Heading down from Mount Bigelow on the dirt roads to the west – low hanging clouds around the top of the mountain and a hint of the setting sun thru the trees – the sun fades but damp dirt roads make for easy footing and navigation even by headlamp. Back on the pavement and headed back to the Bigelow Trailhead each breath floats briefly in front of me before falling away or disappearing into the occasional clouds…
Rain earlier in the day doused the Finger Rock Fire – nothing to photograph there – onwards to Sabino Canyon – midnight, too late to catch the storm, but as a consolation the parking area was nearly empty and pleasantly quiet. Puddles cover the trail and the sand shows traces of the water that must have flowed just a few hours before – a great night to sit just off off the road and watch the lightning.
After awhile trying to catch the fickle lightning on camera looses it’s appeal, but the sounds of the calling Couch’s Spadefoots pull me just a little farther down the road.
The Spadefoots are somewhat hidden down in the canyon vegetation – but their calls are so loud, what luck to hear them!
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By day this pool is unassuming – close to the road and in the middle of a well used area – but at night… Sonoran Desert Toads gather, the fish come closer to the edge of the pool, moonlight streams in and the stars are visible above – magic.
There is basically no end to the great ‘workout’ hikes in the Santa Catalina Mountains – one fun option is a short loop using the Upper Green Mountain Trailhead, Green Mountain Trail, Brush Corral Trail, Brush Corral Shortcut Trail, Green Mountain Trail back to the Upper Green Mountain Trailhead.
Short with a nice bit of elevation, not very heavily used (for much of the loop anyway) and easily extended a few more miles to the Maverick Spring Trail or Guthrie Mountain. 4.5 miles, +/- 1500′ elevation gain/loss.
In the shade of the canyon walls the temperature was a bit more forgiving – some relief, but it was still hot and even in the dark at the finish you could feel the summer heat lingering into the night…
