Bigelow RX Burn, Hilton Horses, Fuelwood – 11/13/2016

Sunrise near Redington Road. October 2016.
Sunrise near Redington Road. October 2016.

Bigelow Prescribed Fire on Mt. Lemmon, Coronado National Forest: On Monday, November 4th, “if conditions such as temperature, wind speed and direction, relative humidity and fuel moistures are favorable” fire managers will burn a 200-acre area around Mount Bigelow. The fire could cause road and trail closures in the area – the Kellogg Trail, Butterfly Trail and dirt roads in the vicinity seem the most likely to be impacted. From the Forest Service News Release “Prescribed fires are among the most effective tools available to resource managers to restore fire-adapted ecosystems. They mimic natural fires by reducing forest fuels, recycling nutrients and increasing habitat diversity.”

Forest Service Bigelow Prescribed Burn Map. October 2016.
Forest Service Bigelow Prescribed Burn Map. October 2016.

Hilton Tucson El Conquistador opens 18-horse stable – AZBIGMEDIA: The Hilton Tucson El Conquistador, located north of the Linda Vista Trailhead, has opened stables and is offering “trail rides, riding lessons and family friendly adventures for locals and visitors looking to explore the spectacular Sonoran Desert.”

Fuelwood Permits (for personal use only) are available for Mt. Lemmon at the Ranger District Office, 5700 N. Sabino Canyon Road from 11/1 to 12/16 for the 11/1 to 4/16 cutting season. Permits are $20, 1 per household, and “will authorize collection on Mt. Lemmon and in the Oracle area of dry, dead-and-down and dead standing wood (no live branches) less than eight inches in diameter at breast height. Cutting area maps and program regulations will be provided with permits upon request. Permit holders may collect and remove only dry wood from the collection areas.”

Rescues/Accidents/Incidents including information from the SARCI Newsletter:

  • Wilderness of Rocks 10/1/2016: A hiker is stranded off trail by darkness in the area of the Lemmon Rock Trail/Wilderness of Rocks junction.
  •  Windy Point 10/6/2016: A woman injured in the area is carried out.
  • Sutherland Trail 10/8/2016: A hiker is carried out after becoming exhausted on a social trail off the Sutherland Trail.
  • Sabino Canyon 10/13/2016: Three lost hikers in Sabino Canyon below the guaging station, and above the Box Spring Trail, requested helped and were helped upstream.
  • Butterfly Trail 10/17/2016: A biker on the Butterfly Trail was lost in the Novio Spring area and lifted out by helicopter.
Cloud streaks over the edge of the Rincon Mountains from Redington Road, near sunrise. October 2016.
Cloud streaks over the edge of the Rincon Mountains from Redington Road, near sunrise. October 2016.

Stone Structure above Sabino Canyon – 9/10/2016

Painting the stone water tank above Sabino Canyon with light. September 2016.
Painting the stone structure above Sabino Canyon with light. September 2016.

On a ridge above Sabino Canyon there is a small stone structure – the structure isn’t noted on the topo maps I have and you won’t find any informational signs as you circle the structure, but a 2012 article by Doug Kreutz for the Arizona Daily Star explains that “The structure is a water tower – or above-ground storage facility – probably associated with a well to the south and east” and likely built in the 1930s or 1940s.

The Well west of the gaging station on the top of the ridge marks the location of the Stone Structure. October 2016.
A section of the Sabino Canyon FSTopo with Stone Structure added. October 2016.
Star trails and the lights from Mount Bigelow - looking up Sabino Canyon from the Stone Water Tank. September 2016.
Star trails and the lights from Mount Bigelow – looking up Sabino Canyon from the Stone Structure. September 2016.

Fall Color – 10/24/2016

Bare Aspens near the top of the Red Ridge Trail. October 2016.
Bare Aspens near the top of the Red Ridge Trail. October 2016.

