then: cars and fishing.  Then there was a spurt of business books when we started the ill-fated restaurant.  Then came a bunch of exercise items.  After that, there was a long list of outdoor stuff as I got into scouting.  Another shift came with gun and prepping stuff when the pandemic hit.  Lately, my orders have tailed off as I get stuff from other places and are mainly electronic stuff for radio.

Weekend Activities

• Short jeep trip down Thumb Butte Rd to Copper Basin Road to Skull Valley.  Nice little trip and found some future hiking spots.
• Another great class as Compass Training Center
• Started building a trail down the hill from the house to the road