Recent Trip

SB County recently bladed the Bowen Ranch Road, and it had fewer washboards than usual. I hiked down to the Hot Springs this week during cold weather, and had the place to myself during the middle of the day. The trash situation was not bad; I removed as much as I could (cans, bottles, etc) in my daypack. The stream has risen a bit due to recent storms, and was an icy waist-deep crossing. The springs were great, and Arizona is open.

As others have posted, there has been a surge in ORV trespass recently. I noticed motorcycle tracks clear down to the bottom of the canyon in the area of the warm springs. The BLM areas are being hammered with hill climbs and other illegal off-route use.

At the Forest Service trailhead, the woodpost vehicle barricade had been removed, and a sign explaining the vehicle closure was vandalized with conflicting graffiti. I spent an hour repairing this barrier. The foot trail beyond this sign has been damaged by motorcycle riding across it.

If somebody would be so kind as to post Brad Burns' email address (which is probably posted somewhere else, but I don't have time to look for it), please do so, and I'll send him a complaint. Thanks.