Southern Arizona Hiking Club: Forum Posts

Rincon Mtn trails re-open

Saguaro National Park News Release

For Immediate Release

July 4, 2008

Contacts: Susan Keys (520) 733-5133

Saguaro National Park Fire Information Hotline (520) 733-5150

Chimenea Widland Fire Use Fire Update

The Chimenea Wildland Fire Use fire received over three inches of rain on the afternoon of July 3, 2008. The total involved acreage is now 115. A few interior logs continue to smolder, and Fire Managers will continue to monitor the area of the fire and take action as needed. The Chimenea Wildland Fire Use fire is located in the Saguaro Wilderness, south of Madrona Canyon. This 115 acre lightning-ignited fire started on June 26 and is being managed for resource benefits.

The Chimenea Wildland Fire Use Fire occurred in an area adapted to fire. The Ponderosa Pine in this area has thick bark that acts as insulation. The low intensity of the fire helped reduce the risk of large crown fires that may decrease or eliminate habitat including nesting, roosting and foraging areas.

All trails at Saguaro National Park are now open to visitors.

For additional information, please call the park’s fire information hotline, (520) 733-5150 or visit www.nps.gov/sagu/parkmgmt/fire_updates.htm

Rincon Mtn closures due to wildfires

Eastern Arizona Type 2 Incident Management Team

Distillery Fire Update

Saturday, June 28, 2008, 8:00 a.m.

Fire Information Contact: (520) 762-0919

Website: www.imtcenter.net (select Eastern Arizona Type 2 IMT)

Pictures / Videos: www.picasaweb.google.com/eazfireteam

The Distillery fire is currently inactive with minimal smoke. Crews are continuing to monitor fire activity, completing line improvement on the power line road, and beginning rehabilitation of fireline constructed during suppression activities.

Of the four potential new starts on Saguaro National Park reported yesterday, only two were spotted during aerial reconnaissance on Friday, having survived Thursday's rain. Both are located on Mica Mountain in the Saguaro Wilderness. The Castro Fire is estimated to be approximately 10 acres. Crews will be flown in by helicopter to begin suppressing the fire today. Fire managers are also developing a response strategy for the Chiminea Fire, estimated to be approximately 1 acre. Both of the lightning-ignited fires are burning at a low intensity and slow rate of spread.

Temperatures today are expected to climb into the mid-90s, with increased moisture predicted.

Happy Valley Road (FS Road 35) north of Interstate 10 and FS Road 4402 from X9 Ranch Road to Papago Springs on the Coronado National Forest are now OPEN.

Saguaro National Park has implemented additional closures due to the Castro and Chiminea fires. Trail closures include: Miller Creek, Rincon Peak, Rincon Creek, Italian Springs, North Slope, Fire Loop, Spud Rock, Mica Mountain, Mica Meadow, Bonita, Cowhead Saddle, East Slope, Turkey Creek, Devil's Bathtub, Deerhead Springs, Switchback, Manning Camp (east of Grass Shack) and Heartbreak Ridge. Campground closures include Saguaro National Park include Manning Camp, Spud Rock, and Happy Valley Saddle. All off-trail areas within Saguaro National Park east of Douglas Springs and Manning Camp Trails are also closed.

Fire Statistics:

Acres: 7,950 Containment: 60% Start Date: 6/21/8 Cause: Lightning

Total Personnel: 281 Hand Crews: 5 Engines: 8 Helicopters: 2

Carter Canyon Trail

Does anyone have any info on this trail, is it open?

Thanks,

Jerry Dean

Safe fireless hand-held flickering battery-light Luminarias tonight 8P Thunderbird Trail

May Day Greetings, hiking friends!

Tonight's safe hand-held luminarias are fireless; they are small flickering artificial candle-shaped lights encased in plastic made by GE - not even exposed glass bulbs - and powered by a few drum-shaped batteries like hand-held party lights and jewelry. We suspend ours in a standard silver luminaria bag, complete with die-cut holes in a rayed star, topped with a cord handle - a Hiking Club exclusive, assembled from parts from two local retailers, as there aren't any complete sets available in Tucson, though this technique is used throughout the Spanish-influenced SouthWest USA.

You get to keep your luminaria, for its cost of $3 for tonight's use, after our May Day hike!

When you want to celebrate a little more than with a flashlight, as with the traditional cusp of seasons brought by May, they make a fun procession. They givev off a little bit of light for the path regardless of moon and starlight, while yielding the warm shadows and flickers which let the good company of people with which you hike share a little magic in the night, seeing themselves (and seen by any passers by) as a moving, hiking caravan.

