A phainopepla near the Tram Road in Sabino Canyon. February 2017.
The Tram Road in Sabino Canyon is not always my favorite – but today… Clouds and beautiful colors in the sky – Phainopepla in the trees – easy walking.
Good light makes it easy to see the grey color of the female Phainolpepla and the shiny black of the males – sometimes perched, calling, at the top of the trees, sometimes flying, flashing the light patches under their wings. The Phainopepla are here for the Mistletoe berries – they eat the outer layers and expel the the sticky seed giving the parasitic Mistletoe a chance to spread.
The easy walking on the tram road is appreciated today – with limited time I tried, and failed, to get to Bridal Veil Falls and after turning around under a just-out-of-reach deflated balloon stuck in a tree in Esperero Canyon (the first trash I had seen in miles) I was exhausted and happy to reach the tram road…
Flowing water – one of many crossings on the Esperero Trail – still well below Bridal Veil Falls… February 2017.A balloon stuck just-out-of-reach in a tree – Esperero Canyon. February 2017.Looking up Bird Canyon from the Esperero Trail. February 2017.
Shallow water near the start of the Pontatoc Trail – this area is more often seen completely dry… February 2017.
It is always a treat to start the Pontatoc Trail and see water flowing in the first wash – as you might expect farther up the Pontatoc Canyon Trail there was water at each crossing of Pontatoc Canyon. New-to-me on this hike was watching the moonrise over Pontatoc Ridge – I wonder if, or how many times, it has risen behind me on other hikes, but tired and staring down at the rocky trail in front of me I missed it…
Looking into Pontatoc Canyon from the Pontatoc Canyon Trail – in the lower right section of the picture you can see a section of the trail (sometimes bypassed by a scramble up the canyon!) February 2017.A small spill in Pontatoc Canyon. February 2017.Sunset on the Pontatoc Canyon Trail. February 2017.Saguaros – end of the day looking down towards Tucson from the Pontatoc Canyon Trail. February 2017.Moon over Pontatoc Ridge. February 2017.
Rushing water in the Maiden Pools area. February 2017.Maiden Pools. February 2017.
With water flowing all over the range we hiked to Maiden Pools to see the water – rushing, as expected – but the sunset and night in the canyon were the highlights of the hike…
Fading sunset before the steep descent back down to the canyon. February 2017.Saguaro and Stars – looking up from the Ventana Canyon Trail. February 2017.
Moving away from the static of the rushing water in Sutherland Wash we can hear the slow, constant, distant, repeating gunshots – not close by, not a concern… not even inappropriate – but certainly an unwelcome intrusion as we try to carefully and respectfully contemplate the petroglyphs in the Sutherland Wash Rock Art District.
Petroglyphs with Romo Hill and Samaniego Peak in the distance. January 2017.
After visiting this area last year I spent some time reading about and looking for information – some of which is included in the post – this year my mind wanders to two books – John P. Wilson’s Islands in the Desert (an amazing history of the mountains of Southern Arizona) and Cormac McCarthy’s Blood Meridian (a fictional journey thru the borderlands of the mid 1800s based on the Glanton Gang). In both books the landscape is a stunningly beautiful – maybe even magical in Blood Meridian, but in both books there is also terrible and stunning violence – sacred and the profane, petroglyphs and gunfire…
Saguaro and Saguaro. January 2017.Sun thru the grass on the hike back. January 2017.
Santa Catalina Mountains from Panther Peak in the Tucson Mountains. January 2017.
