We were forced to make a big detour to get to our destination. Rather than complain, we rolled with the punches and took the loop south onto AZ-79 at Florence Junction to Oracle, then AZ-77 back north through the mining towns of Hayden and Winkelman into Superior, back onto eastbound US-60. This added about a hundred miles and two hours to the drive, but it was scenic, and for both of us, our first time on this section of AZ-77.

After all that drama, the drive to the Black Jack Campground went without incident. We followed state route AZ-78 up into the mountains, arriving to the campground in the dark. There was no one there and it was completely black and quiet. We found a spot to camp, the night being peaceful, and I was asleep by 9 p.m., in the back of the truck.

The next morning, I started the hike at 6:45 a.m. in pleasant conditions. The hike follows Trail 568 (as shown on the map), but no markers are found along the actual trail (the ATV track). But it was the only trail, so this had to be it. It bends north at first, away from the peak, curling around the north slopes of "Birthday Hill" (Peak 6467). The track reaches a pass, then drops about 80 feet into White Mule Canyon, now heading south.

For a short while, the trail runs deep in the canyon, shaded by tall ponderosa pine. Then it ascends steeply out of this canyon, now gaining along long slopes and ridges, often atop the ridgeline itself, Maverick Hill's anvil-shaped summit now visible dead ahead.

I made good time along the path, following it up and down the ridge, keeping on it until it ended a mile short of the top. Now the fun began. The map shows a trail to the top but it is suspiciously straight for the last half-mile, suggesting the map-draftsman got lazy. In reality, the trail to the top is overgrown and hard to follow. The first few hundred yards were the worst. Here, the "trail" is supposed to surmount a hill marked "7025" on the map. I followed what seemed like openings and a few cairns. Whenever I had doubts, I stayed close to the ridge, and this worked well. The brush and trees had closed in, and I was forced to hunker down and plow forward.

The alleged trail seemed to re-appear near the saddle between Peaks 7025 and 7242, but it was still overgrown. I made better time here and usually could see what to do, but a few times had to backtrack and try other ideas when not sure. Any semblance of a path ends about 150 feet short of the top. The final slope was easy, though ponderosa, grass and hidden rubbly rocks. Soon, I was on the top.

The top is flat, so finding the highest point took some seaching, but I found it, a small cairn amid rocks surrounded by trees. I was the second person to sign in for 2011, but only the 8th or 9th since 1992, when the register was placed. One group surmised this peak to be the location of an old heliograph station, which might explain the trail, and the lack of upkeep. I didn't stay long as there were no views.

The descent went a little faster, now able to follow the trail a bit better (given that I had broken a few branches of my own to act as sign of my passage). Here, the views were better, being able to see the big mine pits near Clifton, and the Mogollon Range in New Mexico. Once back at the road, I jog-walked almost the whole way back to the truck. I took a small detour to inspect an old dam built into White Mule Creek, but there was no water in the reservoir.

I was back to the truck at 10:00 a.m.. We spent another hour or two relaxing in the campground before leaving, heading into New Mexico and Silver City for two nights. We had fun in S.C., but alas, our main destination, the Gila Wilderness, was shut out due to a giant fire.