Day 1 – The AZ Adventure begins with Peaks 1 and 2! I left Oceanside, CA on 21 Oct at 0100, Monday morning  and arrived at the Bill Williams Mountain Trailhead about 7 hours later. Arriving at 0745. However, the entrance gate was locked and there was no indication when it would open. So, I drove around the campground area to see if there was another route to the trailhead. From the gate I think it was another mile or so to the trailhead. As I looked for somewhere to park, with the idea that I’d hike the extra miles in and out, I noticed that the gate was now unlocked. This was at 0755, so I’m guessing that entrances opens at 0800 each day.

Once at the trailhead parking lot, I prepped my gear and stepped off at about 0813. There were no other cars or people around. Temps were right around 40 degrees. My hike ended up being 8.08 miles with 2,434 feet in elevation gain. The trail was easy to follow and well maintained. One or two downed trees but they were pretty easy to step over. There were a few patches of snow along the way, which became very prominent near the summit. The tower was pretty cool, but it is closed for the winter season so there is no access. I didn’t use any traction devices to negotiate the snow. There was maybe 2 to 3 inches in some areas. Coming down I did pull out my trekking poles just to avoid slipping. I was wearing La Sportiva Trail runners.

I finished the hike in about 4 hours and then drove 50 minutes to the Mount Elden Trailhead for my second peak of the day. I started this hike right around 1302 (1:02pm). This hike was a little short at 5.8 miles but still had just over 2,400 feet in elevation gain. This hike took just under 4 hours and the snow levels were similar to the Bill Williams hike earlier in the day.