Photos: Exploring Peppersauce Cave in 1948 | News | tucson.com – Arizona Daily Star: The Arizona Daily Star pictures from Peppersauce Cave in 1948! In 1948 Desert Magazine published a rather amazing article about Peppersauce Cave which included the location of the cave and a detailed map. The cave had been used/explored before 1948, but the Desert Magazine article – and a brief mention in a 1951 National Geographic Magazine article – probably contributed to the cave being widely known, and with the cave both widely known and completely accessible trash/graffiti/vandalism have been issues. (BTW there are apparently several versions of how Peppersauce Canyon got its name, but the popular stories involve Alex McKay – a prospector in the 1880s – and, you guessed it, his peppersauce…)
Free shuttle to Sabino Canyon for the holiday season – KVOA.com, Electric bus to Sabino Canyon part of new pilot program – Tucson News Now: An electric bus ran from Udall Park to Sabino Canyon during the holidays – it will be interesting to see if this service is provided next year. When this project was announced I mainly thought about the congestion of the Sabino Canyon Parking lot and the possible convenience of avoiding that – but one of the articles above points out that with several Sun Tran routes serving Udall this service provided a very nice link to Sabino Canyon! (And a bus that provides access to the great outdoors certainly brings to mind to the old pictures of the “Mount Lemmon Bus Line“!)
M.O.V.E. ACROSS 2 RANGES – “Marana, Oro Valley, Experience”, “One Day. Two Ranges. Hike Challenge.” – This is an interesting event that has a variety of challenges to get you outside and into the Tortolita and Santa Catalina Mountains. Packet pickup and after party are being held at the Oro Valley Summit Hut and Patagonia & Summit Hut will donate $2 for every person who signs up for the event to the Friends of Catalina State Park!
This event is an awesome way to explore nature and get active. Hit the trails and experience the challenge and beauty of Southern Arizona’s Tortolita and Catalina Mountains in one day! Trail run, hike, or stroll through this fun event.
Coronado National Forest announces fee-free days for 2017 – Tucson News Now: The remaining fee-free days for this year are President’s Day – Feb. 20, National Get Outdoors Day – June 10, National Public Lands Day – Sept. 30 and Veterans Day – Nov. 11.
Arizona Trail Association – Oracle Rumble: The Arizona Trail Assocation added a race to their list of trail running events this year – the Oracle Rumble! With 50 mile, 50k, half-marathon and 10k distances this race could be a great excuse to see the landscape just north of the Santa Catalina Mountains – a great area that is much less visited than the areas immediately around Tucson.
The weather felt slightly late this year – but as always snow eventually covered the mountain and brought the standard road closures and overcrowding – slight frustrations compared to the joy of being in the snow an hour or less from Tucson!
Rescues/Accidents/Incidents including information from the SARCI Newsletter:
11/13/2016 La Milagrosa Canyon: Ankle injury above Molino Basin at the head of Milagrosa Canyon – hiker carried and ridden out.
11/26/2016 Sutherland Trail: Backpackers loose their way and are found from their cellphone location after calling for help.
11/27/2016 Soldier Canyon below Prison Camp: A climbing fall results in an ankle injury at Jailhouse Rock – climber carried out.
12/7/2016 Pusch Peak Northwest Side Route: A hiker with a knee injury is able to hike out slowly with assistance.
12/11/2016 Wilderness of Rocks: Hikers have trouble finding the trail, call for help and are assisted out.
12/24/2016 Historic Trail in Sabino Canyon: A hiker with low blood sugar is assisted out.
12/27/2016 Rattlesnake Junction, Sabino Canyon: A fall results in a dislocated hip and pelvis fracture – hiker was carried to the tram road and taken to the hospital.
12/30/2016 Pima Canyon Trail: A hiker, possible with cardiac issues, becomes ill and is carried back to the trailhead.
1/6/2017 Blackett’s Ridge: Ankle injury leads to a carry out.
1/7/2017 Sycamore Reservoir Trail: Hikers at a trail sign but in the dark without lights call for help and are assisted out by family members.
1/15/2017 Thimble Peak: Hikers intending to do the Bear Canyon Loop back to Sabino start up Bear Canyon but accidentally leave the Bear Canyon Trail and turn onto the route to Thimble Peak and are unable to continue – assisted out.
1/24/2017 Seven Falls Trail: Hikers have problems with darkness and high water levels, assisted out.
