STRAWBERRY to PINE -with shuttle

# Strawberry to Pine Trail #15

with shuttle

Please: >>> SERIOUSLY
CONSIDER YOUR PACE, STAMINA AND ABILITY TO SAFELY COMPLETE THE HIKE
without separating from the group

More than 2,000 feet higher than where the East Verde River crosses State Route 87 north of Payson, snow-melt and rainwater, that will eventually drain into Arizona’s rivers and streams, begin a journey through porous escarpments before spilling through springs at the base of the Mogollon Rim.
Below the Rim’s vertical cliffs that rise to over 7,000 feet and make a 200-mile, east-west stretch through central Arizona, an edgy, almost claustrophobic territory of high mesas, dizzying gorges and backwoods is home to a maze of tributary creeks and drainages that feed into the East Verde River which in turn flows into the Verde and Salt Rivers, two of Arizona’s most important water sources. A hike through this tangled, geologically and botanically diverse region is as much an origin story as it is a walk in the woods. While the nearby 50+ mile Highline Trail, which is part of the Arizona National Scenic Trail, clings to the craggy Rim walls, the terrain farther downhill is a more bucolic, less precipitous place.

DIFFICULTY: Moderate
TOTAL DISTANCE: 4 miles
ALTITUDE: 5718 to 6055 feet
ACCUMULATED ELEVATION GAIN: 400 feet
HIKING TIME: 2 hours
STYLE: one way with shuttle
DOGS: OK
FACILITIES at Trailhead: NONE

THERE WILL BE A CARPOOL FOR THIS HIKE:

Deer Valley Towne Square, Phoenix, AZ
Target store I-17 and Loop 101 :

# 33°40'02.7"N 112°07'10.6"W

HOW TO FIND US:
6:00 a.m.
In front of Target store close to freeway / Beardsley road.
(see pin on map)

LEAVING CARPOOL at 6:10 a.m.
Starting from trailhead at 8:- ish

RSVP: PICK ONE
will you meet us at the CARPOOL or at TRAILHEAD ? <– PICK ONLY ONE

DIRECTIONS TO TRAILHEAD:

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Deer+Valley+Towne+Square,+Phoenix,+AZ/34.40578,-111.48479/@34.0620102,-112.3922997,230491m/data=!3m2!1e3!4b1!4m9!4m8!1m5!1m1!1s0x872b6f3fae7d36d9:0xfb800748bc2e8502!2m2!1d-112.1229016!2d33.6668767!1m0!3e0?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI1MDgxOS4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D

VERY IMPORTANT: we don't want to leave anyone behind

RSVP: PICK ONE
will you meet us at the CARPOOL or at TRAILHEAD ? <– PICK ONLY ONE

If you don't CONFIRM that you will meet at THE CARPOOL, or if you are late, we'll expect to SEE YOU AT THE TRAILHEAD.

VERY IMPORTANT TOO:

If you sign up for the hike, and you change your plans ------ just change your RSVP.
It helps the host prepare, and it's polite.