SPARTANOC
Full Member
- Jan 17, 2024
- 131
- 287
- Detector(s) used
- Minelab Equinox 800 Metal Detector w/ 15inch Double-D Waterproof
- Primary Interest:
- All Treasure Hunting
Good day to you all fellow Hunters,
"Abandon all hope, ye who enter here"- Dante's Inferno
Well, its been a "minute" since my last post detailing Senner's Gold (August of 2024), the information of the story by Helen Corbin and the stated goal of said expedition; an attempt to reach Siphon Draw. The idea of the expedition I do have to say, was grand - as the thought of finding a hidden cache of "Jackrabbit gold" being a possibility or at the very least - finding proof of Al Senner's presence within the surrounding area of the Supes, but as many know - who've gone out there, know that the unexpected WILL occur despite the detailed plans of how to get in there, with all the equipment needed for survival. One, like myself, will take his time and plan out the steps needed with maps, the right equipment necessary, and the precise attitude - allowing one to forge forward into the fray. With this perspective, my wife and I - proceeded into the open range and as we did so - this is where the story unfolds.
We arrived at Apache Junction successfully Thursday 24th - checked into our room mid afternoon and rested the remainder of the day, enjoying the sunset against the West facing side of the Superstition Mountains. It was an absolutely stunning sight to see for the first time. We were to hike my wife's choice of trail, but the 7.5 hour drive ended that idea for the day.
Friday's original plan was to hike up Siphon Draw (The expedition) - to explore the area, but my wife had other plans
Her choice for a hike was instead planned on, due to not being able to hike on Thursday afternoon. The heat on Thursday was just too much and the drive was long. So, she chose the Hackberry Springs Loop - which is just WNW of the Supes, off of First water. By the time we reached first Water, it was about 8:45am - much later than I hoped for. The heat was already climbing and the morning air hadn't really cooled down any farther than about 73° from the night before. This was my first "sign" of being cautious of the day ahead, as I realized that this day was going to be unusually warmer, but had no idea as to HOW high the temps would reach until later in the day.
Once we loaded up our gear while in the parking lot - I noticed that aside from one other person, we were the only ones there ready to hike into the unknown (unknown to us). Again, that should have been a clue as to how the day would turn out. Of course, the misses and I are stubborn people - and usually don't allow obstacles hinder our movements/plans regardless of what's happening or the problems that can arise. We usually just push forward - adjusting to our environment and whatnot. I booted up the old phone - retrieved the Trailhead map via All Trails app, downloading an offline copy of the trail knowing that there would be no Cell service out there. (In the end, this was our saving Grace, as we followed the map which corrected our way at least 7 times.) Once the map was ready - we proceeded forward and chose to do the trail backwards (opposite of suggested way to go). Again, something we usually do - go against the grain of things.
We proceeded onto the trailhead and headed North up a very rough walk, through loose rock, burned out vegetation and hard packed Caliche. As we reached about a mile in - I noticed clear crystal quartz along the path - mixed with the famous Caliche arizona is known for, which was abundant throughout the tail. I found this fascinating. Some of the clearest crystal I've ever seen. I picked up a sample and took it with me. As we pressed on, we realized we were walking through the burn area 😥 - as there were so many saguaro that had been torched, leaving piles of ash all around us on both side. The strange thing aside from so much ash, was the silence that surrounded us. There wasn't one snake, beetle, ant, bird or critter of any kind in the area. The silence around us was pretty creepy and I've never experienced anything like it. The path further up became very narrow and proceeded up with a slight slow incline. By the time we got up to the far North end of the trail - the temps were reaching 98° and climbing. From this point - we had to decide, do we go back the way we came knowing the heat will increase and a familiarity of the path taken so far OR do we push forward, as either way - it would take an hour or two maybe three hours to get back to the parking lot. I made the decision to press forward - as I didn't think going back the way we came, would make any difference from what we were experiencing at the time. So, we pressed on into the unknown. There really was no third choice.
