prison camp

Prison Camp to Sabino Canyon, a Competition Between Friends – 9/19/2014

Updated - Posted - Charles Miles
1409 Crossing Bear Canyon on the Sycamore Reservoir Trail
RA crossing Bear Canyon (flowing!) on the Sycamore Reservoir Trail. September 2014.

AT dropped RA and I at the upper parking area of the Gordon Hirabayashi Recreation Site – then we both started towards the Phoneline and Historic Sabino Trail junction. AT’s route was to drive to the Sabino Canyon Visitor Center and then hike/run up the Phoneline Trail. RA and I came down via the Sycamore Reservoir Trail, East Fork Trail, Sabino Canyon Trail and Phoneline Trail.

1409 Scarlet Creeper near Sycamore Reservoir
A Scarlet Creeper among the flowers and green near Sycamore Reservoir on the Sycamore Reservoir Trail. September 2014.

There were amazing flowers near Sycamore Reservoir – both Bear Canyon and Sycamore Canyon were flowing – there were clouds in the distance. We barely paused as we turned onto the Sabino Canyon Trail – as we continued down the trail it seemed like it was getting hotter and hotter.

1409 Richard Consulting with Two Members of the Hat Empire
RA on the Sabino Canyon Trail – we wished for rain from the threatening clouds in the background, but we had very close to zero rain and by the end of our run there were brutally hot patches of full sun. September 2014.

I was surprised by the flowers on the Phoneline Trail – I had expected them near the canyons, but on Phoneline I didn’t expect such a great display. As I approached today’s finish line I was ahead of RA but couldn’t really look for AT – I was tired and the trail was too rocky – but as I got closer and didn’t see AT watching us I hoped I had won…

1409 A present from Alison
Defeat! September 2014.

🙂 12.8 miles, +881’/-2800′ of elevation gain/loss.

Exhaustion, Injury, Rain and the Road

Posted - Charles Miles

Two hikers rescued from Mt.Lemmon – Arizona Daily Star – A mother and son set out on the Lemmon Trail to hike from the top of the mountain to Catalina State Park and needed a rescue due to dehydration and exhaustion.

Woman injured in fall on Mt. Lemmon – Arizona Daily Star – A woman falls in the Rose Canyon Lake area on a walk from her campsite.

Heights of Catalinas looking like a rain forest – Arizona Daily Star – Nice pictures and information on the flowers, ferns and moisture on the higher elevation trails – by Doug Kreutz.

 

Street Smarts: Road named for old prison camp – Arizona Daily Star – This article pulls together a number of interesting facts about the highway and the Prison Camp – interesting reading and certainly don’t miss the pictures there were several great pictures that I had not seen!

David Leighton includes his Sources for the information in the Street Smarts article – one very interesting source that I was not aware of is Peter Taylor’s Master’s Thesis “If you build it, they will come: The story of the Catalina Highway.” So far I have only read select sections carefully but I am already completely fascinated – the sections I have read are filled with fascinating details! (And even some of the material I have seen before is pulled together nicely and fun to revisit.) This Thesis is available to read online without charge from the University of Arizona. One of my favorite details so far:

Unfortunately for the escapees, the most viable route of escape was to follow Soldier Creek as it headed down toward the Tucson basin. The drainage quickly becomes a closed-in, steep canyon that funnels a hiker through an ever-narrowing chute. As the canyon reaches the desert floor, it begins to widen out where it crosses the Catalina Highway. The guards would simply wait at the road for the prisoners to arrive. The escapees, by then tired out from their over night hike and often pin cushioned by cactus thorns, were then apprehended and sent to a regular prison (7’C 29 November 1993).