Pontatoc Ridge – 5/7/2015
santa catalina mountains
Box Spring Route to Sabino Canyon – 4/21/2015
The Box Spring Trail has long been more of a route than a trail – I think it would have already disappeared back into the mountain if its ending high in Sabino Canyon wasn’t so beautiful!
The hike down seemed slightly easier to follow than I remember – maybe with a little more loose dirt and debris in the drainage (and maybe just a little more poison ivy)? It was a surprise to meet two hikers coming up – but no surprise that anyone on this trail was fun to chat with for a few minutes!
Sabino Canyon was – just like every time I have been down the Box Camp Trail – wonderful – cold flowing water, pools, beautiful rocks and green all around. After walking down to the first obstacle and taking a break we exited the canyon to the north – at first with the goal of working downstream, but eventually lured upward by the rocks to a high point…
We rested, enjoyed the views and planned an exit up one of the small ridges back to the main ridge (rather than going back up the Box Spring drainage) – and then plunged down the hillsides into the canyon bottom!
We hiked a short distance down canyon before scrambling out and starting to climb. At first the route we picked seemed brilliant – steep, but fairly open and easy, unfortunately as we got closer to the top the brush became thicker and thicker… Eventually we fought thru the brush and followed game trails to finish the climb to the main ridge – from there it was an enjoyable walk back to the Box Camp Trailhead. 6.75 miles, 2300′ of elevation gain and loss.
Down the Oracle Ridge and Cody Trails – 4/13/2015
After a leisurely start I setup at the Oracle Ridge Trailhead to wait for a friend who is coming up the mountain from the American Flag Trailhead – intermittent clouds and a nice breeze keep things cool on my first miles of the day, walking the top of the trail, waiting…
Soon enough RA appears and after a few minutes of talking, organizing gear and confirming plans I start down the Oracle Ridge Trail.
The trail leaves Dan Saddle and climbs (and climbs!) past good views and thru tunnels made of trees, some alive and full of leaves, some just silvery skeletons.
After the trail re-joins the top of the ridge I am stopped several times by views off both sides – the CDO on one the left and the San Pedro Valley to my right.
I chat with a friendly backpacker and share some water to ease his concerns about the dry dusty miles ahead – he is the 2nd and last person I will see today – after Rice Peak the descent towards Oracle begins in earnest. Signs guide me sometimes onto single track and often back to the dirt road – not a purist’s dream perhaps, but out here – alone – it really doesn’t matter.
The shadows get longer on the Cody Trail – power lines, buildings, roads and houses all come and go but my mind stays on the lovely winding trail – I stretch out and run for a while but I am too tired to run even the slight incline of the final hill and manage only a slow walk to end the day. 15.75 miles, +1,650/-4,800 feet of elevation gain/loss.
Oracle State Park, Flowers – 4/11/2015
Oracle State Park is currently open to the general public Saturdays and Sundays from 8am to 5pm (fee required) – there are a number of trails to enjoy, the historic Kannally Ranch House and when we visited the flowers were beautiful!
Bowden, Rescues, 16th Lamb – 4/19/2015
Mt. Lemmon center renaming considered for author Bowden, Patrick McNamara, Arizona Daily Star – The Pima County Board of Supervisors is considering renaming the Mount Lemmon Community Center after well-known author Charles Bowden who passed away in 2014. Bowden’s Frog Mountain Blues is about the Santa Catalina Mountains.
Hikers were rescued after dehydration ended a hike up the mountain on the Sutherland Trail – high temperatures and scarce water this time of year are worthy of caution and careful planning. UPDATE: Two hikers rescued from Catalina State Park, Colton Shone and Shelley Shelton, Tucson News Now; Two hikers rescued from Catalina State Park, Arizona Daily Star; Hikers rescued on Sunday after potentially life-threatening situation, Domenica Fuller, KVOA.com.
Hiker rescue underway near Sabino Canyon, Jackie Kent, Tucson News Now – “The Pima County Sheriff’s Department said a 73-year-old man with a possible leg injury is about six miles up a trail at Esperero Canyon.”
Santa Catalina Bighorn Sheep Reintroduction Project March 26 through April 8, 2015 – Another lamb has been reported to bring the total to 16 for the season!