Hiking Wrightson alone is a good challenge, but the trail system in the area provides a great double-activation opportunity for hams who want a tough but rewarding day. The "Super Trail" loop around Mt. Wrightson goes past Josephine Peak, a 10-pointer that is almost 1,000 feet lower than the summit of Wrightson, but is actually considerably harder to reach.
I've done this double twice as of this writing, first on March 8, 2018, and second on July 26, 2019. The March hike was cooler, but the July hike provided more daylight hours. In March, there was still snow on the trail above 8,500 feet; in July, a monsoon storm actually prevented me from completing the activation of Wrightson, although I did reach the summit. Overall, I'd recommend late fall or spring as the best time of year to do this double.
Starting from the top of the road in Madera Canyon, I took the Old Baldy Trail up towards Josephine Saddle. It's a steep trail but very beautiful. On the way up, sometimes there is wildlife to be seen - I spotted a few deer in July, but I have not yet seen a bear there, although they do live in the area.
Upon reaching the Saddle, there is a plaque to commemorate the passing of some Boy Scouts who were caught in a storm in 1958.
At the saddle I turned left to head up towards Mt. Wrightson. The Super Trail turnoff is a bit further up the trail and although there is a sign, it could easily be missed as it clearly does not get the same usage.
Hiking generally Eastward on the Super Trail takes you towards Josephine Peak. This section of the hike continues the climb, and is less traveled but quite nice.
Along the way, Mount Hopkins looms with its giant observatory building prominently guarding the summit. This is also a 10-point summit, and I'll blog about this one in another post.
When the first view of Josephine opens up, it's both spectacularly beautiful and a bit intimidating. This is heavily forested mountain terrain!
Somewhere around 4 miles in, the trail reaches Riley Saddle. There is a sign pointing to Josephine Peak. This is where things begin to get interesting!
Apparently, there had been a trail to the peak in the past, but it was obliterated by the Florida Fire in 2005. When I hiked in March 2018, someone had begun rebuilding a trail, at least for the first quarter mile or so. Apparently the USFS did not appreciate this and in 2019, I discovered that the trail was mostly gone, and a few of these signs were posted warning hikers against unauthorized trail building.
From Riley Saddle to the top, the hike becomes a very challenging bushwhack, with some very dense sections and some very steep sections. It's actually easy to get into a dangerous place during this bushwhack!
In March, I tried a route up that put me into some extreme exposure; a fall would have been devastating. In July, I foolishly took a route up a steep gully with the hope of saving some distance; upon reaching the top, I found myself facing into a deep cave that appeared to be "occupied" and I had to scramble back down, again praying not to fall and feeling fortunate that I didn't get eaten by some large fluffy creature. The best way to avoid serious danger on this bushwhack is to steer to the left (North) face, and go up in the treefall there, rather than try to scramble up through the rocky sections on the Western side.
The top of Josephine is actually a nice spot to activate, with bushes and rocks available to put a mast up, but no shade.
During the summer months, ladybugs sometimes come out in force at high elevation. They can be a bit overwhelming...and yes they do occasionally bite!
After activating Josephine, the focus turns to Mt Wrightson, which is majestic during the bushwhack back down.
Upon reaching the Super Trail, rather than turn left to return from where I came, I turned right (NE) to begin the trek towards the summit of Mt. Wrightson. On this side of the peak, the trail is a bit less forested and more rugged than on the West-facing side. It's about 3 more miles from Josephine to Wrightson, but with the bushwhacking and climbing it does take a while.
The summer season in Southern Arizona can have some bad monsoon storms. During my hike in July, when I looked back towards Josephine, I noticed dark clouds forming which had not been there earlier.
Sure enough, the rain began soon aftewards. I didn't mind the cooling effect of the rain, but it made me nervous about whether the weather would prevent me from completing the double activation. Not hearing any thunder at all, I decided to forge ahead. The rain eased up a bit as I approached the saddle below Mt Wrightson.
In March, this area had snow, although it wasn't deep. March is late in the season here, so it's possible to find the ground dry, snow-dusted, or even heavy snow. As the hike approaches the summit, there is a fairly steep series of narrow switchbacks that are a lot of fun to hike. When it's snowy, they can even be difficult to negotiate; fortunately, during my hike the snow wasn't bad enough to create any serious challenge.
The hike down from Wrightson is quite beautiful. There are a couple of springs along the path, and plenty of greenery on the Western side of the peak.
Either of these two summits is an honest day's work to activate; but their unique location and the trail design allows them to be combined for anyone looking for a good hard challenge.
One odd fact about these two summits: Josephine Peak is in the "SC" region and thus qualifies for the SOTA Summer Bonus. However, Mt. Wrightson is in the "AE" region, and thus qualifies for the SOTA Winter Bonus. This despite the fact that they are both in the same grid square!
Date First Activated as a Double by KR7RK: 08 Mar 2018
GPS Track Uploaded to SOTA Mapping Project Tracks Site: Yes
Approx Hiking Distance: 14.2 mi
Approx Elevation Gain: 4,600'
Summit Elevation: 8,478' (Josephine Peak), 9,453' (Mt Wrightson)
Summit Grid Square: DM41nq (both summits)
Summit County: Santa Cruz
ITU Zone: 6
CQ Zone: 3
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