From the Avenida de Suzenu Trailhead we walk along Horsehead Road and across Molino Canyon (flowing!), pass below the abandoned house, hop rocks crossing Agua Caliente Wash and continue on the Agua Caliente Canyon Trail up up up to Gnat Tank.
We find a nice spot below the tank and watch the sun move lower in the sky – too soon it is time to head back down into the city…
5.9 miles, 1200′ of elevation gain and loss.
10am at the Gordon Hirabayashi Recreation Site and there was no need for a jacket – February and it feels like spring!
We descended to the Avenida de Suzenu Trailhead via the Molino Basin Trail, Bellota Trail and La Milagrosa Trail – sun, blue sky and water in all the canyons. 10.6 miles, +1100’/-3100′ of elevation gain/loss.
The Bighorn Sheep Restoration Project Status update for 1/15 to 1/28 is now available (all updates are currently available here):
Catalina State Park will host a Star Party on Feb. 21 from 6:30pm to 9:30pm – the event will start with a presentation by Jim O’Connor with excerpts from his book, Native American Night Sky Stories, and there will be a variety of telescopes at the event. See the Arizona Star Party Astronomy Events page for more details and for other dates at throughout the year at Arizona State Parks!
Arizona hike: Oracle State Park – azcentral.com – Mare Czinar: A short article about the hiking in Oracle State Park – the days that the park are open to the public are limited (currently Saturday and Sunday 8am to 5pm) but it is well worth finding an open day to visit!
Winter weather! There was rain and snow that temporarily closed the highway and caused 3 hikers to be stranded due to rushing water in the Sabino Canyon Area. Winter weather closes highway up Mt. Lemmon – Carissa Planalp – TucsonNewsNow.com, Snow in mountains, rain in Tucson valley expected – tucson.com, Three hikers stranded because of rushing waters – Ina Ronquillo – KGUN9.
Lower on the highway everything was wet – Seven Cataracts is roaring and all the usual road-cut waterfalls flowing – but somewhere around Barnum Rock the rain turned to big wet snow flakes!
The snow seems like a surprise after the rain – but it has been snowing long enough to cover Incinerator Ridge Road and put snow on the Incinerator Ridge Trail – a frozen sign greets me at the start of the Knagge Trail.
Clouds cover the mountain and snow covers the trail – there aren’t any footsteps to follow today but finding the trail isn’t a problem. I start to wonder about snow collecting on the highway – but surely there is time to make it to the old cabin site…
The snow has turned to rain by the time I finish the hike down to the cabin – out of time I head back up into the snow.
2.5 Miles, +/- 1100′ of elevation gain and loss.
After several recent Bighorn deaths it is encouraging that there are now reports of an additional lamb – More lambs spotted in the Catalinas – Ally Aldrete – KGUN9, Another lamb seen in Catalina Mountains – Arizona Daily Star.
In Bear Canyon the Forest Service is starting a project to try to reduce the Bark Beetle population – trees will be removed from areas including “Cypress, Middle bear and Chihuahua Pine Picnic Areas and General Hitchcock Campground. Generally canyon bottom and north-facing slopes” with the goal of stopping the spread of the beetles to adjacent trees and reducing the fire hazard that can be created by trees killed by the beetles. Expect closures to these areas when work is in progress. Forest Service Schedule of Proposed Actions for the Coronado National Forest, 400 beetle infested trees to be removed on Mt. Lemmon – Matt Fernandez – KVOA.com, Bark beetle removal project to begin on Mt. Lemmon – Elizabeth Walton – Tucson News Now.
Oracle State Park events for 2015 – Elizabeth Walton – Tucson News Now: Also see the Oracle State Park homepage.
Let it snow – Chastity Laskey – The Daily Wildcat: Some notes on the recent snow and things to do in Summerhaven and on the mountain.
Off the Vine wine festival – Elizabeth Walton – Tucson News Now: A wine festival is scheduled for the Steam Pump Ranch in February.