About 1.5 hours from the Northern end, we headed South towards the parking lot, and as we did so, came upon a huge and I mean HUGE boulder - which created a large canvased area of shade. Arriving at this shady area, was a gift from God I must say. My wife at that time, was overheating and running out of electrolyte water (she drank almost 3 liters of electrolyte water by that time), so the shady area created by the Huge boulder was perfect timing. We sat next to the boulder for maybe an hour - trying to lower our body temperature and enjoying the breeze that suddenly came through the West side of the trail. The creek next to us had no water anywhere. I did find it interesting that, there was no breeze UNTIL we reached that boulder. Looks as if someone was watching over us out there - regardless of our ignorance.
While we sat there in the shade, next to the huge boulder - the surrounding temps at that point were then at a height of 107° and climbing. When we realized that the temperature wasn't going to cool down any time soon, I made the choice to get us out of there - as quickly as I could get the wife stable and able. The last mile or so - was slow and cumbersome - due to my wife fading quickly, as she had completely run out of her Electrolyte water by that time. I had conserved my 2 litters - only using 1 litter over the entire hike - trying to leave extra Electrolyte water for her if needed. At one point, I started to fade as my own body temperature reached its peak. I was able though, to compose myself, utilized the shade produced by the huge boulder - where I was then able to rest and lower my body temperature before moving forward. Feeling better and having one more smoke - we proceeded on.
While it was still raging at a temp of 108°, around 2:30pm - the wife and I came around a bend, and as I was leading us out - I spotted the parking lot's bathroom roof from my position. I didn't realized at that time, how close we really were to getting out. My wife had the impression we were not going to get out for another hour or two - but to the surprise of my wife, we were much closer than she thought. At one point - I mentioned, we're here just a hundred feet away from the parking lot - I had never seen my wife run so fast for air conditioning. Today, I still don't know where she got the strength to run the last 100 to 150 feet to the car. Needless to say, when we reached the car, she sat there with the AC for a while before she could utter one word.
It took some time, but we were able to gather what strength we had to unload and soak in the AC which was blowing at its highest setting. Thank god for AC! As my wife cooled down - I indulged in a cigarette break while I looked back at where we just came from. At the time of the hike (within the 5 hours it took to walk the trail), I had only smoked 2 cigarettes the entire time, where I would usually of had 5 to 6 in the time it took hiking the trail. Needless to say, it was the best smoke of the day, as I reflected back on the area we just walked out of resembling Dante's Inferno, thanked God for our survival and knowing my wife made it out successfully without passing out. It was a smoke of relief, success and gratitude.
Saturday morning arrived promptly and with the morning rays - came the high temps once more. We took Saturday and spent the better part of the day, meeting up with a friend (a fellow Hunter) and his wife, spending part of the day in Goldfield Ghost Town. The town is really the real deal - when it comes to a Ghost Town. It was facinating to walk through - seeing what Jacob Waltz had seen in his day. After having lunch at the Goldfield Saloon - we headed out back to our room, to prep for Saturday night at the Don's Camp.
The night of Saturday came upon us quickly. My wife while trying to get herself ready, could not find her hiking boots she just used the day before. She realized, that she must have left her boots in the First Water parking lot. She was determined to find them, so we made an extra trip back out to First Water to find her boots, which were not there. Once she got her frustration out - we headed to Mesa and purchased a new pair of hiking boots. Once those boots were in hand, we made our way out to Peralta Road, driving the 2 mile dirt road that leads to Don's Camp.
There at camp, as the sun was setting, I met up with some of the guys known in the area (Wayne, Larry, etc) and as I was about to settle down and soak in all that Wayne and the others had to share, my wife got sick again due to the heat exhaustion from the day before. I believe she was standing next to a few guys who were smoking a cigar or strong cigarette - which triggered her nausea and started her "down hill" once again. I had to cancel everything and rush my wife back to the room. The drive out of there was interesting, as we drove back to the main road in pitch darkness. Needless to say she didn't pass-out on me, was able to get to the room in time - for her to fall asleep until the next day.