We don't know how long the original set of 3 batteries per light will last, but from online quotes, a few hours to maybe even over half a day of continuous use; and the batteries are replaceable, online , probably at Radio Shack and perhaps some crafts stores too.

Some people who use them regularly in their gardens and driveways to avoid the dangers of live candle fire, especially if set in paper bags, buy much more expensive sets which come with a big charging tray with dimples for each lightbox, plugging into your wall socket, and they may set the lights in heavy holders of artificial materials, maybe even waterproof.

For our ease, low cost, and light weight, we're keeping simple, close to Sonoran tradition but fireless.

I do have a few more available for anyone who wants to join us tonight (even if you did not RSVP by Tuesday as requested for headcount of luminarias in the Bulletin listing) for:

May Day (Battery Luminaria) Walk - Thursday, May 1, 2008 (8P at meeting point)
Thunderbird Trail - see your current Bulletin for details
(as you are familiar with the I-10 Park & Ride, please note
this is just at the West end of Ruthrauff, where the Park & Ride is;
when it continues West under I-10 it becomes W El Camino Del Cerro,
and the trailhead is at the very end of Camino del Cerro, along with
the trailhead for Sweetwater Trail, not to be confused with W Sweetwater Drive to its South)

Celebrate Spring on May Day!

Bring $3 per person for safe hand-held battery-light luminarias and
nighttime outerwear. We’ll step into easily entered Thunderbird Mine, see the stars
up the shaft, then walk 100% National Park trail with constant view of the city
and the Catalinas to a hillock for whatever candlelight snack you bring,
preferably to share. Good soil trail has only small rocky moments.

If you prefer not to carry a luminaria, or to bring a flashlight instead, you are welcome to come and join us and light or enshadow yourself as you will!

From here on, please use only phone (see Bulletin listing or Member Registry) to contact me, as I may not check e-mail before seeing you at the I-10 Park & Ride

Wish you the warmth and joy of May Day 2008!

~ Zjar Uruluzu, May Day Thunderbird Trail Luminaria Walk guide

Mariposa Lilies - THOUSANDS TODAY 4P Hike Saguaro West on City side

Mariposa lilies - THOUSANDS of BLOOD ORANGE blossoms will be on today's Hike with Kathy Marks-McCarty and Zjar Uruluzu - and a huge array of echidnocacti and cholla blooming in ALL COLORS.

Greetings folks, this is Zjar, I just reconnoitered our improved route today at noon; on the first mound will be a couple dozen, on the second literally thousands across the North facing slope, and we will enjoy the beginning of sunset in our field of Mariposas. - Members who wish to come, see current Bulletin entry "Sunset on West Sunset Hills" for contact info and directions, and phone Zjar for link to online driving map with full route drawn in to Zjar's home. If Zjar is unavailable, Kathy has the online map address as well. Anyone who would like to bring a contribution to our hot refreshments afterwards, please bring a loaf of interesting bread, especially one which can be torn apart by hand as an accompaniment to the main snack, and feel free to bring any beverages, though none at all required, complimentary refreshments on the house. If you see this post late, remember that the meeting point is within a few miles of the I-10 Freeway and there is NO drive from there, we hike off directly, so if you contact Zjar or pick up directions in your current bulletin, you are far more likely to make it than you think. But PLEASE PHONE Zjar to let us know you're coming BECAUSE it won't be feasible to describe the route to catch up with us if you are late - we will be using innumerable small landmarks. This area we are pleased to be opening to club members and guests this season is not mapped anywhere, including its trails, and our route today will be extensively cross-country; "bushwhack," technically, but through open enough flora that there's no pushing through massive groves like a real machete walk. This is fundamentally a good-company PLEASURE HIKE at consensus group pace, leisurely, C up to C+. You are all welcome here at Zjar's. As a new member,and guide, I am not yet in the January 2008 Member Directory, so please check your bulletins for my phone and address, I am not posting them here per our online policy, as I understand this area is visible by the general public without loggin in with member ID. Zjar is not currently listed in general phone directories, so the general public will not find us by ordinary directory search either.

