Michael Versteeg (facebook) set the supported FKT on October 19th with a time of 15 days 22 hours 39 minutes
Heather “Anish” Anderson (blog, facebook) set the self-supported (thru-hiker) FKT & women’s overall FKT, on October 27th with a time of 19 days 17 hours 9 minutes (South Bound)
If you thought it felt warm out on the trails in October you were not wrong – the Arizona Daily Star reports that “It was the warmest October on record for Tucson, with an average high of 92.4, an average low of 62.5 and a median of 77.4 degrees.” – the previous record was set in 1952. Yes, Tucson’s October was warm — the warmest on record – tucson.com.
Ram 39538 was killed by a mountain lion on 10/21 (33 collared sheep are known to be alive now) – the adult male mountain lion was hunted and killed. At this point the death of another Bighorn and Mountain Lion is not remarkable – but this death prompted the release of some very interesting information about Ram 39538:
“In February and March of this year, this ram embarked on a month-long trek through the Rincon Mountains and south towards I-10, spending time at Colossal Cave Mountain Park, and venturing even farther south to the train tracks north of Marsh Station Road before returning to the Santa Catalina Mountains. Ram #39538 was captured in the Imperial Hills in 2015.”
Aerial and ground surveys were conducted on 9/28 and 9/29 – 19 of the 34 collared sheep were observed which resulted in a calculated 54% observation rate – aerial surveys spotted 37 sheep, ground surveys spotted 20 sheep. The survey resulted in an estimate of 66 sheep in the Santa Catalina Mountains.
Rams are no longer showing any rutting behavior.
A fourth translocation of up to 20 sheep is planned for this month.
Blooming Desert Cotton in Alamo Canyon. September 2016.
Sun and mud beside Race Track Tank – north of Redington Road. October 2016.
Dropping a friend at the Italian Spring Trailhead gave me an excuse to wander – I watched a Nothern Harrier make loops around White Tank and eventually made my way to Race Track Tank. The tank is holding plenty of water – but, as is too frequently the case in the Redington Area, while looking at the tank I came across a disappointing amount of trash…
Race Track Tank. October 2016.Shells… Trash near Race Track Tank. October 2016.Friends of Redington Pass – Flyer for the November 19, 2016, Cleanup. October 2016.Race Track Tank – north of Redington Road, west of the Italian Spring Trailhead, south of the Bellota/Arizona Trail. October 2013.
The 4th edition of the The Santa Catalina Mountains, A Guide to the Trails and Routes added a description of the Alder Canyon Trail (p. 93) with two starting points, Juan Spring and Big Alder Spring – but the lower sections of the canyon are not mentioned. The starting points may might put you in more remote sections of the canyon more quickly – but the section from the Ventana Windmill to Juan Spring is worth noting…
Dam in Alder Canyon above Ventana Windmill. October 2016.
We park off of Black Hills Mine Road, hike down to Ventana Windmill and start hiking up the canyon. In just a few minutes walls of conglomerate close in and an old dam appears – the smell from the pool of water under than dam encourages us to backtrack and walk the cliffs above the narrows.
Above the narrows the canyon is beautiful – sometimes more open, sometimes covered by trees – in a particularly lovely spot we find the remains of what might have been a hearth and a small structure. Farther up canyon surface water surprises us – and we are surprised again by clear pools of water. Near Juan Spring we exit the canyon, eventually finding and following the old trail up and loop back to the truck via the road.
An old fireplace and fence near Alder Canyon. October 2016.Inside Alder Canyon. October 2016.Pool in Alder Canyon. October 2016.Roots in Alder Canyon. October 2016.Water trough in Alder Canyon near Juan Spring. October 2016.
A few notes:
On the map a trail is drawn along the canyon from Ventana Windmill to Juan Spring – we spent spent the majority of the hike in the bottom of the canyon, while we didn’t try hard to find the trail I suspect that it is best considered a ‘route’ at this point…
This area is probably used more frequently by hunters than by hikers (AZGF Hunting Seasons, Season Dates, Rules and Regulations – Unit 33) – especially without a commonly used trail in the area it is probably advisable to wear bright colors especially during deer season. (Note that the heaviest users of this area is certainly the cows…)
A fence between Biosphere Road and Catalina Tank. October 2016.
I was curious – what, exactly, was the ‘Catalina Ravine’ labeled on the map west of the Biosphere Road? The elevation contours don’t seem to indicate much – and I don’t remember seeing anything from 77 – but it is a named feature…
I had barely turned onto the 4wd road leading to Catalina Tank before deciding that hiking would be faster than driving – a good decision since the road quickly ended at an old gate. The hard sand of a small wash made for easy walking – but, with Catalina Tank in view, a fence blocked the way. I wondered if the fence enclosed the tank?
Catalina Ravine and Catalina Tank west of the Biosphere Road north of Tucson. October 2016.
Heading south it didn’t take too long to figure out that the fence was doing more than enclosing the tank – with no gate in sight and the fence stretching away towards the mountains I finally crawled under at a wide wash and began to swing around towards the ravine.
Catalina Ravine west of Biosphere Road. October 2016.
From Wikipedia: “A ravine is a landform narrower than a canyon and is often the product of streamcutting erosion. Ravines are typically classified as larger in scale than gullies, although smaller than valleys.”
Walking Catalina Ravine didn’t really shed any light on why the name was added to the map, it was lovely in places – but, to me, it was largely indistinguishable from countless other small drainages in the area. Soon enough the tank appeared – a picture, admire the view, (still no gate in sight) under the fence, back along the small wash and back to the truck…
Catalina Tank with Mount Lemmon in the background. October 2016.
