As
part of a two-day camping trip, we hiked on Taylor Cabin Trail on 3
May 2015. On the previous day we had driven through Sedona on Hwy
89A, continued up Oak Creek Canyon to turn left onto Forest road 535
between mile markers 390 and 391. From there we followed FR 535 for
about 5 miles and then turned onto FR 536 and continued for around
4.5 miles before turning onto FR 538. We then followed FR 538 for
approximately 5.5 miles to its junction with FR 538G. From there we
followed FR 538G to Kelsey Trailhead where we started that day's
hike. After completing a hike to Geronimo Spring on Kelsey and
Little LO Trails, we returned to FR 538 and followed that road south
for about 3.8 miles, turned right onto FR 538B and followed it for an
estimated 3.1 miles to a good camping spot in a bend of the road.
Before
settling in for the night, we took one vehicle and continued south on
FR 538B for about 0.5 miles and parked at a wide turnaround. From
there we walked for another 0.2 miles to the trailhead, passing a
locked gate that marked the official end of FR 538B. The road does
continue, although used only for servicing a power line, all the way
down Casner Mountain to connect with FR 525C. Although closed to
public vehicular traffic, the road does serve as Casner Mountain
Trail #8 which ends at the saddle between the ridge running northeast
from Casner Mountain and Buck Ridge which continues to the northeast
before turning sharply to the northwest. Casner Mountain Trail,
Mooney Trail and Taylor Cabin Trail all come together at this saddle.
Mooney Trail can be seen (above right)
running up the slope from the canyon while Casner Mountain Trail
follows closely along the power line running along the top of the
ridge.
We
returned to the campsite, set up our tents, ate dinner and sat for
awhile by a campfire. I had brought the same two bundles of wood
that I have been taking on camping trips for more than six years.
Once again wood was plentiful and I returned home with my wood
bundles intact. The sky was clear when we turned in for the night
and for the first part of the night a bright moon made the night
almost as clear as day. I was aware of this because, very abnormally
for me, I had trouble sleeping and lay awake for much of the night.
I did finally go to sleep but was soon awakened by an unexpected
rainstorm.
We
awoke the next morning, 3 May 2015, to partly overcast skies and at
first thought we might be starting our hike wearing raingear. But by
the time we had eaten breakfast, which for me was an old packet of
instant oatmeal, the weather was improved enough that we eschewed our
ponchos. I was a bit tired from lack of sleep and not entirely
satisfied by my breakfast when we set out but felt better once I got
moving.
After
breakfast we again drove the 0.5 miles from where we were camped to
the parking area near the end of FR 538B and started our hike from
there, still 0.2 miles short of the official trailhead. We passed
the locked gate and continued on to the official Taylor Cabin
Trailhead, arriving shortly after 0630, thus completing the easiest
0.2 miles of the entire hike.
The
trailhead is marked by one of those sturdy old rusty but almost
indestructible metal trailhead signs (left)
erected by some interest group a number of years ago. Taylor Cabin
Trail makes a sharp turn to the right shortly following the sign. A
trail does lead straight ahead but dead ends after about a hundred
yards.
Our
trail, shown below in a photograph taken on the return hike, dropped
steeply and followed closely along the sheer shoulder of Buck Ridge.
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Looking to the distant mountains across Sycamore Canyon
|
Closer
to hand (right), phlox, the most
predominate flowering plant we saw on this hike, grew in abundance on
the trailside slopes, seemingly intent on filling in any empty spaces
along the way.
As we rounded the
corner of Buck Ridge and descended to loop along the north side of a
massive rock formation ahead, there was still enough light rain to
form a beautiful rainbow. The near end looked so close that Lila,
shown in the below photograph, and I discussed abandoning the trail
to see if we could find the legendary pot of gold.
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Rainbow in Sycamore Canyon – Lila Wright shown on the trail
|
As
we switchbacked our way down the mountain slope, curving to the right
to avoid the massive rock butte shown above, we passed through a
forest of ponderosa pines mixed with smaller trees, shrubs and vines. One
of the vines, a New Mexico raspberry I think, is shown here (left).
Along
here the trail was not only very steep, a large number of dead trees
had fallen across it. In some places, creating a veritable maze of
trunks across the trail. For the most part there was no easy way to
bypass blocked sections of trail and we just had to crawl across or
under the fallen trunks. It did appear that some effort had been
made at the very start of the trail to clear the fallen trees; alas,
the effort didn't extend very far down the trail.
As
for the slope of the trail, I later measured the last mile of our
return hike ending at the trailhead and found the total ascent for
that section of trail to be 911 feet, ending at an elevation of 6310
feet.
After
about the first mile, the trail mostly followed along the bed of
washes. It did occasionally climb out to follow along the bank for a
piece before returning to the wash. Although, these departures from
the wash were usually (and recently) well marked by the placement of
cairns, it was not always clear why they existed. More often it was
easier to just continue along the bottom of the wash.
When
we reached Sycamore Creek and crossed over we found ourselves at what
appeared to be a very good spot for a cabin. It was a flat,
relatively open space well above the danger of flooding; there were
two ancient signs placed at opposite ends of a cleared space. No
sign of lettering was any longer visible on the signs but they likely
marked the junction with Sycamore Basin Trail which we must take
downstream to Taylor Cabin. Also we had been told that Taylor Cabin
was still standing and in good condition, so this couldn't be it.
