Great picture from Bryce Canyon - 11/26/10

We arrived at Bryce Canyon, Utah the day after the blizzard rolled through.  2 degrees starting the hike just meant for small crowds.  Beautiful day!

Tucson Mountains - Afternoon Hike

Enjoyed a quick hike on the Sweetwater trail in the Tucson mountains this weekend.  Have to love November weather!

Fall Hiking in Tucson

Just because you live in the desert doesn't mean you have to fly east to enjoy some fall colors.  We set out this past weekend to hike up in elevation to enjoy the fall show that the Tucson area has to offer.

Aspen Trail

There are a lot of areas you can check out and explore but we chose to drive up Mt. Lemmon to check things out.  A couple days earlier someone had posted that there were some changes in color but it had not yet peaked.  Since this is our first fall in the area I don't know if it had peaked or not but it was spectacular either way.

Wilderness of Rocks

We started on the Aspen Trail in the Marshall Gulch area.  The weather was beautiful - 56 degrees, sunny and a nice breeze.  The Aspen trails gains elevation pretty quickly but eventually levels out to a nice hike through the woods.  The Aspen trees were all a nice shade of bright yellow!  We were also fortunate to see a couple of white tailed deer on this part of the hike.  Once we hit the intersection of the Mint Springs, Marshall Gulch and Aspen trail we decided to take the Wilderness of Rocks path.  This trail descends a bit through some amazing rock formations.  You eventually come to a creek that seems to flow year round.  Keep your eyes peeled as you eventually get to the Lemmon Pools area which is a great stop for lunch.  Our dog always enjoys cooling off in the pools even if it is only 58 degrees out!

We decided to head back from there.  We were about 3.5 miles in and wanted to check out the Marshall Gulch trail on the way back.  The colors on Marshall Gulch were amazing.  The creek was flowing well and I couldn't imagine that the colors could have looked better.  I am sure they will still be looking great this next weekend if you have a chance to make it up.  Enjoy the pictures:

Aspen Trees

Getting started on the Aspen Trail

Beautiful blue skies

Max cooling off at Lemmon Pools

Another picture at Lemmon Pools

Marshall Gulch trail

Great fall colors off the Marshall Gulch Trail on Mt. Lemmon

More fall colors - Mt. Lemmon October 2010

Hard to beat the diversity in our area

Fossil Creek Hiking

We decided to make the 3.5 hour drive to the Fossil Creek area outside of Payson, AZ this weekend.  It was well worth the drive.

From Phoenix get on 87 north.  Take it all of the way to Strawberry, AZ.  Once in Strawberry make a left on Fossil Creek road.  Go 2 miles and it will turn to an easy dirt road.  About 3 more miles and the trail head is on the right. We were there on a saturday and there were plenty of hikers and campers.  It wasn't crowded but it was definitely not a hike of solitude.

The hike down is about 4 miles. Piece of cake, at least until you have to come back up.  The area is gorgeous as you descend and ascend from the creek. Once you get to the intersection of the mail trail just stay left.  Make sure to cruise down the creek a ways.  Once you get to the waterfall you'll know you've made it.

Once to the creek I was stunned at how nice it was.  There is a large waterfall, crystal clear cool water to swim in.  There are a lot of places in Fossil Creek to cliff dive as well.  Even caves to swim in and out of.  A truly great spot to escape the heat of the summer.

The hike back up was a great workout too.  The first mile or two is the toughest and steepest.

Enjoy!

Katie and Max as the Fossil Creek waterfall

One of the caves near the waterfall

Mt. Wrightson and Madera Canyon - 6/12/10 - Hiking with the dog!

High temperature of 87 in Tucson in June? Wow! What a perfect weekend to get out and do some hiking in the desert. We had not climbed Mt. Wrightson from Madera Canyon all the way to the summit since last June. It was time to try it again. Last year it was one of our first hikes out here and we were sore for days afterwards. I wonder how much better our bodies are conditioned for the climb now?