Sunday morning came up with a "bang", as the day was heating up once more. Since we were up by 6am, we decided to take advantage of the coolness and head out of town BEFORE it got any hotter. I believe we were on the road heading home by 10am. 7 hours later, we arrived back in Southern California.
As I sit here today - back at work running a small business network, I find myself going over and over the details of the trip taken - and as I do so, remind myself no matter the time taken and the risks accepted, there was never a better place to have endured what the Mountain could offer. I didn't reach the 'goal posts' I had planned on - being able to reach the top of Siphon Draw, to look around for hidden pouches of Gold, but looking back at where we did go, I'm glad we never tried to reach said trailhead. I can only imagine what could have happened if we did try going up to Siphon Draw with that kind of temperature we experienced in Hackberry Springs. We might have been worse off if we had tried to achieve success up in Siphon Draw - as that is an upward climb most of the way and trying to do that in 108° would have been suicide in the long run.
So, there you have it in a nutshell. There were some good points of success while out there - and then there were things that just didn't pan out for us. I wished I had been able to spend more time at Don's camp - as I really wanted to discuss things with those who have the knowledge and the experience. It was wonderful meeting those who I did get a chance to meet - though it was a very short meeting.
I believe there are lessons learned here during this trip (expedition), probably more than one. As much as you think you can plan for whatever may come - there will always be that one thing, you never saw coming. I have heard of stories of those of the past, who've had worse things occur during their time out there in the Supes, so I am forever grateful that they way things turned out for us - was minimal in comparison. We did get to meet up some good people and I am ever thankful for the opportunity - as relationships are worth more than gold.
On a final note, I would like to thank Wayne, Larry and the others who were involved in setting up of Rendezvous, that I appreciated the warm welcome and the hospitality they all showed a complete stranger. I so wanted to spend the time there at Camp, but my other half is extremely important to me and her well being is my number one priority in this World. So, thank you to all who set all this up and who was so kind to me. It meant the world to me, especially because it was our first time out there.
With all that transpired I will state this; we will be back as the Mountain continues it's call.
Now, I can finally say - I've had boots on the ground. At least its a start....of a search that never ends, or so it seems.
-SpartanOC
"Abandon all hope, ye who enter here"- Dante's Inferno
Well, its been a "minute" since my last post detailing Senner's Gold (August of 2024), the information of the story by Helen Corbin and the stated goal of said expedition; an attempt to reach Siphon Draw. The idea of the expedition I do have to say, was grand - as the thought of finding a hidden cache of "Jackrabbit gold" being a possibility or at the very least - finding proof of Al Senner's presence within the surrounding area of the Supes, but as many know - who've gone out there, know that the unexpected WILL occur despite the detailed plans of how to get in there, with all the equipment needed for survival. One, like myself, will take his time and plan out the steps needed with maps, the right equipment necessary, and the precise attitude - allowing one to forge forward into the fray. With this perspective, my wife and I - proceeded into the open range and as we did so - this is where the story unfolds.
We arrived at Apache Junction successfully Thursday 24th - checked into our room mid afternoon and rested the remainder of the day, enjoying the sunset against the West facing side of the Superstition Mountains. It was an absolutely stunning sight to see for the first time. We were to hike my wife's choice of trail, but the 7.5 hour drive ended that idea for the day.
Friday's original plan was to hike up Siphon Draw (The expedition) - to explore the area, but my wife had other plans
Her choice for a hike was instead planned on, due to not being able to hike on Thursday afternoon. The heat on Thursday was just too much and the drive was long. So, she chose the Hackberry Springs Loop - which is just WNW of the Supes, off of First water. By the time we reached first Water, it was about 8:45am - much later than I hoped for. The heat was already climbing and the morning air hadn't really cooled down any farther than about 73° from the night before. This was my first "sign" of being cautious of the day ahead, as I realized that this day was going to be unusually warmer, but had no idea as to HOW high the temps would reach until later in the day.Once we loaded up our gear while in the parking lot - I noticed that aside from one other person, we were the only ones there ready to hike into the unknown (unknown to us). Again, that should have been a clue as to how the day would turn out. Of course, the misses and I are stubborn people - and usually don't allow obstacles hinder our movements/plans regardless of what's happening or the problems that can arise. We usually just push forward - adjusting to our environment and whatnot. I booted up the old phone - retrieved the Trailhead map via All Trails app, downloading an offline copy of the trail knowing that there would be no Cell service out there. (In the end, this was our saving Grace, as we followed the map which corrected our way at least 7 times.) Once the map was ready - we proceeded forward and chose to do the trail backwards (opposite of suggested way to go). Again, something we usually do - go against the grain of things.
