meadow trail

Storm: Point 5506, San Pedro Vista, Meadow Trail Loop – 10/9/2014

Updated - Posted - Charles Miles
1410 Storm over the Molino Basin Trail and Shreve Saddle
Looking down on the Molino Basin Trail and Shreve Saddle from Point 5506. October 2014.

The rain started late Tuesday night and by the end of the day on Thursday the Pima County Regional Flood Control District ALERT System reported that 5.35″ of rain had fallen near the top of the Santa Catalina Mountains (the same guage would report just over 6″ for the work week!) – but on Thursday in Tucson blue skies were starting to show thru the clouds and by Friday there would be no weather to enjoy on the mountain…

1410 Blazing Star
Blazing Star coated pants from my hike from the highway up to Point 5506 – the summer heat largely kept me (and pants and socks!) away from the Blazing Star, no longer I guess… October 2014.
1410 A Stormy view from San Pedro Vista
A stormy view from the San Pedro Vista. October 2014.
1410 Meadow Trail covered in Clouds
The Meadow Trail covered in clouds. October 2014.

Construction, Fire and Flowers

Updated - Posted - Charles Miles
1409 Middle Bear Canyon Picnic Area Construction
Restroom replacement – Middle Bear Picnic Area. September 2014.

Middle Bear Canyon picnic area is currently closed for construction – the restroom is being replaced – you can see in the picture above that the old restroom (at least the visible portion) has already been demolished.

1409 Prescribed Burn along the Highway
Smoke and small flames – a prescribed burn near the highway. September 2014.

I saw the first sign about the prescribed burns near the Box Camp Trailhead but it wasn’t until I passed the Upper Butterfly Trailhead and Sunset Trailhead that the smoke and small fires along the highway created a fascinating sight.

1409 Stevia
Flowers along the Meadow Trail. September 2014.

A short run – the Meadow and Mount Lemmon Trails to the Sutherland Trail junction from the Summit Trailhead – 3.6 miles, 640′ of elevation gain/loss – clouds kept the temperature wonderfully cool.

There are quite a few great flowers on the mountain right now – on the Meadow Trail I took a picture of the white flowers above. At home I consulted my favorite wild flower book for the Santa Catalina Mountains – Mountain Wildflowers of Southern Arizona by Frank S. Rose – but had trouble confidently identifying it, I think it is a Stevia/Candyleaf but I am not quite sure… However while searching online I did find Frank S. Rose, Flowers and More – a fascinating site by the author of Mountain Wildflowers of Southern Arizona!