Steve's Favorite Hike - report & photos

On Saturday I met up with the Southern Arizona Hiking Club for a long day-hike loop in the Rincon Mountains dubbed "Steve's Favorite Hike". The hike was guided by SAHC President Steve Singkofer and was the subject of a Backpacker Magazine article by Steve some time ago. The hike was advertised as 20 miles with 5,000 ft of elevation gain consisting of the entire Douglas Spring and Tanque Verde Ridge Trails, beginning at the the Douglas Spring Trailhead and ending at the Javelina Picnic Area in Saguaro National Park - East.

Our group of seven hit the Douglas Spring Trail 6:00am sharp just before sunrise. The trail below the Bridal Wreath Falls cutoff was loaded with wildflowers. Bright yellow Brittlebush colored entire hillsides. As we continued up the Douglas Spring Trail toward the campground we counted the sun rise no less than five times as it played hide and seek with the various ridge lines we passed along the way. We took a short break at Lookout Rock where Steve and Jeff compared map and GPS points:

Steve had the pedal to the metal as knocked out the 6.2 mile, 2000' elevation to Douglas Spring Campground in two hours flat. At the campground, we took a short break along the creek (which still had a little water flowing) before continuing on up to Cow Head Saddle at 6160'. How do you get a cow head out of this?

The scenery along the trail between the campground and saddle changed dramatically as we entered a zone of pine and juniper. After taking a well-deserved break at Cow Head Saddle...

...we turned west onto the Tanque Verde Ridge Trail toward Tanque Verde Peak:

Although this was the steepest section of our 20-mile loop hike, we were rewarded with great views off both sides of the ridge:

As we continued to climb higher up the ridge, our view back consisted of Cow Head Saddle, Helen's Dome, and Mica Mountain:

Up ahead were false summit after false summit, and eventually Tanque Verde Peak:

Much of the Tanque Verde Ridge Trail between the saddle and peak was through an area burned many years ago. Some trees had these bright orange trail markers although they really weren't needed along this section. Perhaps the markers help when the area is snow covered:

After 11.2 miles and almost 4,400' of elevation gain, we finally reached Tanque Verde Peak after exactly five hours of hiking. At 7,049', the peak was the high point (in more ways than one) of our hike. Here's Tom, Jeff, and Joel on top of the summit rock while Steve and Linda were signing us in below:

Our panoramic view from Tanque Verde Peak was spectacular and included Rincon Peak, Tucson, and Mica Mountain:

For such a breezy day when the wind usually stirs up dust, visibility was excellent. For example, the Huachucas were clearly visible off to the southeast. Summit conditions were ideal as the welcomed breeze tempered the heat of the desert sun. We spent about 45 minutes lounging on the warm rocks before heading down:

About 2.0 miles below the peak is the Juniper Basin Campground where there was a little water running in the creek. On a recent hike through Juniper Basin with another SAHC group, we were unable to locate the "toilet" advertised on the campground sign. This time we found it. It's somewhat hidden up a wooded hill just behind the bear box, and is somewhat dilapidated to say the least:

From Juniper Basin, it was a long 7.0 miles to go yet to the Javelina Picnic Area. The trail through the lower part of basin gets a little tricky at times but cairns and red ribbons kept us on course with no problem. As we descended, there were four major hills that have to be climbed up on the way "down" adding to the elevation gain of the hike. The welcomed breeze continued to temper the heat on this otherwise warm spring day. Once we got down to Tanque Verde Dome, the wildflower show began again and continued all the way to the trailhead at Javelina:

Although yellow was the dominate color from all the Brittlebush, there was a variety of wildflowers throughout the color spectrum which kept the last couple miles of the hike from becoming boring:

After over nine hours on the trail, our hiking group arrived at the Javelina Picnic Area at 3:20 pm where we had transportation waiting to take us back to our cars at the Douglas Spring trail head. According to GPS tallies, the total distance hiked was 20.1 miles with 5,180' feet of cumulative elevation gain - pretty darn close to the advertised estimate.

Great hike Steve!

...just another crummy day in the Sonoran Desert!

note: Daily Digest recipients can view trip report WITH photos here: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TucsonHikers/message/1260

SAHC / Olsons in the news

From today's Tucson Citizen:

http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/daily/frontpage/80189.php

Bridal Wreath Falls

Has anyone been to the falls lately, any water. Thinkong of going this weekend with some friends

mini backpacks

Any one interested in doing mini backpacks , aprox. 1-8 miles for camping over night let me know. I will be posting some in the bulletin when it gets warmer, and don't want to be camping alone with the bears. Give me some ideas. Deborah

Sabino to Catalina SP - trip report & photos

Great write up Bill, thanks for your contributions.

