pusch ridge

1405 50 Year Trail Dusty Conditions — The view from the 50 Year Trail – the wind/dust almost obscuring the view of Pusch Ridge in the middle of the day! May 2014.

The windy/dusty – slightly cooler – day pulled us out to the west side of the Santa Catalina Mountains for the Baby Jesus Trail Loop.

Golder Ranch Road Parking Area – 50 Year trail (a counterclockwise loop today), the single track of ends too soon… Dirt roads and gunfire as the background… Trail Link – Sutherland Trail, I barely paused at the junction with the Baby Jesus Trail, the thin track thru the desert was marked but seemed too small, thankfully Alison corrected our path.

The Baby Jesus Trail seems to get surprisingly little use near the junction with the Sutherland Trail – cows – the Wooden Trough Spring Tank has clear flowing water, a great surprise!

1405 Wooden Trough Spring Tank — Wooden Trough Spring Tank – we were surprised to see the water, running and clear. May 2014.

The cows have taken over trail building in this area and at times following the trail is a bit of a guessing game, today we are glad that the last hiker on this trail seemed to know it rather well and left us beautiful foot prints to follow.

The lower stretches of the Baby Jesus Trail are especially beautiful as it follows a ridge and canyon past beautiful rock formations – easy to see why the lower portion of the trail receives more use.

1405 Moon with Samaniego Peak and Mount Lemmon — The moon rising between Samaniego Peak and Mount Lemmon. May 2014.

A short section of road – single track on the 50 Year Trail – the moon rising between Samaniego Peak and Mount Lemmon – Pusch Ridge – home…

1405 Pusch Ridge from the 50 Year Trail — Pusch Ridge. May 2014.

1404 Mint at Mint Spring — A small mint growing near Mint Spring. April 2014.

The gray overcast sky was a surprise and a delight when we looked outside – the temperatures have started to soar, reminding us of summer, but today was quite cool. Summerhaven was not as crowded as I expected for a holiday weekend and we were alone at the Mint Spring Trailhead. We hiked slowly – our friend was testing out a new pack and had it loaded with his overnight gear – savoring the views, watching birds and enjoying the clouds. We turned onto the Marshall Gulch Trail – plenty of water here – and eventually took the road back to the car.

1404 Alison and Bill on the Mint Spring Trail — Arriving at the Mint Spring, Aspen, Wilderness of Rocks, Marshall Gulch junction. April 2014.

In the evening I met a friend and we ran/hiked up Blackett’s Ridge catching a great sun set from the ridge – a lovely trail with superb conversation – a perfect way to end the day!

1404 Ending the Day on Blackett's Ridge — End of the day on Blackett’s Ridge – the clouds kept the day cool and created an incredible sunset! April 2014.

pusch ridge

Baby Jesus Loop – 2014/5/11

Mint Spring, Marshall Gulch, Blackett’s Ridge – 2014/4/19