Positive Arizona State Park attendance and revenue were highlighted in a news release from Arizona Governor Doug Ducey:
More than 2.68 million people visited the parks, contributing $16.4 million in revenue to the State Parks system, an increase from $14.4 million in fiscal year 2015. Visitors to Arizona State Parks contribute nearly a quarter of a billion dollars to Arizona’s economy, according to a 2014 Northern Arizona University study.
Minimize the potential for user conflicts and accidents with the shuttle service and other Sabino Canyon Recreation Area users service by modernizing existing 1970s era shuttle fleet
Reduce auditory impacts emanating from interpretive narration service and protect ecosystem integrity by modernizing existing 1970s era shuttle fleet and improving audio distribution system
Ensure shuttle operations are in accordance with State and local emissions standards by modernizing existing 1970s era shuttle fleet
Protect water quality by minimizing point-source pollution from shuttle service by modernizing existing 1970s era shuttle fleet
Protect and reduce impacts to the federally-listed Gila Chub and its designated Critical Habitat found within Sabino and Bear Creeks, and the federally-listed Gila topminnow by modernizing existing 1970s era shuttle fleet and improving sedimentation removal procedures from vented low-water crossings
Avoid adverse effects to historic vented low-water crossing within the Sabino Canyon Recreation Area
The most important news for Bighorn Sheep in the Santa Catalina Mountains this month was the release of the results from the Arizona Game and Fish population count conducted at the end of September. When the project began the population could be very closely monitored via collars put on all sheep released into the range – but the collars eventually drop off when the batteries are exhausted and sheep born in the range are not collared – at this point the collars no longer give a complete picture of the population. The estimate from the count was a population of 66 – quotes from AZGF before the count stated they would consider an addition translocation if the population was under 70 and the AZGF page for the project now states that a “fourth translocation is being planned, pending survey results of potential source populations.” Recent links:
The Santa Catalina Bighorn Sheep Reintroduction Project for August 25 to September 28 contained information on two recent Bighorn deaths – one from unknown causes (no obvious injuries and not killed by a mountain lion) and one killed by a female mountain lion with kitten(s). While a number of mountain lions have been pursued and killed in this case, because it was a female with kitten(s), no action was taken.
AZGFD: Deer poached in Santa Catalina Mountains – KVOA.com: “A reward of up to $750 is being offered for information leading to an arrest of a poacher responsible for illegally killing a whitetail deer on Oct. 9 in the Santa Catalina Mountains… the deer’s remains were found on Forest Service Road 4496 near Ruin Tank, in the Charouleau Gap area.” Call 1-800-352-0700 if you have information.
University of Arizona Sky School held guided hikes on the Meadow Trail in October – the Sky School “provides immersive, inquiry-based science programs to Arizona K-12 students. Field experiences focus on core University of Arizona science areas such as sky island ecology, earth sciences, dendrochronology, hydrology, and astronomy, and meet Arizona State Science Standards.” No additional hikes are scheduled at this time but check out their Facebook Page for programs and opportunities.
Hittin’ the Trails 4 You: The Finger Rock Trail – KVOA.com: coverage of a classic hike in the Santa Catalina Mountains – the opening text below the video is pretty accurate… “If there’s a poster child for a leg-burning, lung-busting hike, it resides in the foothills of the Santa Catalina Mountains.”
Hittin’ the Trails 4 You: Molino Basin – KVOA.com: The Molino Basin Trail is an easy trail to overlook – it might not become your favorite trail but it is surprisingly nice, especially considering how close to the highway it is.
The TORCA 2016 PACHANGA is currently going on – based at the Gordon Hirabayashi Campground the event features a number of rides and events and is supported by both local businesses and manufacturers including Specialized, Niner, Ibis, Guerilla Gravity, Trek, Giant, Liv and Rocky Mountain. TORCA is “focused on the All-Mountain and Downhill disciplines of mountain biking with a focus on the Santa Catalina Mountains.”
N4T Investigates: Baffling Booms Update – KVOA.com: Some theories about loud booms that started in May and were heard for about a month by residents near the intersection of Linda Vista and Oracle Rd…
Rescues/Accidents/Incidents including information from the SARCI Newsletter:
Sabino Dam 9/3/2016: A hiker injured at Seven Falls was helped after making it to Sabino Dam.
Box Camp Trail 9/3/2016: Exhausted hikers who started in Bear Canyon were transported out by helicopter.
Seven Falls 9/3/2016: A hiker left his group, ran out of water, lost the trail and received help getting back to the trail and with hydration.
Bear Canyon Trail 9/5/2016: An exhausted hiker is carried out.
Blackett’s Ridge 9/6/2016: A missing person reported by his family was found below cliffs on Blackett’s Ridge and transported out by helicopter.
Pima Canyon 9/7/2016: A hiker who left the Pima Canyon Trail under Rosewood point slipped and fell injuring a leg – transported out by helicopter.
Bear Canyon Trail 9/10/2016: Exhausted hiker is carried out.
Romero Trail 9/10/2016: An exhausted hiker calls for help but is able to make it back to the trailhead.
Bear Canyon Trail 9/10/2016: Exhausted and off-trail hikers are assisted out.
Bear Canyon Trail 9/10/2016: A hiker with a shoulder injury sustained while trying to climb slippery rock was assisted with their shoulder injury and able to walk out.
Blackett’s Ridge 9/11/2016: A hiker became ill after being stung by bees – after receiving assistance on the trail the hiker was flown out.
Lemmon Rock Trail 9/16/2016: Hikers on the Meadow Trail continued along other trails without a map – they were unable to continue in the dark and were assisted out.
Molino Canyon 9/18/2016: An ankle injury results in a hiker being carried out via the social trail along the canyon.
Sacred Datura in Lower Sabino Canyon. August 2016.