We
soon came to a point where it was not clear whether we should
continue along the west bank of the creek or cross over to the other
side. As luck would have it, while we were pondering the situation,
a couple who had parked at the same place we had and hiked to Taylor
Cabin to stay overnight arrived on their way back up the trail. They
informed us that we were still 1.7 miles from the cabin but were on
the right track.
Most of the flowers
shown below were photographed as we hiked the last 1.7 miles down
Sycamore Creek, crossing back and forth along the way, to Taylor
Cabin. Only the bottom two were photographed higher up the mountain.
After traveling more
than a mile and a half downstream, we came to a flat, relatively
open, area well above the creek. Posted along the trail was a sturdy
post carrying several cryptic signs, the sort that require some
advance knowledge to interpret. In the example shown here (right),
the two signs taken together would imply that we were on Trail 66
(Packard Mesa Trail). In fact Packard Mesa Trail 66 actually starts
farther downstream, near Sycamore Tank, and runs south across Packard
Mesa before joining Parsons Trail near Sycamore Creek's junction with
the Verde River.
Another
sign, labeled Sycamore Basin Trail 63, seemingly pointed more toward
the track for Dutch Kid Tank Trail 54 track than in the direction of
Trail 63. The Dutch Kid Tank Trail was identified correctly by the
number 54 (left). Although the
sign, posted at a cockeyed angle above, and perpendicular to, the two
Trail 66 signs, pointed more to the sky than to the trail, it did get
the general direction right.
The
single word “Cabin,” sprawled in hand lettering on the bottom of
one of the Trail 66 signs, correctly pointed us toward Taylor Cabin
which turned out to be tucked neatly, out of sight, against a
sandstone cliff just below us. The distance by trail was less than
150 yards from the post with the confusing signs.
According
to Don Godard of Verde Valley as later told to Lila Wright, Taylor
Cabin was built by the “Perkins' from Perkinsville and the Millers
from Windmill Ranch.”
According
to a letter from Zeke Taylor, dated January 18, 1986, to the District
Ranger at Chino Valley Ranger District,
brothers Ben (Zeke's father) and John Taylor, used the Sycamore Basin
as winter range for their cattle. They “camped at, and kept their
supplies in, a beautiful cave a short distance from the site of
present Taylor Cabin.”1
Zeke goes on to report that the Taylor brothers later built a rock
room in front of the cave, making a more comfortable camp for his
mother, Florence, who accompanied them to the site.
The
present “Taylor Cabin” as shown below, was constructed in the
early 1930s, partly of rock from the old rock room, is located about
200 feet from the site of the cave.2
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| Taylor Cabin in Sycamore Canyon |
The
interior of the cabin is indeed very cozy. It was also, at least at
the time of our visit, well-stocked with emergency supplies (right).
We saw canned goods, snacks, condiments, assorted snacks and camping
propane tanks. I wondered if some organization has possibly taken on
the task of periodically restocking the cabin. On the other hand,
perhaps the items were just left by other campers who found that they
had a surplus. One could easily be motivated to lighten the load for
the hike out while possibly helping other travelers.
Tucked
neatly in a back corner (left) I
saw an old-fashioned wood cookstove, much like the one my mother used
when I was a child. The stove is shown at bottom left with the
stovepipe running up the corner of the cabin. The cabinet and shelf
at the upper right in the photograph contain cooking utensils.
It
all brought back memories of my mother as she bent over her old stove
to stir a pot or add an ingredient. She with her old stove always
produced excellent meals, often scraped together from little more
than leftovers, rare though these were, augmented with whatever could
be caught in the woods or plucked from the garden.
One
not so fond memory is of the old stove's voracious appetite for wood.
As I grew older, feeding that monster became my job. Truth be told,
however, I did eventually manage to pass the task on to my younger
siblings.
Stepping
back out of the cabin we took a look at the chimney (right).
At first glance, bending and twisting as it rose above the roof to
the rim of the cliff above, it looked as though it were on the verge
of collapsing. However, a second look revealed that it had been
constructed that way in order to take advantage of a natural corner
in the cliff.
Less
than a hundred yards from the cabin and closer to the creek, was
located a still-sturdy pole corral that must have been used to hold
the work horses.
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Pole corral at Taylor Cabin
|
I
had smoked trout for lunch and I think it had been lurking in the
closet with my camping gear for a bit too long; I felt slightly sick
after eating it. But feeling somewhat better after a good drink of
water, I quickly settled in for an intended 45 minute nap. Alas,
that was not to be. Other members of the group had other schedules
to meet and someone roused me after about 20 minutes. Although still
feeling the effects of a night of very little sleep, two
less-than-satisfactory meals in a row and a shortened nap, I started
out at a brisk pace. However I became slower and slower as we
retraced our path back up the creek and started the climb back up the
wash. By the time we reached the steepest part of the trail, the
last mile or so, I was stopping to rest about every 200 yards. Those
hikers who had other commitments continued on ahead while the rest of
the contingent lingered with me. We arrived back at our parked cars
at about 1740, still well before dark.
The
hike, measured using my cleaned-up GPS track for the trip out, was
5.1 miles one way (10.2 miles in and out). The highest elevation was
6458 feet and our total ascent was 2280 feet.
Our
track is shown in red on the attached map (next
page). The short section of green track is the 0.5
mile of road between our campsite and where we parked to start the
hike.
The
hikers who accompanied me on this hike were; Lila Wright, Dave
Beech, Jim Manning and Chris Jensen.
1Taylor,
Zeke. (2004). Reflections of the Past as it Rolled Along (pp
18-20). Cottonwood, AZ: Focus on Graphics. (Original work published
in 1987).
2 Ibid,
p 20.
