Marble Peak from the Davis Mesa Road. December 2018.
Already in Oracle on an errand I made the long drive out to the Davis Spring Trailhead stopping along the way to admire the snow covered peaks in the distance. The road to Davis Mesa seemed to be in about the same condition as previous trips – although the last few miles were muddier than expected. (A 4wd vehicle is recommended for this drive!)
Snow on the Galiuros – Rhodes Peak – from the Davis Mesa Road. December 2018.
The long drive didn’t leave much time to hike – past the surprisingly still standing trail sign, flowing water at Davis Spring, a full tank at the corral and down into Edgar Canyon – upstream along the water, downstream in the fallen Sycamore leaves – time to go…
Looking down Edgar Canyon towards Bassett Peak in the Galiuros. December 2018.Davis Spring – water in the tank in December. December 2018.Edgar Canyon. December 2018.
it was apparent that the growing human population of Tucson and surrounding towns had developed right up to the borders of protected areas, essentially creating an anthropogenic fence around the population of bighorn sheep that prevented them from moving to other mountain ranges that they historically occupied in the Tucson Basin, including the Silver Bell, Tucson, Rincon, and Santa Rita Mountains, which may have provided habitat for a metapopulation of bighorn sheep. This anthropogenic fence clearly added to the genetic isolation of the herd.
I don’t believe there is any intended double meaning in Krausman’s passage – but, in-between the tall chain link, it seems to beg for a re-imagining into the text of a future – strangely similar – volume on a different species:
it was apparent that the growing human population of Tucson and surrounding towns had developed right up to the borders of protected areas, essentially creating an anthropogenic fence that prevented them from moving thru the mountain ranges that they had historically used in the Tucson Basin, including the Silver Bell, Tucson, Rincon, and Santa Rita Mountains, which may have provided critical habitat for escape from their increasingly crowded technologically-dominated urban environment. This anthropogenic fence clearly added to the isolation of the human population from the natural world now so critical to their survival.
Looking across Pima Canyon to Pusch Peak, The Cleaver and Bighorn Mountain from just below Rosewood Point. December 2018.
With an official trailhead you might expect an official trail at the end of the access corridor, but there isn’t one – and with the overlapping concerns of the Pusch Ridge Wilderness and Bighorn Management Area I don’t think there ever will be. Without an official trail entrance into the wilderness is closed at this location from January 1 to April 30 – but the rest of the year you can explore the wilderness – perhaps finding the rough, informal, steep, sometimes obscure and hard to find route that winds its way towards Rosewood Point and up towards more distant destinations.
Looking up Pima Canyon from the Rosewood Point area. December 2018.
Rosewood Point is on the east side of Pima Canyon with views down into the canyon and across to the well known destinations on Pusch Ridge: Pusch Peak, The Cleaver, Bighorn Mountain and Table Mountain – and Rosewood Point is high enough that, like all good destinations in this area of the mountain, there is a thriving population of Shin Daggers to …enjoy… A minor, but worthy, destination.
Sun and fence on the Campbell Trailhead access corridor. December 2018.Pontatoc Ridge in the Sunset from the Campbell Trailhead. December 2018.
At Babad Do’ag I don’t see a pile up and at Molino Basin the bathroom doors are open and things look clean – I can see a little trash scattered at Windy Point, but nothing out of the ordinary after a busy weekend and in Bear Canyon things seem fine.
The Bigelow Trailhead is the first place I pull in where the government shutdown really shows – trash is scattered across the parking lot and accumulating under overflowing trash bins – a women hesitates at the bathroom door and turns back to the car exclaiming ‘not fit for a pig’.
Bits of trash at a trailhead really just isn’t all that shocking – there is a reason that I keep a trash picker in the truck – but this amount of trash is unusual and sad. It doesn’t take long to have two trash bags full and leaning against the truck – I’m working on bag three (mostly broken plastic sled pieces) when when a Forest Service Crew pulls up – a sort of trash strike force they quickly empty bins, grab trash and work on the restrooms – in spite of what I suspect must have been an epic (depressing?) day of cleaning up trash they still smile and graciously add my collected garbage to their load.
I wonder if other areas were as bad as the Bigelow Trailhead before the Forest Service crew came thru? Probably… It is sad to see people leave so much trash – and sad that our government can shutdown and leave these places without the care they deserve.
Three Forest Service workers were out cleaning up – barely visible but you they had nearly filled the larger truck and were loading trash into the smaller truck too. January 2019.
A view into the Santa Catalina Mountains from the Palisade Trail. September 2018.
Simple – down the Palisade Trail, along the East Fork Trail to water, back up the Palisade Trail – I can’t remember ever recommending this route to someone and probably never will – once you’ve made it down the Palisade Trail to the East Fork Junction there are so many nearly-impossible-to-resist connections into other parts of the mountain! But simplicity has its place and the Palisade Trail is a great place to spend time – besides, no two trips along the trail are ever the same.
Tank at Mud Spring – dry, water still runs across the trail making the namesake Mud, but the tank is dry. September 2018.
This is the first time I can remember finding the cement tank at Mud Spring completely empty – the spring is still running, the familiar patch of mud along the trail – but the tank is dry, I assume something is cracked and broken.
Late summer growth over the Palisade Trail. September 2018.A summer storm moving across the Santa Catalina Mountains. September 2018.
A summer storms rolls across the trail – enough rain to give me a brief excuse to get out the rain gear and take a break under an Oak Tree before continuing along the impressively grassy and overgrown trail. I knew I would have to walk west on the East Fork Trail to find water – but I have to walk a little farther than expected, eventually finding a large pool to filter and refill from. Back up the trail to one of the grassy ridges above Sabino Canyon – a few more mosquitoes than expected but a lovely night – and then back up to the Palisade Trailhead the next day…
Camped near the Palisade Trail above Sabino Canyon. September 2018.Milkweed bugs along the Palisade Trail. September 2018.Fall Color – a Coral Bean lower on the Palisade Trail. September 2018.
Table Mountain from N. Oracle Road (77) near N 1st Avenue in Oro Valley. January 2019.
Pictures from Oro Valley – from Oracle Road near First Ave, the Oro Valley Public Library and Naranja Park – I would rather be hiking in the mountains than shooting from town, but different days present different opportunities and Oro Valley has some amazing views of the Santa Catalina Mountains!
Clouds around Cathedral Rock from the Oro Valley Public Library. January 2019.Pusch Peak from Naranja Park in Oro Valley. January 2019.Cathedral Rock Sunset from Naranja Park in Oro Valley. January 2019.The Cleaver in Shadow and The Thumb peaking over Pusch Ridge in the Sunset Light – from Naranja Park in Oro Valley. January 2019.