Jerry Dean

Sabino to Catalina SP - trip report & photos

Who in their right mind starts a hike at 5:30am in the chilly dark of mid-winter? The Southern Arizona Hiking Club - that's who - especially when the destination is the club's annual Winter Picnic some twenty-one trail miles away! What we'll do for a free club barbecue. Our sleep-deprived group met outside Sabino Canyon's Visitor Center just before O'dark-thirty:

Moonlight illuminated our way as we power-walked the 3.8 mile Upper Sabino Canyon Road to the trailheads at former tram stop 9. Imagine the canyon bathed in moonlight, the only sound being the rush of water in Sabino Creek and an occasional hoot from an owl. There was no noisy, fuming shuttle carting lazy tourists up and down the canyon road at this hour of the morning! We had shallow water across several of the dams and those with good boots kept their feet dry. It was still dark as we hit the Sabino Canyon Trail with sunrise coming almost two hours into our hike. By the time we hit the East Fork-West Fork junction we had daylight. Almost immediately we had our first "real" stream crossing of the day:

The West Fork had a nice flow and sound of cascading water continued to follow us well into Sabino Basin:

Although we all managed to stay dry, some of the West Fork stream crossings were a bit challenging:

The West Fork Trail trail passes above Hutch's Pool:

One hiker who took the short detour to Hutch's reported that the pool looked pretty deep again.

The West Fork Trail was in better shape than on this similar hike a year ago. In addition to large cairns at all the stream crossings, the tall grass was well trampled making the route easy to follow:

The long uphill hike to Romero Pass begins in a heavily wooded area above Hutch's Pool:

We took our second break in this wooded area at the Cathedral Rock Trail junction. SAHC Guide Linda Miller is seated on the left:

As we continued climbing toward the pass, we had a nice view back to the West Fork of Sabino Basin and the wooded area we had just hiked through:

As we got closer to Romero Pass, we hiked through an area that burned in recent years:

We had planned on another break at Romero Pass but a chilly wind kept us moving down the steep switchbacks into Romero Canyon toward the picnic. Unlike last year's journey when we encountered up to 8" of snow on the shady side of the pass, this year it was snow and ice free. Romero Pass was the highest point of our trans-Catalina trek during which we gained 3,500 feet in elevation.

Upper Romero Canyon is more rugged than the West Fork:

Romero's stream crossings have some well-engineered cairns:

About a half mile below the pass, there is this little waterfall along the left side of the trail:

Near this waterfall is a very short stub trail, less than 100' long, that leads to a very impressive (30'+) waterfalls above a large pool. Unfortunately, my lil' point and shoot camera didn't capture the Kodak moment very well and doesn't do the waterfall justice:

We encountered some blowdown on the upper Romero Canyon Trail that was fairly easy to detour around or under:

The trail departs the canyon for awhile and leads up a ridge line where Oro Valley comes into view:

Off to the south was an impressive view of the back side of the Catalina Front Range:

At this point in the hike, we were definitely thinking picnic but we couldn't quite smell the barbecue yet:

Upon reaching the Romero Pools area, we encountered the usual weekend crowds. Although the air temp was near 70, it was too chilly for anyone to be in the icy water:

Unlike the trail above Romero Pools where we had free reign, the trail below the pools was congested with heavy "hiker" traffic in both directions. For awhile, it seemed like rush hour on Oracle Road.

Could the picnic be down there? Don't see any barbecue smoke from up here:

After eight and a half hours and twenty-miles on the trail, we finally hiked into the Winter Picnic grounds at about 2:00 pm:

After a delicious barbecue and club socializing, SAHC President Steve Singkofer and Chief Guide Mike Harris presented the annual hiking awards for 2007:

...just another crummy day in the Sonoran Desert!

note: Daily Digest recipients can view trip report WITH photos here: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TucsonHikers/message/1105

Congratulations Jerry!

Congratulations to Webmaster Jerry Dean who was presented with Presidents Award at the Winter Picnic. Well-deserved!!

Romero Pools

I am hiking with some friends to the pools. Are there any rivers or streams that have to be crossed from the trailhead to the pools

dean

Summit Hut

Summit Hut will no longer stretch "Keen" brand boots. If you buy Keens make sure you get your foot measured they tend to pinch in the toebox after a long hike.

