Short with a nice bit of elevation, not very heavily used (for much of the loop anyway) and easily extended a few more miles to the Maverick Spring Trail or Guthrie Mountain. 4.5 miles, +/- 1500′ elevation gain/loss.
Fallen leaf in a drainage on the Brush Corral Trail. July 2015.Madrone berries along the Green Mountain Trail. July 2015.Sunset over Mount Bigelow – from the Green Mountain Trailhead. July 2015.
In the shade of the canyon walls the temperature was a bit more forgiving – some relief, but it was still hot and even in the dark at the finish you could feel the summer heat lingering into the night…
Looking down Bear Canyon from Seven Falls, sunset, Tucson in the distance. July 2015.At the finish, sitting next to the Sabino Canyon Parking Area. July 2015.
8/8/2015 – 2pm: As noted in the InciWeb update below on Friday there was precipitation along the entire south side of the Santa Catalina Mountains including the area covered by the Finger Rock Fire. At about midnight – after the rain had passed – I drove to the Richard McKee Finger Rock Trailhead and could not see any flames/glow/hotspots from the fire – with additional weather forecast it seems likely that this is the end of the Finger Rock Fire… It will be interesting to see when the Finger Rock and Pontatoc Trails are re-opened to the public (the caution tape/sign blocking both trails was still in place at midnight on 8/7).
The fire received precipitation yesterday and overnight, and is showing no activity at this time. The National Weather Service forecast calls for possible storm activity over the next few days, with high relative humidity and the chance for precipitation.
This morning fire managers and the hand crew on standby hiked to the lower edge of Pontatoc Canyon to scout the area and get the lay of the land. The fire continues to make progress, although not growing significantly. It received precipitation at 4:00 and 5:00 p.m. August 7 and continues to show a low level of activity. Additional precipitation is forecast for the area.
8/7/2015 – 7am: InciWeb was updated just after 8pm yesterday and listed the fire at 750 acres with this summary:
Forecast for the area from the National Weather Service is for moisture to move into the area. Good humidity recovery expected overnight. Also good chance of rain on or around the fire Friday afternoon and evening with more widespread thunderstorm activity around the area during the afternoon and evening hours.
Finger Rock Fire Map posted on Facebook by the Coronado National Forest on 8/6/2015.
8/6/2015 – 2pm: New information was posted to InciWeb a few hours ago:
Fire became active August 5 when wind and topography aligned. With hot dry weather the fire grew throughout the afternoon into the evening, when relative humidity increased and fire activity decreased. A small amount of smoke was visible on the fire this morning (see photos). According to the weather forecast for the fire area, moisture is expected to increase today for better humidity values. General wind will be lighter today with very good humidity recovery tonight. More widespread thunderstorm activity in the area Friday afternoon and evening could result in precipitation on the fire. We may experience another active burning day today, depending on the weather, with decreased activity this afternoon and tonight, through tomorrow.
Planned actions: “Monitoring, suppression resources ready to take action if necessary.”
8/6/2016 – 8am: The Finger Rock Fire started on July 29th – there is now an entry for the fire on InciWeb with basic information and a concise summary from yesterday:
The Finger Rock Fire was ignited by lightning Wednesday July 29. The fire is near Pontatoc Canyon, on the Santa Catalina Ranger District of the Coronado National Forest. The fire is burning in grass and brush in a steep, arduous terrain in the Pusch Ridge Wilderness. There was very little fire activity until this afternoon, when the fire grew as winds and slope aligned. The fire was estimated to be 150 acres as of this evening. The Finger Rock Trail #42 has been closed to protect public safety. No structures are threatened.
There is something magical to me about giant toads in the desert and this pool in Sabino Canyon had more Sonoran Desert Toads in one spot than I had seen before – fun to watch them swimming around their pool, and just a beautiful spot to begin with…
Sonoran Desert Toad Hangout – Sabino Canyon. July 2015.Sun Spider in Sabino Canyon. July 2015.
Tucson from near the Linda Vista Trail – if you look very closely you can see fireworks dotted around town. July 2015.
While far from crowded there were a surprising number of people waiting at the Linda Vista Trailhead to watch the 9pm fireworks show at the nearby Hilton El Conquistador. On the trail the small crowd quickly disappeared and I smiled at the hikers moving up the steep trail to Pusch Peak – small white dots against the black hillside.
I worked around the trail and eventually moved a short distance off the trail to a spot with a good views – I could already see a number of fireworks shows in the distance as I setup my camera.
Fireworks. July 2015.Fireworks. July 2015.Fireworks. July 2015.Fireworks. July 2015.
Between the bursts of light, experimenting with camera settings and keeping an eye out for the small spotted skunks (that visited several times…) the first part of the show was dazzling – but eventually the explosions thundering into the mountains felt excessive and after the show ended I enjoyed the peaceful hike back to the trailhead.