We met up with a couple people from a local hiking group at the Old Baldy trail head at 8am. It was about 55 degrees out and windy! Brrrrrr. Once we started moving however we warmed up quick. We headed to Josephine Saddle using the Old Baldy trail to get started. Max, our chocolate lab, didn't seem to realize how long of a day it was going to be. The dog was running up and down the trail at full speed. That slowed down pretty quick as we ascended up the trail. We made it to Josephine fairly quickly and stopped for a few minutes to give the dog a break (and us). From there we continued to hike up Old Baldy towards the summit. The last few switchbacks up to Old Baldy saddle were pretty rough. From there it is only about a mile to the top of wrightson. The first half a mile from here are a pretty easy hike but again the last few switchbacks up to the peak seem to take forever!

It was just a beaitful day at the peak. It was actually pretty downright cold. It was probably around 60 degrees with the wind gusting up to 40mph. But at the least the bugs couldn't battle the wind so we were bug free on top of Wrightson for some pictures and a snack. Max was worn out so we hung out for a while and let him relax. This was by far his toughest hike already.  I wonder if he knew we had another 6.5 miles to get home?

From there we decided to take the super trail back to Josephine. This trail is nice and goes around the outside of the mountain heading south and then eventually to the west and then back north to josephine saddle. It is about 4 miles to get to Josephine so a bit longer than Baldy but it is nice so have some decent new scenery on the way back. Max was flat worn out but a few 15 minute breaks got him back to the car in one piece.

A great day at Madera Canyon. If you haven't climbed Wrightson yet you need to get out there!

Chiricahua National Monument Hiking

It has been a couple weeks since this hike as I have been lazy in updating my blog!  This was our first hike with the local "Alt Hiking" meetup group.  We planned a day hike at Chiricahua outside of Willcox, AZ and then camping in Pinery Canyon forest.  Chicahua was about a 2.5 hour drive from Tucson.  Our hiking started at around 6000 feet of elevations so the temperatures were nice.


Wow.  Chiricahua has some incredible rock formations!  We started on the echo canyon trail and hiked around 9 miles in and out of the park.  The first mile of the echo canyon trail was amazing with the tall rock walls and slot canyons.  There were a slot of spots where you could use the slots as shortcuts.  But by far the best part of the hike was the Heart of Rocks mile or so long loop.  The rock formations are really mind boggling on the loop.  This hike is a MUST do if you are in the area.


Getting started on the echo canyon trail at Chiricahua.







Camel Rock for obvious reasons.



Balance Rock

Chiricahua - Explore a beautiful area full of Native American history!

We are heading out this weekend to camp and hike at Chiricahua National Monument in southern Arizona.  Stay tuned for a report early next week.  Until then:


A “Wonderland of Rocks” is waiting for you to explore at Chiricahua National Monument. The 8-mile paved scenic drive and 17-miles of day-use hiking trails provide opportunities to discover the beauty, natural sounds, and inhabitants of this 11,985 acre site. Visit the Faraway Ranch Historic District to discover more about the people who have called this area home.

Starr Pass Trail, Tucson, AZ - 4-24-10

What a beautiful day in Tucson!  We thought we would do a quick hike in the Tucson Mountains before it gets too hot to hike at those elevations until the fall.  We had not hiked in the Starr Pass area yet so we headed that way.  The Starr Pass trail head is just before the resort off Starr Pass Blvd.  There is a little dirt road that turns to pavement at the trail head.

The trail for the first mile and a half was a nice leisurely stroll through the desert.  A lot of the cacti were blooming along with the wildflowers which made for a pretty hike.  After the first mile and a half we went stright through the next intersection and started gaining a little bit of elevation.  Eventually the trail climbs up to a small peak with nice views of the surrounding area.  The GPS said it was about 3200' at the top, with a gain of 800' to get there over a total of 3 miles.

There are a lot of trails in the area.  Most of them look to be very fun for mountain biking.  There were quite a few mountain bikers out on this day.  We didn't see any snakes but I am sure they were there.  Quail, Roadrunners, a couple hummingbirds and lizards were the only wildlife we saw.

