Since Executive Spread was scheduled for surgery in the morning, we had to get an early star. the drive ended up being a bit longer than I anticipated, so I really owe her for the kindness. everyone in the area was great in offering their assistance if things didn't work out and were very willing to offer advice and information. I tend to prefer through hikes instead of going out and back, so I planned this trip to allow me to traverse the entire park. 
The road to the Miller Creek trail head was in decent condition though it did take longer than expected. I was still filled with a bit of trepidation when we got to a small creek crossing that was frozen over, but I decided to continue on. We finally got to the trailhead and after getting layered and geared up, I started my climb without reserve.
The sun coming up through the mountains was a great sight. The trail followed Miller Creek for a long while and was decently easy to follow, however at some point the path cut across without my noticing and it took me a while to realize that I was following an animal trail and tracks instead of the hiking trail. It took me about an hour and a half to finally find the path again after having to back track over a half mile of rough terrain and search again, but I finally found the signs that I had missed (which are generally just three rocks piled on top of each other) and continue along the trail. I soon made it to the boundary of Saguaro East National Park, signed the registry and continued on.
When I got to the Ricon Peak trail I had to make a decision. It wasn't until that point that I even realized that the days were much shorter with it not only being winter, but all a lot of the late afternoon light would dim quickly because of the surround mountains. I was planning on setting up camp in Happy Valley, hiking to the peak, and then coming back for my first night's sleep, however with the temperature already decently low and the wind having picked up considerably, with my no longer being protected by the mountain, I made the decision to head towards the Spud Rock camping site so I can explore some of the back areas of the park. After heading up the trail for a little while I stopped for a quick warm lunch of Ramen noodles before dropping off the pack for quick hike to the Happy Valley Lookout.
I took the Heartbreak Ridge Trail to the Spud Rock Campground with just enough time to set up the new tent before dark. 
The trail would have been about 6.8 miles, but with the detour and extra hike to the lookout, I figure it was just about 8 miles of walking from the trailhead. After setting up the tent and looking for a tree in which to hang my pack for the night I found the camp site bear box and then began to cook dinner. That evening's meal consisted of some rehydrated Thai and ended up being quite good. Boiling and cooking ended up taking longer due to the cold and elevation, but since I had nothing else to do, I really didn't mind. After cleaning up and storing the gear in the box, I started to settle in just as ambient light was dimming. I learned a trick a while back on how to stay warm. I had a 20F bag, but with temperatures getting lower than that I knew I'd need more and so used my silk long johns and some extra thermal wear. I set up my stove with some water in it just next to the tent so that if I woke up cold I could quickly boil it and pour it into a water bottle to bring into the bag with me. 
I did wake up later at night, however one thing I didn't anticipate was the water already having frozen in the cup. Fortunately my cub is designed to fit with the stove, so I just had to light it and wait a bit longer. That trick really did end up working out rather well, so I was abl to stay decently warm, even though I estimate the temperature getting to at least 19F (-7.2C) in the evening. Although I got chilled a couple of times, I never got to the point of shivering.Pictures of the hike itself can be found here: http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=vnlbugz.as7ieirz&x=0&y=2f130i
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