Smell The Roses Hiking

I am a February visitor to Tucson (5th year) and usually hike about 20 days during the month. My hiking is done solo, with friends and wife or with the club. I am looking for people to hike with me and "smell the roses". My ideal hike is 5-7 miles, 1000-2000 feet elevation gain and a slow to moderate pace (1-2 mph).

Smell The Roses Hiking

I am a February visitor to Tucson (5th year) and usually hike abouat 20 days during the month. My hiking is done solo, with friends and wife or with the club. I am looking for people who would like to hike with me and "smell the roses". My ideal hike is 5-7 miles, 1000-2000 feet elevation gain and a slow to moderate pace (1-2 mph).

SAHC Fundraising Opportunity

Many of you have seen, or even complained, about the trash in the Huachuca Mountains as a result of illegal border crossings. Now here's an opportunity to do something about it and earn money for the SAHC along the way.

I recently participated in a UDA trash pickup near Carr Peak that was coordinated by Cochise County. I went with the expectation that it was simply a volunteer event. However, during the outing I learned that the County has federal grant money available to non-profit organizations, such as hiking clubs, to the tune of $125 per member participating in the cleanup. For example, if we could get just eight "volunteers" from the SAHC to attend one of these pickups, we could earn $1000 for the club's coffer!

The trash cleanup was not so much dirty work as hard work in that full bags of trash had to be hauled to a central pickup point or back to the trail head. Nonetheless, the outing was fun in a way and definitely very rewarding. Cochise County does supply gloves and super-heavy duty trash bags. If you want to see photos of what's involved, look here:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TucsonHikers/message/822

Cochise County has been advised that the SAHC is interested in participating in future cleanups and, although preference is given to local organizations, they will keep our club in mind. Since most cleanups are arranged on just 10-14 days notice, we won't be able to announce a trash pickup event in the Bulletin. Therefore, if you are interested in participating, please send an email to whbens@hotmail.com and I will add you to a SAHC notification list. Those without email may call me at 648-7468. Let's see if we can earn some money for the club and spruce-up the Huachucas in the process!

Josephine Canyon hike - trip report & photos

It was a clear and crisp Autumn morning in Madera Canyon with a damp trail from a recent rain - perfect hiking conditions! As we chugged up the Super Trail, we paused on occasion to listen to running water in the East Fork of Madera Creek. We also stopped dead in our tracks when we came across fresh bear scat full of red berries:

There was no bear in sight so we continued on to Sprung Spring and Josephine Saddle where we took a short break before descending into the canyon. The Josephine Canyon Trail is one of the prettiest hikes in the Santa Ritas as it descends into a beautiful wooded canyon canopied with mature oak, pine, sycamore, and huge old-growth alligator junipers:

Due to monsoon flooding, the trail is hit and miss at times in the canyon but we had no trouble picking it back up when it disappeared into the creek bed. We were able to stay on the canyon trail about 90% of the time. There was intermittent water flowing in Josephine Creek courtesy of McBeth Spring.

Shortly after passing the CCC cabin site and crossing the creek for the final time, the trail continued on a jeep road for a short distance to the trail head sign, 2.8 miles and 1460' below Josephine Saddle:

Another Santa Rita trail segment bagged! Near the trail head, we spotted a rather large deer nearby which didn't seem to mind us on-lookers. As we headed back up the trail segment, we stopped at the remains of the CCC stone cabin for our lunch break:

It's believed that CCC references Charles C. Chapman whose six mining claims and ranch were nearby. From the cabin site, we had a view of Observatory Ridge of Mt. Hopkins through the tree canopy.

On our way up and out the canyon, we were treated to spectacular views of Mt. Wrightson and Josephine Peak through the pines:

And is if the day wasn't already perfect enough, we enjoyed a little fall color as an added bonus:

After returning to Josephine Saddle, we hiked down the shady Old Baldy Trail - our third trail segment of the day. As we drove out of Madera Canyon, we stopped for a post-hike fuel-up at Kokopelli's Gelato Factory in Green Valley.

I would like to thank Belinda, Joel, Lynn, and new member Ron for joining me on this delightful hike.

...just another crummy day in the Sonoran Desert!

P.S. Although Josephine Canyon is a known UDA (illegal immigrant) corridor, we saw virtually no trash on the trail between Josephine Saddle and the CCC cabin site. Could this be why? : http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TucsonHikers/message/850

Hiking and Photography

Do you like to hike and do you like to take photographs?

I am seeking SAHC members that would like to participate in a hike that does not include a trail segment, a canyon or a peak and would not be a move right along hike.