The Starr Pass area is a nice network of fairly easy hikes.  Great desert views for all seasons except for summer.

Enjoy!

Basset Peak - Ash Creek Trail Hike 4-3-10

I decided to try a new area this weekend.  We drove a little over an hour east on I-10 to Willcox.  From there it was about 30 miles to the NW to get to the Ash Creek trailhead in the Galiuro Mountains which took around another hour in driving.  This area is extremely remote which was great as we were hoping to see some interesting wildlife.  There wasn't another person on the trail the entire day!  There were a few people with their families in campgrounds before the trail but no one hiking.


The round trip to Basset peak is a little over 10 miles but if you don't have at least a high clearance vehicle you'll add another 5 miles round trip to the hike.  We made it most of the way to the trailhead in our Sequoia which is only 2WD.  We had to drive through a couple streams and the dirt road was full of rocks, boulders, overgrown bushes and trees, etc.  We also added quite a few new scratches to the side of the truck so make sure if you do make the drive up to the trail head you drive your beater!


If you follow the road straight back it eventually turns into the Ash Creek trail.  You'll criss-cross back and forth over the stream for 3-4 miles depending on where you start.  This area is a very nice change from the desert.  You feel like you are in the Appalachian Mountains as you gradually climb with the stream through the forest.  There also were some very nice areas back here to camp.  The stream was running pretty good but as we returned later in the day it had definitely started running much better; I assume because of the snow melting in the warm air.  

As you get towards the start of the canyon you cross over the stream one last time and begin climbing to the top of the ridge.  This area is the most strenuous of the trial but isn't that terrible.  You'll go through pretty consistent switchbacks for the next mile or so until you come to a trail intersection at the top of the ridgeline.  From here you make a left to continue the last mile over to Basset Peak on the Basset Peak Trail.  Supposedly near this same area is an old WWII plane wreck but we didn't see it as we really didn't know where to look.  There are beautiful views in all directions of the surrounding area and mountain ranges.  Mount Graham was covered in snow which made for a great view out to the east.


We ended up getting within about 1/4 mile of the top but the snow got really thick, really quick.  It was completely covering the trail in spots.  With the very steep angle and the thought of slipping down and/or getting lost out here in the middle of nowhere we decided that it wasn't worth the risk to keep going.  We never did see any wildlife however right before we turned back there was something very large about 100ft from us that was knocking some pretty big boulders loose!  I would assume a bear or a mountain lion given the size of the boulders it sent down the side of the mountain.

This is a beautiful area and a great hike.  A great day getaway from Tucson especially if you want some seclusion.


Enjoy!

Madera Canyon Camping Adventure - March 28, 2010

We have had the itch to do a camping trip since we moved to Tucson 2 months ago. We decided to try Madera Canyon as we had hiked there a few times and some of the camp sites are up pretty high in elevation and offer great views. Most importantly, we could bring our dog with us! I also wanted to try to get up to Mt. Wrightson again while we still had some snow on the ground. I knew it was going to be a bit chilly at around 8000' where we were going to camp. Chilly was an understatement, more like absolutely freezing!

We arrived at Madera Canyon on Saturday morning at around 10 am. It was 51 degrees, a nice start to a beautiful day. Since we had all day long to hike we decided to take the Super Trail to start since it was a little longer of a hike and we had already used Old Baldy from the parking lot a few times. After hiking the Finger Rock Trail the previous weekend the Super Trail was a breeze. Even with 35 pounds on my back we cruised up towards Josephine Saddle and 7000 ft quickly. There wasn't as much snow compared to what we saw a few weeks back up to this elevation. This made me think we could make it up to Baldy Saddle and camp overnight there.  We wouldn't make it quite that far.

We stopped and at Josephine Saddle for about 30 minutes. It was a busy day and there were quite a few groups of people in the area and passing through. Our dog had to make sure that he greeted everyone as they came through the area! After lunch we made the decision to head towards Baldy Saddle and see if it was suitable for camp.

