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Navaho Pass
Stafford Creek Trail No. 1359
| JUNE 21, 2008 Finally picking up where I left off last
fall, I headed to the Teanaway and the hike at the top of my "wish
list," Navaho Pass. The weather forecast called for a 30% chance
of rain, and it was sprinkling when I left the trailhead. I found
much to grumble about as I began this hike: my boots hurt my feet,
the bugs were biting, there were blow downs to navigate, and it was
raining. The charm of the Teanaway soon overcame all of my
complaints, however, and before long I was hiking through meadows bursting with
wildflowers and climbing through fragrant woods. This trail seems
to dawdle as it travels next to Stafford Creek before it finally
gets down to the business of gaining elevation. Once out of the
woods, the views don't stop, and the trail climbs moderately through rock gardens
that would be the envy of any landscaper. At the pass, you
are confronted suddenly with eye-popping views of the west face of the
peaks that surround the Enchantments. This trail has it all:
wildflowers in the spring, larches in the fall, and views year long.
I'm never happier than when I'm in these mountains and it felt great to be above 6000' again, so I spent a peaceful 2 hours playing at the Pass. I scrambled up a talus slope for great views of Argonaut Peak, found a comfortable log at a vantage spot looking across at Little Annapurna for lunch, then hiked the County Line Trail a short distance in each direction. The weather deteriorated before I could reach a viewpoint of Mount Stuart, so I went home with a promise to return when the weather is better. 12 miles roundtrip 3000' elevation gain |
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