This hike would be for those that would like to enjoy a hike as well as stop along the way to take the time necessary to capture an image of landscape or widlife that may be available.

One could say that a hike such as this would be for the journey and not the destination.

If this sounds interesting to you, please contact the webmaster.

Thanks,

Jerry Dean

Meet the Candidates II hike

Threatening weather over the Catalinas resulted in a hiking venue change to the Cactus Forest in Saguaro National Park East. While Steve and I were weighing options, the Norbys suggested Little Wildhorse Tank which turned out to be an excellent plan B. The new hike was "exploratory" for the listed guides so Belinda led the way to Little Wildhorse Tank via the Douglas Spring and Carrillo Trails:

The Cactus Forest was lush with green vegetation, wildflowers, and water in some of the stream and pools.

Along the Carrillo Trail we stopped to view coy fish in the Steel Tank:

Although it was a humid morning, it was a relatively comfortable for summertime low elevation hiking thanks to cloud cover and a breeze for most of the hike:

Prickly pear were loaded with plump fruit:

We took a break at our destination, Little Wildhorse Tank. The tank's water was so reflective that it hard to see it in these photo:

While the rest of us took a break, Joel climbed up around the tank to the top of the small waterfall:

After departing the tank, we looped back toward Speedway via the Wildhorse Trail. Along the way, barrel cacti were putting on a colorful show:

As we were hiking the sandy wash, we ran into this "A" hiker:

Near the end of the hike, we yielded to these "wild" horses on the Wildhorse Trail:

Somebody has to do the paperwork (Steve signs us out):

The trail head ramada was the perfect place for our post-hike tailgate party hosted by your candidates for club president:

Total distance hiked was about 6.5 miles.

Steve and I would like to thank the ten other SAHC members who braved the threatening weather in order to join us on our second "Meet the Candidates" hike.

...just another crummy day in the Sonoran Desert!

Bog Spring/Roger's Rock Loop - trip report & photos

Today I had the privilege of guiding the Bog Spring/Roger's Rock Loop hike that was arranged by Deborah Moyer. Deb had an unforeseen job situation that prevented her from hiking, and she asked if I would sub on her behalf.

Our group of seven started out on the Super Trail to the sight and sound of water in the adjacent creek. After about a half mile we turned off onto the "pipeline" route that heads over to the Bog-Kent Spring Loop. As we approached Kent Canyon we could hear the sound of water roaring below, so our first "destination" was a spectacular waterfall in a rugged part of the canyon via a short and easy bushwhack:

This waterfall was 15-20 feet tall and might have been the highlight of the hike. Ray found a crossing just below the falls and climbed up to the brink of the falls:

The falls was a great spot for our first break and a group photo:

The above was just one of dozens upon dozens of waterfalls we saw today.

Returning to the loop trail, we encountered our first of several mountain stream crossings:

Along the loop we enjoyed short breaks at both Bog and Kent Springs:

Shortly after passing Sylvester Spring, we completed our Bog-Kent Loop when we arrived back at the route junction. As we began hiking the route up to Roger's Rock, we had another stream crossing:

The route to Roger's Rock was absolutely beautiful with all the cascading waterfalls in the adjacent stream. The scene was more like the Pacific Northwest than southern Arizona! Here are a few shots from along the way.

We were awed by the beauty of it all:

Our final "destination", and official lunch spot, was Roger's Rock from which we enjoyed a splendid view of Madera Canyon, Green Valley, and the Santa Rita crest:

Although we had cloud for most of the morning, monsoons never threatened our hike today. However, it was tad humid with only an occasional breeze. I thought about indulging in one of the cool, clear pools below the waterfalls but settled for dipping my hat. I'm sure Deb would not have hesitated to jump in . Following our 9-mile trek, we all stopped for Italian ice cream at Kokopelli's Gelato Factory.

I would like to thank Bill, Jim, Linda, Lynn, Ray, and Steve for joining me on this memorable Madera Canyon outing.

Meet the Candidates hike - trip report & photos

Although it was a bit of a humid morning by southern Arizona standards, we had a nice breeze during our "Meet the Candidates" hike on Mt. Lemmon. Fortunately, it was a cool breeze and not a lot of hot wind from the candidates .

Our group of 20 carpooled to the Sunset parking area where we hiked the short but somewhat confusing road to the official Sunset Trail head. A big thanks to Mike Harris for keeping me on track as this road section was "exploratory" for the guide.