We proceeded onto the trailhead and headed North up a very rough walk, through loose rock, burned out vegetation and hard packed Caliche. As we reached about a mile in - I noticed clear crystal quartz along the path - mixed with the famous Caliche arizona is known for, which was abundant throughout the tail. I found this fascinating. Some of the clearest crystal I've ever seen. I picked up a sample and took it with me. As we pressed on, we realized we were walking through the burn area 😥 - as there were so many saguaro that had been torched, leaving piles of ash all around us on both side. The strange thing aside from so much ash, was the silence that surrounded us. There wasn't one snake, beetle, ant, bird or critter of any kind in the area. The silence around us was pretty creepy and I've never experienced anything like it. The path further up became very narrow and proceeded up with a slight slow incline. By the time we got up to the far North end of the trail - the temps were reaching 98° and climbing. From this point - we had to decide, do we go back the way we came knowing the heat will increase and a familiarity of the path taken so far OR do we push forward, as either way - it would take an hour or two maybe three hours to get back to the parking lot. I made the decision to press forward - as I didn't think going back the way we came, would make any difference from what we were experiencing at the time. So, we pressed on into the unknown. There really was no third choice.
About 1.5 hours from the Northern end, we headed South towards the parking lot, and as we did so, came upon a huge and I mean HUGE boulder - which created a large canvased area of shade. Arriving at this shady area, was a gift from God I must say. My wife at that time, was overheating and running out of electrolyte water (she drank almost 3 liters of electrolyte water by that time), so the shady area created by the Huge boulder was perfect timing. We sat next to the boulder for maybe an hour - trying to lower our body temperature and enjoying the breeze that suddenly came through the West side of the trail. The creek next to us had no water anywhere. I did find it interesting that, there was no breeze UNTIL we reached that boulder. Looks as if someone was watching over us out there - regardless of our ignorance.
While we sat there in the shade, next to the huge boulder - the surrounding temps at that point were then at a height of 107° and climbing. When we realized that the temperature wasn't going to cool down any time soon, I made the choice to get us out of there - as quickly as I could get the wife stable and able. The last mile or so - was slow and cumbersome - due to my wife fading quickly, as she had completely run out of her Electrolyte water by that time. I had conserved my 2 litters - only using 1 litter over the entire hike - trying to leave extra Electrolyte water for her if needed. At one point, I started to fade as my own body temperature reached its peak. I was able though, to compose myself, utilized the shade produced by the huge boulder - where I was then able to rest and lower my body temperature before moving forward. Feeling better and having one more smoke - we proceeded on.
While it was still raging at a temp of 108°, around 2:30pm - the wife and I came around a bend, and as I was leading us out - I spotted the parking lot's bathroom roof from my position. I didn't realized at that time, how close we really were to getting out. My wife had the impression we were not going to get out for another hour or two - but to the surprise of my wife, we were much closer than she thought. At one point - I mentioned, we're here just a hundred feet away from the parking lot - I had never seen my wife run so fast for air conditioning. Today, I still don't know where she got the strength to run the last 100 to 150 feet to the car. Needless to say, when we reached the car, she sat there with the AC for a while before she could utter one word.
