THE GRAND ENCHANTMENT TRAIL: March 3rd- First Water Trailhead to Tortilla Pass

Trail Junction

Emerging from the privy in the faint light of dawn, it was readily apparent that yesterday's storm had passed. Morning greeted me clear and cool. Though the soaking of the previous day was at times unpleasant, I knew in the long term it meant that water sources would be abundant in this section of the trek. Indeed, every creek and spring I passed today were flowing, so the water load was minimal. More like the dip and sip method that allows a hiker to carry at most a single liter if necessary. Another thing that so much rain meant was that everything was green or as green as it could be considering these are desert mountains.
I passed a day hiker almost immediately after setting out, but didn't see another soul until a pair of overnight hikers passed by in mid-afternoon. In the meantime, I enjoyed the scenery and the easily followed path, passing trail junctions on a fairly regular basis. Early on the jutting spire of Weaver's Needle was a prominent landmark that grew ever larger as the trail tracked in its direction. Little songbirds darted in and out of the mesquite bushes and a brightly colored cardinal could be seen hopping along the branches of a juniper. Later in the day I startled three white-tailed deer that despite their surprise went bounding off quite gracefully through the brush and cacti ahead of me.
Throughout the day, I passed areas where the giant Saguaro Cactus grows. I've heard said that it takes a full hundred years of growth before the saguaro puts forth its first side arms, so the ones with multiple well-developed side arms must truly be ancient. One of the loveliest places I passed through today, Upper La Barge Box, was like a saguaro nursery with many young cacti scattered at various heights along the side hill below the burnt-orange cliffs.
As the day waned, I started making my way up toward Tortilla Pass. My goal had been to make it to Angel Basin to camp because, as the name suggests, it truly is a heavenly spot. However, as darkness descended, I realized that it just wasn't going to happen. A little night hiking aided by my headlamp saw me to a flat area at the top of the ridge. Worried that if I hiked further, I might inadvertently miss a trail junction, I decided to pull up and camp for the night. Due to the cloud cover and the recent rains of the day before, I pitched my tent and crawled inside. Tired, but not very hungry.

Distance: 22.7 miles