Although our 6.5 mile roundtrip trek was relatively easy "C" hike, one spot on the Sunset Trail was a bit challenging:

At the end of the Sunset Trail, we hiked into Marshall Gulch and headed up the shady Marshall Gulch Trail. Upon reaching Marshall Saddle, we took a break during which co-guide Steve Singkofer hit the "Campaign Trail":

Shortly after departing Marshall Saddle, nine of our group took a short detour and bagged nearby 8300' Marshall Peak:

As we looped back to Marshall Gulch on the Aspen Trail, we hiked through previously burned areas that are becoming a bit overgrown:

However, it was good to see the aspens stands recovering from the devastating 2003 Aspen Fire.

After another break at Marshall Gulch, we repeated the Sunset Trail back to our cars with Catalina views like this along the way:

Upon returning to the Sunset parking area, we all enjoyed a tailgate party among the shady pines:

Steve and I would like to thank everyone who participated in this fun event !!

P.S. Don't forget to vote!

Mt. Wrightson hike - 06.30.2007 - trip report & photos

On the drive into Madera Canyon, Cleo and Earl spotted wild turkey and a bear along the road! Next time, I'm riding with them . As we headed up the shady and cool Super Trail we heard the "song" of a Elegant Trogon and saw it take flight. Upon reaching Josephine Saddle, we paused for this group photo:

From Josephine Saddle, we hiked up the Old Baldy Trail to Baldy Saddle. Along the way, Phil counted out loud all 32 switchbacks which was like slow torture. We paused at Baldy Saddle for another group photo:

Four in our group of nine chose to stay behind and enjoy cool and breezy Baldy Saddle while Bill W, Carolyn, Monika, Phil, and I continued on to the summit while counting the 13 additional switchbacks along the way. It was Strawlady's first "bag" of Mt. Wrightson. Congratulations Carolyn!:

From the 9,453' summit, we were pleased to see only a tiny plume of smoke remaining from the Mansfield Fire. Note the wide swath of red fire retardant in the right-center of this photo:

We had hoped to spend some time on the summit but the bugs were quite pesky - gnats, flies, and lady bugs - but it was the swarm of wasps that finally drove us off. Bill W was the first to flee:

followed shortly by Phil:

There were a few wildflowers to enjoy in the Baldy Saddle area:

We broke into several groups on the way down and kept in contact via two-way radios. Cleo and Earl opted to go down the upper Super Trail. Just below Baldy Saddle, we had a bird's eye view of the recent Madera Fire which burned on both sides of Madera Canyon Road near the Proctor parking area. The burn can be seen in the lower-center of this photo:

At Josephine Saddle, we chatted with a Border Patrol Agent who was scouting out the area, and I directed him to the "international campsite" at McBeth Spring. The only hot part of the hike was the last two miles down the Old Baldy Trail, but Earl and Cleo had cold ice tea and salty snacks waiting for us in a shady picnic area when we arrived back at the Roundup! What a crew!! After fueling-up, Phil and Carolyn did some "inverting" on the picnic table:

On the drive out of Madera Canyon, several of us stopped Kokopelli's Gelato Factory for Italian ice cream. I would like to thank Bill, Carolyn, Cleo, Earl, Erika, Monika, Phil, and Sally for joining me on this hike.

...just another crummy day in the Sonoran Desert!

Status of tomorrow's Mt. Wrightson hike

I've already had an inquiry about the status of tomorrow's (June 30) hike because of the Mansfield Fire which has burned approximately 500-acres about 6 miles south of Mt. Wrightson. At this point, the hike is a "go" based upon my personal observations and photos from the summit of Mt. Wrightson this morning:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TucsonHikers/message/446

This morning's wind was blowing the smoke plume to the east and we smelled no smoke. However, if the wind shifts the smoke to the north, there is a possibility we could smell smoke. Here's tomorrow's wind forecast:

"Southeast wind 6 to 16 mph becoming northwest. Winds could gust as high as 25 mph."

A southeast wind would blow smoke more toward Hopkins than Wrightson. A northwest wind would blow smoke away from Wrightson.

I'll update this posting IF anything changes, but for now, consider the hike a "go".

Lemmon Pools hike/swim 06.09.2007

On Saturday I joined 21 other Southern Arizona Hiking Club members for a hike to Lemmon Pools in the Wilderness of Rocks area of Mt. Lemmon. We began our 8-mile roundtrip trek on the Marshall Gulch Trail where towering Ponderosa pine and Douglas fir keep the uphill trail cool and shady:

After a short break at 7900' Marshall Saddle, we continued onto the Wilderness of Rocks Trail through a forest floor of fern, pine needles, and Ponderosa cones.

