Backpacking Mazatzal Wilderness AZ | Deer Creek Gold Ridge Loop | 3 Days June 2020 | 4K60p

[@ryansharp7768]

Thank you... Excellent work! From a guy who has injuries.... Your videos keep me in the game and sane.! God Speed.

[@wild_bill_outdoors]

Well done. I hiked the AZT from Superior to Sierra Vista a few years ago and am curious about the Mazatzal section when I get back to finish the northern half. Your video offered a good glimpse of what to expect at what elevation in this country. Looks bushy at the higher elevations. Plenty of burn. Nice composition and editing. It's great to look and hike though the eyes of another desert backpacker!

[@bluwtrgypsy]

The shiny rock is likely serpentine. Thanks for the great video. Safe travels

[@Pomiferous]

Next time do the South Fork trail 56 section.Lots of flowers and water in March normally.Was more spectacular before the fire got it though.I camped at Gowans cabin the first time I went in the 90's.

[@WildlandExplorer]

I hear good things about the south fork, thanks for the reminder to check it out!

[@cq7415]

Another nice video of yours. Nice photography and editing. That area is very interesting. Thanks for sharing.

[@timetraveler1128]

We hiked up the Deer Creek trail today to the Bar Canyon camp site, a bit past the grave. The wooden boxes are still there, although moved around a bit. We couldn’t figure out what they were or why they were there too.

[@WildlandExplorer]

According to a friend of mine they are cook boxes to put your stove in to protect from the wind. Which you're not supposed to do with canister stoves. I have never seen anything like that anywhere else. I think boy scout troops use that camp a lot.

[@carlosdavila2552]

i think the boxes were used on mules to carry supplies at one time

[@cq7415]

They are old pannier boxes to carry items on pack animals. Don’t know why a horse packer would leave them behind.

[@Vito_Tuxedo]

Knee pain = major suckage...but you seemed to take it in stride (heh) on this hike. For me, descending is the knee killer. A knee brace really helps, plus topical ASA (aspirin) cream, followed by DMSO (99.9%) to help it penetrate. Anyhow, this hike happened >17 months ago, and your knee seems OK these days; 'tis a gladful thing. And what a treat to find water running in Deer Creek in June. Thanks for another great wilderness experience! 😎

[@WildlandExplorer]

What I had was IT Band syndrome. Really it's from lack of proper strength training in the lateral glutes (TFL muscles) and overuse of those muscles through their compensation balancing uneven trail surfaces with a heavy pack. This is a common and mis-understood injury. People don't want to believe it's from poor conditioning. But it is - it's that simple. People frequently task me with why I don't use trekking poles. One reason is I'm already using a camera tripod which doubles as a hiking staff. Trekking poles are only adding weight without function in my case. The other reason is that I started to strength train, stretch & trigger point massage the TFL and other glutes. Haven't had any knee issues since. It all relates to muscle imbalance issues. At age 39 I'm too young for it to be age related without a specific injury. I figured out it was something I was doing wrong.

[@Vito_Tuxedo]

@@WildlandExplorer Thanks for that. After reviewing the symptoms and causes of ITB, this bears further investigation. For me, age is definitely a factor, and the doctors seemed convinced it's "normal osteoarthritis". Yet, the orthopedic specialist saw the X-ray and said, "So, your pain is on the inside..." No, it's on the outside. "Huh...looking at the X-ray, it should be on the inside." Well, it's my pain and I know where it is. It's on the outside. Nobody, including two MDs and two physical therapists, has ever mentioned ITB. I had one corticosteroid injection; after the built-in anesthetic wore off, it had no effect. Then I had a hyaluronic acid gel injection. That helped for a few months, but it's wearing off. The next step (they say) is a PRP injection, which (allegedly) has the potential to rebuild the cushioning cartilage. But if it's ITB, then I dunno. Maybe the doctors are barking up an empty tree. I'll look for resources for strength training, stretching, and massage for the TFL and other glutes. So far, none of the other treatments & therapy have done the trick. So maybe there's hope. I don't want to mess with surgery. There are always unwanted side effects. Thanks again, amigo! 😎

[@dmn3773]

Your work is improving greatly and I appreciate your different approaches you've made to this video over prior videos. Hopefully you get out to do some stuff in the sub alpine grasslands of eastern Arizona this summer. Good video, friend.

[@WildlandExplorer]

Thanks for the great feedback! Hopefully yes, Arizona's Blue Range is on my mind.

[@dmn3773]

@@WildlandExplorer fantastic, look forward to the next video.

[@joycemeadows9837]

Nice video! The buggy is a side by side. I have always wanted to hike that area! You must have hiked this before the Bush fire broke out?! Beautiful!!! Thanks for sharing.

[@WildlandExplorer]

Quite interesting, I have no knowledge of the ATV world. Yep about 3 weeks before the Bush fire. Though the areas in that video were untouched by the fire. Most all of the Mataztal Wilderness escaped the fire damage. Can't say the same of Four Peaks unfortunately.

[@waterfallmadman]

I am sure the 8 L of water was quite heavy. :) Very beautiful country.

[@WildlandExplorer]

Not as bad with an ultralight pack!

[@DavidHerringtonOutdoors]

That was the loop I did! Loved it!

[@WildlandExplorer]

Awesome! We're basically hiking the same places I guess.😆Deer Creek got way overgrown in the past couple months.

[@DavidHerringtonOutdoors]

@@WildlandExplorer dude, pretty steep coming down Gold Ridge in parts too. I want to go back and do Deer Creek, and come back on South Fork next time

[@DavidHerringtonOutdoors]

@@WildlandExplorer if you ever want to link up and hit a trip out sometime, let me know!

[@WildlandExplorer]

​@@DavidHerringtonOutdoors Totally dude. I'm not 100% healed yet but I'm hoping by the end of summer. If you click the "about" tab of my main page there is a contact address on there.

[@WildlandExplorer]

@@DavidHerringtonOutdoors I'm thinking of doing a video of a larger part of the Mazzies using South fork as an entry route and maybe come back down on one of the trails further north for a big loop.

[@tato4612]

Great Video.....you deserve way more subscribers!

[@WildlandExplorer]

Very much appreciate the kind words!

[@gregorynarciso729]

for sure

[@RosserRuns]

Just found and subbed. I look forward to supporting the channel.

[@WildlandExplorer]

Much thanks! Lots of backpacking content coming this fall.

[@michaelsanfilippo7433]

Another great video my friend. Yes, the new gear does improve the image quality but, it is your skills and techniques that are improving with each new posting. Always a nice mix of hiking, scenic's, nature images, and narrative information. Well done. I just got back yesterday from a trip to Colorado (I'm from Southern California) and I passed through this general area. It was way too hot for any hiking, but seeing your video I would now like to go back to this location. I'm thinking April or May would be perfect, especially for water flow. What do you think? And what about the autumn? Anyway, loved the journey. Keep them coming.

[@WildlandExplorer]

Thank you Michael! Mid-late spring would be the best for that area in terms of water and climate. Much earlier than late March you can experience chest deep creeks and snow/ice up top. Fall is hit or miss with water, usually the driest time is late October. But in my experience you can frequently game the November rain storms and have creek flow almost as good as spring. Central AZ low country has similar climate to Southern CA except a little warmer & mountains aren't quite as high elevation.

[@nuclearhunter5]

Whats rhe song at 5:58?

[@man-on-the-brink]

Is it my imagination, or am I hearing highway noise in many of the scenes?

[@WildlandExplorer]

Nope you’re hearing the nearby hwy 87 traffic in the video

[@opticalpower]

Amazing, you do great keep going kader : Video creator, From Optical power youtube channel