A nice lady told us that there was another nice area about a mile past Josephine Saddle to camp. This is where we would end up setting up camp, around 8000ft in elevation. A nice area opened up as the trail went around a corner and you could tell people had camped there in the past. From this spot it was probably another mile up to Baldy but the snow started getting bad. With the air in the 50's the snow got pretty soft and we started to sink in quite a bit. Right before you start the switchbacks up to Baldy we found ourselves sinking thigh deep in the snow that seemed to be 3-4ft deep. Every step was a challenge and stressful. We decided that my girlfriend would stay behind at the spot we found for camp with the dog. I wanted to at least try to get up to Baldy.

The snow flat wore me out. Every step was a challenge, sinking and slipping in the deep, soft snow. I did make it most of the way up the switch backs but it took me at least an hour. Once you got into the switchbacks the snow wasn't nearly as bad but it was still tough after a long day.  I was getting tired, it was getting late and I was hungry! I decided to turn back as I was also getting a little uncomfortable with leaving them back by themselves. I turned back and made it back down a lot quicker than I was able to make it up. I decided to slide down about 100ft of elevation in the snow on my butt. It was fun and a lot easier than slipping and falling every other step!

So we set up camp and enjoyed the rest of the beautiful afternoon with great views of Mt. Wrightson and the valley below. We had a nice fire and just relaxed for the last few hours of the day. The only real excitement came when my bear paranoid girlfriend started seeing things and decided a bear was staring at us. She grabs some shoes and starts flaing and screaming trying to scare the imaginary bear away. It had to be one of the funniest things I have ever seen!  Too much discovery channel and animal planet paranoia going on there!

Another reason we chose this area is that there didn't seem to be much wind. Quite a few areas that we hiked through seemed very windy but our campsite area seemed pretty sheltered. We called it a night at around 9pm as the temperatures were dropping fast. Our wet socks that we hung on the trees to dry had already frozen! So here we are nice and cozy in the tent with the dog. We stayed plenty warm enough in our sleeping bags while the temps dipped well below freezing outside. Everything was great, at least until all hell broke loose at around 11pm!

The wind seemed to just come out of no where. You would hear the gusts start coming through the trees and eventually just blowing like hell over us. The tent held up for about an hour but eventually the gusts, which had to be 40 mph, pulled out stakes out and it collapsed. So there I am, in the freezing cold, half asleep, trying to put it back together in the dark. Some how I was able to get the tent back up. I tried to reinforce it with some big stones but within 15 minutes of trying to get back in and comfortable it collapsed again. We basically said screw it and just slept in the collapsed tent while the wind whipped it around like a loose sail all night long. The worst part was that the flap/cover of the tent blew off and the vent was right above us open all night with the freezing cold air coming in. Long story short, we didn't sleep. It was freezing cold and sucked! At first light we packed up and headed for the car which we made at about 8am.

What an adventure! I can't wait to get up there and camp again but this time it will be much closer to the summer!

A couple of additional pictures:

Max was freezing!

Looking up towards Baldy Saddle at sunset

Sunset

Finger Rock trail to Mt. Kimball - A killer workout!

3-21-2010 - Finger Rock Trail to Mt. Kimball

I don't know why I continue to underestimate the difficulty of some of the hikes around the Tucson area.  We had planned all week for an all day hike on Saturday, so I chose the Finger Rock trail.  I had hiked this area before but never hiked the whole thing.  Mostly it was quick mile runs up and down the trail before work so this will be the first attempt to summit Mt. Kimball.

We got to the trail head near Skyline and Campbell at about 9am.  I figured we were a bit late as the parking lot was already pretty full but there was still room for us.  The trail starts up into the canyon running along a very nice soothing stream.  It was running pretty well this trip which I assume is from all the snow melt from the previous few weeks of snow.  The trail starts pretty easy for a about a mile as it winds its way along the creek.  Enjoy it while you can as you are about to gain over 4000 feet in elevation in the next 5 miles!