It took some time, but we were able to gather what strength we had to unload and soak in the AC which was blowing at its highest setting. Thank god for AC! As my wife cooled down - I indulged in a cigarette break while I looked back at where we just came from. At the time of the hike (within the 5 hours it took to walk the trail), I had only smoked 2 cigarettes the entire time, where I would usually of had 5 to 6 in the time it took hiking the trail. Needless to say, it was the best smoke of the day, as I reflected back on the area we just walked out of resembling Dante's Inferno, thanked God for our survival and knowing my wife made it out successfully without passing out. It was a smoke of relief, success and gratitude.
Saturday morning arrived promptly and with the morning rays - came the high temps once more. We took Saturday and spent the better part of the day, meeting up with a friend (a fellow Hunter) and his wife, spending part of the day in Goldfield Ghost Town. The town is really the real deal - when it comes to a Ghost Town. It was facinating to walk through - seeing what Jacob Waltz had seen in his day. After having lunch at the Goldfield Saloon - we headed out back to our room, to prep for Saturday night at the Don's Camp.
The night of Saturday came upon us quickly. My wife while trying to get herself ready, could not find her hiking boots she just used the day before. She realized, that she must have left her boots in the First Water parking lot. She was determined to find them, so we made an extra trip back out to First Water to find her boots, which were not there. Once she got her frustration out - we headed to Mesa and purchased a new pair of hiking boots. Once those boots were in hand, we made our way out to Peralta Road, driving the 2 mile dirt road that leads to Don's Camp.
There at camp, as the sun was setting, I met up with some of the guys known in the area (Wayne, Larry, etc) and as I was about to settle down and soak in all that Wayne and the others had to share, my wife got sick again due to the heat exhaustion from the day before. I believe she was standing next to a few guys who were smoking a cigar or strong cigarette - which triggered her nausea and started her "down hill" once again. I had to cancel everything and rush my wife back to the room. The drive out of there was interesting, as we drove back to the main road in pitch darkness. Needless to say she didn't pass-out on me, was able to get to the room in time - for her to fall asleep until the next day.
Sunday morning came up with a "bang", as the day was heating up once more. Since we were up by 6am, we decided to take advantage of the coolness and head out of town BEFORE it got any hotter. I believe we were on the road heading home by 10am. 7 hours later, we arrived back in Southern California.
As I sit here today - back at work running a small business network, I find myself going over and over the details of the trip taken - and as I do so, remind myself no matter the time taken and the risks accepted, there was never a better place to have endured what the Mountain could offer. I didn't reach the 'goal posts' I had planned on - being able to reach the top of Siphon Draw, to look around for hidden pouches of Gold, but looking back at where we did go, I'm glad we never tried to reach said trailhead. I can only imagine what could have happened if we did try going up to Siphon Draw with that kind of temperature we experienced in Hackberry Springs. We might have been worse off if we had tried to achieve success up in Siphon Draw - as that is an upward climb most of the way and trying to do that in 108° would have been suicide in the long run.
So, there you have it in a nutshell. There were some good points of success while out there - and then there were things that just didn't pan out for us. I wished I had been able to spend more time at Don's camp - as I really wanted to discuss things with those who have the knowledge and the experience. It was wonderful meeting those who I did get a chance to meet - though it was a very short meeting.
I believe there are lessons learned here during this trip (expedition), probably more than one. As much as you think you can plan for whatever may come - there will always be that one thing, you never saw coming. I have heard of stories of those of the past, who've had worse things occur during their time out there in the Supes, so I am forever grateful that they way things turned out for us - was minimal in comparison. We did get to meet up some good people and I am ever thankful for the opportunity - as relationships are worth more than gold.
On a final note, I would like to thank Wayne, Larry and the others who were involved in setting up of Rendezvous, that I appreciated the warm welcome and the hospitality they all showed a complete stranger. I so wanted to spend the time there at Camp, but my other half is extremely important to me and her well being is my number one priority in this World. So, thank you to all who set all this up and who was so kind to me. It meant the world to me, especially because it was our first time out there.
With all that transpired I will state this; we will be back as the Mountain continues it's call.
Now, I can finally say - I've had boots on the ground. At least its a start....of a search that never ends, or so it seems.
-SpartanOC