The Aspens along the Red Ridge Trail are bare – from the Aspen Trail we can see a few trees still with fall colors – but the best color is lower on the mountain where the walk from the Sunset Trailhead into Bear Wallow on the 1918 Trail flows thru red and yellow maple leaves in the trees, and on the ground…

Last fall colors in the Aspens from the Aspen Trail. October 2016.
Last fall colors in the Aspens from the Aspen Trail. October 2016.
Fall color - Maples in Bear Wallow. October 2016.
Fall color – Maples in Bear Wallow. October 2016.

 

Sheep, Speed, Heat – 10/21/2016

A Saguaro in the sunset on the rim of Alamo Canyon in Catalina State Park. September 2016.
A Saguaro in the sunset on the rim of Alamo Canyon in Catalina State Park. September 2016.

The Fastest Known Times – FKTs – for the Arizona Trail were last set in 2011 and, with the exception of Kathy & Ras Vaughan’s yo-yo of the Arizona Trail, the Arizona Trail page on the Fastest Known Time site has stayed quiet. But in 2016 there have been two new records!

  • Michael Versteeg (facebook) set the supported FKT on October 19th with a time of 15 days 22 hours 39 minutes
  • Heather “Anish” Anderson (blog, facebook)  set the self-supported (thru-hiker) FKT & women’s overall FKT, on October 27th with a time of 19 days 17 hours 9 minutes (South Bound)

If you thought it felt warm out on the trails in October you were not wrong – the Arizona Daily Star reports that “It was the warmest October on record for Tucson, with an average high of 92.4, an average low of 62.5 and a median of 77.4 degrees.” – the previous record was set in 1952. Yes, Tucson’s October was warm — the warmest on record – tucson.com.

The Catalina Bighorn Sheep Reintroduction Project update for Sept 29 – Oct 26, 2016 contains a number of noteworthy details:

  • Ram 39538 was killed by a mountain lion on 10/21 (33 collared sheep are known to be alive now) – the adult male mountain lion was hunted and killed. At this point the death of another Bighorn and Mountain Lion is not remarkable – but this death prompted the release of some very interesting information about Ram 39538:
    “In February and March of this year, this ram embarked on a month-long trek through the Rincon Mountains and south towards I-10, spending time at Colossal Cave Mountain Park, and venturing even farther south to the train tracks north of Marsh Station Road before returning to the Santa Catalina Mountains. Ram #39538 was captured in the Imperial Hills in 2015.”
  • Aerial and ground surveys were conducted on 9/28 and 9/29 – 19 of the 34 collared sheep were observed which resulted in a calculated 54% observation rate – aerial surveys spotted 37 sheep, ground surveys spotted 20 sheep. The survey resulted in an estimate of 66 sheep in the Santa Catalina Mountains.
  • Rams are no longer showing any rutting behavior.
  • A fourth  translocation of up to 20 sheep is planned for this month.
Blooming Desert Cotton in Alamo Canyon. September 2016.
Blooming Desert Cotton in Alamo Canyon. September 2016.

Race Track Tank – 10/27/2016

Sun and mud beside Race Track Tank - north of Redington Road. October 2016.
Sun and mud beside Race Track Tank – north of Redington Road. October 2016.

Dropping a friend at the Italian Spring Trailhead gave me an excuse to wander – I watched a Nothern Harrier make loops around White Tank and eventually made my way to Race Track Tank. The tank is holding plenty of water – but, as is too frequently the case in the Redington Area, while looking at the tank I came across a disappointing amount of trash…

Hopefully this will change over time – one group who has been actively helping is the Friends of Redington Pass who have already held several clean ups and is planning another one on Nov. 19th starting at 8am – the flyer is displayed below, see this page for more information and to RSVP for the event.

Race Track Tank. October 2016.
Race Track Tank. October 2016.
Shells... Trash near Race Track Tank. October 2016.
Shells… Trash near Race Track Tank. October 2016.
Friends of Redington Pass - Flyer for the November 19, 2016, Cleanup. October 2016.
Friends of Redington Pass – Flyer for the November 19, 2016, Cleanup. October 2016.
Race Track Tank - north of Redington Road, west of the Italian Spring Trailhead, south of the Bellota/Arizona Trail. October 2013.
Race Track Tank – north of Redington Road, west of the Italian Spring Trailhead, south of the Bellota/Arizona Trail. October 2013.