We continued past the Lemmon Rock Lookout Trail junction where we caught a distant glimpse of the lookout which I visted last Sunday:

We continued on down the Wilderness of Rocks Trail to a creek crossing just short of Lemmon Creek Canyon. We then made a left on the "route" to Lemmon Pools that begins between a huge pine and a boulder:

The route to Lemmon Pools traverses the top east side of Lemmon Canyon and is fairly well marked by cairns. There are some incredible rock displays along the route:

After less than a mile, the route takes a dive to the right which leads down to Lemmon Pools:

Last summer's monsoons have restored the pools, clearing out much of the silt from the Aspen Fire. After our 4-mile trek in, the pools were inviting but frigidly cold:

Despite the numbingly cold water, some hikers in our group took a swim out to the deep pool under the waterfall, including SAHC Guide Deborah Moyer who performed a "Nestea plunge" into the icy water:

I eventually took an icy swim and would estimate the depth of the pool below the waterfall to be about 8 feet deep:

Did I mention that the water was C O L D ? ! ! !

Although there were a few leaves floating on the surface, the water clarity at Lemmon Pools was excellent. The pool above the waterfall was even more clear and inviting, although smaller than the lower pool:

Between the upper and lower pools is a tall, but narrow, waterfall:

After about an hour at the pools, we started the long uphill slog back to Marshall Saddle, retracing our steps through the Wilderness of Rocks where we caught this glimpse of "turtle" rock:

We were treated to numerous beautiful wildflower displays like this along the trail:

Near Marshall Saddle, we took a few steps off the trail to enjoy this Santa Catalina Mountain view:

I can't think of a better way of spending what was a 99 degree afternoon in nearby Tucson! Great hike and swim, Deb!!

...just another crummy day in the Sonoran Desert!

Madera Medley hike - 05.12.2007 - trip report & photos

Despite the Tucson heat, we had an enjoyable hike in the relatively cool Santa Ritas. We began our 9.5 mile loop by going up the "Very Steep" Vault Mine Trail. Always a butt-kicker, the VMT was not a good way to resume hiking after a nearly month-long hiatus. Consequently, I brought up the rear on this segment which comprised the majority of our 2020' elevation gain for the day. Upon reaching the Agua Caliente Trail, we hung a right and went over to Agua Caliente Saddle and Bear Paw Rock:

There were some nice claret cup hedgehog cacti blooming at Bear Paw Rock:

After returning to the saddle for a short break under a shady juniper, we reversed course and headed back across the Agua Caliente Trail toward Jack Mountain. As we headed up Jack, we disturbed a couple deer, including this buck:

As usual, the views from Jack were spectacular, especially of nearby Mt. Hopkins and the Whipple Observatory:

From Jack Mountain, we headed down to Josephine Saddle ("crossroads of the Santa Ritas") and then down the Temporal Gulch Trail a short ways to McBeth Spring where we enjoyed lunch:

McBeth Spring is one of the clearest springs along the trails of the Santa Ritas and lies in a beautiful setting under towering ponderosa pines. While admiring the pines here, Elena and I wondered why our ponderosa bark does not have the sweet scent of vanilla/butterscotch as in other parts of the country. Near McBeth Spring, we picked up a full bag of trash from the "international" campsite which we hauled out. I hope the next group of "through hikers" appreciate our efforts! Hmmm, maybe the Border Patrol should set up camp here.

From McBeth Spring we hiked the short half-mile back to Josephine Saddle and then headed down the Super Trail. About half way down, we took a side route to Rogers Rock which is about a half mile off the Super Trail. From the top of Rogers Rock we enjoyed a great view Green Valley and the Santa Rita crest:

There were also some nice claret cup hedgehogs blooming the in cactus garden on top of Rogers Rock:

As we headed down the Super Trail, I noticed that the east fork of Madera Creek had pretty much stopped running for the first time since last September.

Despite the 103-degree high in Tucson today, the heat was not a factor on this hike. Besides a lot of tree cover, we had a nice breeze at the higher elevations and cloud cover for most of the descent on the Super Trail. Throughout the hike, we enjoyed a variety of wildflowers in bloom here and there. I would like to thank Bill, Claire, Elena, Erika, Gary, Monika, and Sally for joining me on this hike.

....Just another crummy day in the Sonoran Desert!