Once you start ascending up into the canyon you begin to realize what you have got yourself into.  The trail climbs relentlessly for the next 4 miles.  Switch back after switch back will gradually take you up and away from the saguaro's and cacti into grassy areas and mesquite and eventually into a pine dominated forest at the top. It is quite an amazing transformation in such a short distance.  About half way through the trip there is a side trail that goes off to the right towards Linda Vista.  We didn't have the energy for the extra distance but it looked like there would be a nice view into Tucson towards the South and West.

From here the trail isn't as miserably difficult for a few minutes.  You gradually climb around through the canyon and eventually back out to the north.  There are some amazing views of the mountains and flat walls in this area.  The faces get colorful with green moss covering some of the sides.  After about 15-30 minutes you start to head back up towards the top of the canyon pretty steeply.  The vegetation changes so quickly here and you eventually find yourself in a forest.  Your last stop comes as you get to the ridgeline with Finger Rock trail heading off into the catalinas and Pima Canyon trail heading north towards the summit of Mt Kimball.  The rest of the trail is about a half mile long and not too difficult.  Our GPS showed 7255 feet at the summit of the mountain.

You'll hit one more fork in the trail, stay to right to get to the summit.    The very top is pretty much covered in forest but just continue towards the end of the trail.  At the end there are some amazing views back towards town and over towards Mt. Lemmon.


 
Coming back down, at least for us, was rough.  Especially the last 3 miles the trail seems like it is never going to end.  I kept glancing towards Finger Rock waiting patiently for us to get past it!  It took forever!  My legs were just done and the trail kept going.  It took us (moving slooowwww) about 8.5 hours to complete the hike.  3 days later and my legs are still sore!  If you hit this trail in the summer make sure to bring a lot of water as the lower elevation sections of Finger Rock trail will be very hot.

Not really hiking but - San Carlos fishing report

I guess I should have titled this blog something more relative to general outdoors but oh well.  We spent the last weekend down in San Carlos, Mexico for the first time.  It is truly a great place to experience the outdoors.


For being so close to Tucson, San Carlos has some surprisingly great fishing and water sports.  On top of that there is also supposed to be some great hiking there as well.  Unfortunately we didn't get to try it out this trip but I am sure we will be back soon.

We fished with Captain Bryan on the Margarita V boat on Saturday 3/13.  The wind was supposed to blow by noon so we got an early start at 6:30.  The mountains fading straight into the ocean is just amazing.  The water is very clear and definitely has a tropical look to it.  We trolled some lures out of the pass and started catching sierra immediately.  Our main focus was yellowtail though.  We quickly put out some live baits and trolled them for a bit.  We ended up catching 3 yellowtail in about an hour's work.  By 1030 or so the wind started picking up so switched to trolling lures for sierra.  I was amazed at how fast and furious the action was - we probably caught 12 sierra in 30 minutes!  It was a great time.


After fishing we cleaned up and headed over to the Soggy Peso for a couple drinks.  Wow - their margaritas are a lot stronger than they taste.  I think after 3 we were both feeling pretty tipsy.  We stayed there for an amazing view of the sunset and then called it a night.  It isn't the cheapest place for drinks but by far the best place right on the beach with a sunset view.

On Sunday we decided to do some kayaking around the rocks and points in San Carlos.  We rented kayaks from Ocean Sports at the main marina for 30 bucks for a half day.  All of the different rock formations into the water made it a lot of fun.  We were able to find 2 spots where we could kayak through caves or cutouts in the rocks from one side to another which was really cool.  With a little wind and tide it was a little hairy but definitely fun and exciting!  If you make it down rent a kayak for a couple hours!


We also spent some time exploring the different points.  Climbing and scaling around all of the rocks at the base of the mountains at the edge of the ocean is a lot of fun.  Just be careful you don't get stuck out there with the tide coming up!  I also tried a little freediving but the visibility was pretty poor at probably 6ft.  Supposedly it is usually closer to 30 ft so I will have to give it a shot again next time we make it down.