Backpacker – August 2019

JULY/AUGUST 2019

AUSTIN TRIGG / TANDEMSTOCK.COM BACKPACKER.COM 27

granite shelf on the northwest corner

of the bigger (eastern) of the two lakes

for your tent, and skip the fly on a clear

night. You just might feel like you’ve

tiptoed into the living room of the

mountain gods. Nature calling? Lucky

you: Perhaps the world’s most scenic

pit toilet is 100 yards northwest,

facing 2,500-foot-tall Valhalla, an El

Capitan look-alike.

FLORA

Depending on snowpack , July is

typically prime time for petal peeping

at this elevation. A parade of summer

blooms smears the meadows along

this bit of the High Sierra Trail; look for

purple and blue lupines, red

Applegate’s paintbrushes, and unique

crimson Western columbines.

DO ITTRAILHEAD 36.5547,

-118.7493; 25 miles northeast of Three

Rivers on Crescent Meadow Rd.

SEASON June to October PERMIT

Required ($10 + $5/person);

reservations recommended in high

season. CO NTAC T nps. gov/se ki

Distance 28.6 miles (out and back)

Time 3 days

Difficulty

Cowboy camping

beside Hamilton Lake

Nearly 3 million acres of cactus-filled deser t ,

wooded mountains, and braided waterways

make the Tonto National Forest in central Ari-

zona a life -list destination for hikers across the

country. But the Tonto, located just northeast

of Phoenix , is vulnerable to development on

inholdings, which threatens habitat for the

area’s 21 endangered and sensitive species. In

2017, the Western Rivers Conser vancy bought

the 149 -acre Doll Baby Ranch , a crucial access

point for the Arizona Trail and home to a mile -

long stretch of the E ast Verde River, in an effor t

to preser ve the river and the land surrounding

it. This March, the group transferred the land

to the Forest Ser vice , ensuring public access to

trails and providing a safe haven for native fish

species like Colorado pikeminnow and razor-

back sucker. B ut there’s still more to be done.

Learn about the fight at westernrivers.org.

SAVE THE EAST VERDE

RIVER, ARIZONA.

THE GOOD FIGHT

12

PHOTO BY MOREY MILBRADT / ALAMY STOCK PHOTO. TEXT BY DAVID GLEISNER (THE GOOD FIGHT)