Got completely turned around on the Tonto Trail last spring and it was a mess

I was hiking the Tonto Trail near Grandview Point around mile 8 when the trail just disappeared into a wash from some flash flooding. I spent 45 minutes bushwhacking through catclaw trying to find the cairns again, and my GPS was useless because the batteries died in the heat. Ended up backtracking almost 2 miles before I spotted the cut-off I missed. Has anyone else had trouble with that section washing out after heavy rain?

2 comments

2 Comments

wesleypatel1d ago

That part about "batteries died in the heat" hit close to home... I was out on the South Kaibab once and my headlamp just gave up around sunset. Had to scramble back by moonlight, which was actually pretty nice but my heart was pounding the whole time. That washout problem sounds rough though, catclaw is no joke... I still find little scars on my arms from getting snagged in that stuff years ago.

ninab9521h ago

Hey @wesleypatel, did that moonlight scramble teach you anything about planning better?