In early February Linda and I and our dogs camped in the open desert near Vicksburg, Arizona, east of Quartzsite. We were boondocking, which meant we had no hookups but did have a lot of room for ourselves and dark nights. We spent three nights there. Linda spent February 6 and 7 hiking and mountain biking from our campsite. On the morning of February 6 I left camp to hike Harquahala Mountain.

From camp I drove through Salome on US 60, then followed a dirt road to the Harquahala Pack Trail trailhead. The trail climbs from the McMullen Valley floor to the summit of Harquahala Mountain. Harquahala Mountain (Yavapai: ‘Hakhe:la), the highpoint of the Harquahala Mountains, is the 17th most prominent peak in Arizona with 3461 feet of topographic prominence and 5681 feet of elevation.