A sea of grass out to the Thimble, a ribbon of color down Sabino Canyon, looking up Bear Canyon to and past the Sycamore Reservoir Dam, back lit Saguaros and sunset light in Bear Canyon – every trip into the mountains is another chance to see something new – even the most familiar places are constantly changing, different light, season, weather, colors, wildlife, plants, friends… – and this was a particularly amazing day.
Shot from the slopes of Bren Mountain in the Tucson Mountain Park – Prominent Point disappearing into shadow, Finger Rock almost visible and light on the slopes above the North Campbell Trailhead.
The colors were the highlight on this Agua Caliente Canyon and La Milagrosa Trail loop – the yellowish green covering Gnat Tank with patches of purple and yellow flowers nearby, subtle hints of fall color in the bottom of Agua Caliente Canyon and fallen fall color in the cool clear water.
The latest Santa Catalina Bighorn Sheep Reintroduction Project update includes information on two deaths:
With the death of Ram #34641 and the release of 29 new sheep (3 of which were not collared due to age/size) there are now 60 collared sheep believed to be alive in the Santa Catalina Mountains.
Arizona State Parks offer free admission on Black Friday – azcentral.cpm, #Optoutside at Arizona State Parks: AZ State Parks have partnered with REI to offer a free day pass for entry into one of Arizona’s State Parks if you visit an REI in Arizona from Saturday Nov. 21 through Wednesday Nov. 25. AZ State Parks is also giving away 10 Annual Passes to the 10 most liked pictures taken in an Arizona State Park and posted to the AZ State Parks #OptOutside Facebook page from 11/26 to 11/29.
Climbing Costs: Should hikers pay the bill for stupidity? – Tucson News Now: An article about the cost of rescues that asks if hikers/climbers/etc. should be charged for rescues. While the article does include some information about rescues in the area there was very little information from rescuers and no background information about how rescue costs are handled in other areas – for me the most thought provoking part of the article was the quote from Jim Holmes of the Southern Arizona Rescue Association: “We don’t want to do anything that would discourage the public from calling for help, if they delay because they’re afraid there’s going to be an expense associated with the rescue, it makes our job harder.”
County bond plan might have been too big to pass – Arizona Daily Star: In the beginning of November Proposition 430 Natural Area Conservation and Historic Preservation was not approved by voters in Pima County. Bonds and public expenditures are complex issues and it is worth reviewing the Audobon and Coalition for Sonoran Desert Protection pages on this failed Proposition.
The Santa Catalina Mountains had a fantastic Winter Storm early this week – over two inches of snow! The weather has already warmed up this week so we will have to wait for later storms to bring lasting snow to the mountain. Greg McGowan posted my favorite picture from this storm on his Facebook page, PCSD: Catalina Highway closed at base of Mt. Lemmon (of course, now open…) – Tucson News Now, ‘Winter Wonderland’ after snowstorm hits Mt. Lemmon – KVOA.com, A great shot of driving conditions from the PCSD.
While the snow didn’t hang around it will add to the water flowing on the mountain, the canyons should be beautiful! A quick shot from Soldier Canyon, not far from Hairpin Turn:
29 Bighorn Sheep from the Yuma area were released into the Santa Catalina Mountains on Monday 11/16/2015 – one captured Bighorn was not released and as of Monday was in a clinic in Phoenix due to possible “capture exhaustion” – probably the most interesting quote was from the AZGF Facebook page:
This was the last of the three planned releases to restore the historic herd that once existed in the area. Department biologists and the advisory committee that oversees the project will now monitor the population to determine if it can become self-sustaining on its own.
29 More Desert Bighorn Sheep Released in Santa Catalinas – AZPM, More bighorn sheep released in Catalinas today – Arizona Daily Star.