Back among the Saguaro (10-24-13)

The last time we were in the Tucson area, we had planned to do some hiking, but instead, I broke my arm, so we didn’t make it out on any trails. 

This time around, luckily, that wasn’t an issue, so out among the cactus we went.  Our first venture was into the Coronado National “Forest”. 

We stopped at the very crowded Visitor's Center to get recommendations from the rangers, and ended up on Bear Canyon Trail to Seven Falls waterfall.

After 4 miles and 1000 ft of elevation gain, I was feeling tired.  By the time we reached the waterfall, the temperature was about 86 degrees.  Had I known there would actually be a fair amount of water (who knew?? It is a desert after all) I would have worn my swimsuit.

    .  Instead, we sat in the shade and had lunch while we watched other people (mostly kids) go for a dip in the multiple pools created by the falls.   After lunch we made our way back- a little easier since it was more downhill.










After a couple of days to recover, we headed out again- this time to Catalina State Park to hike to Romero Pools.









  It was even hotter this time, and the trail, although a little bit shorter at 7 miles, had a total of 1600 ft of elevation gain.  It was a little more interesting, with a little climbing, and some great views.

At the end of the trail (well, not actually the end- it keeps going) we were rewarded with the Pools.  At first we thought it was just the little pool within a creek, and we took off our boots to cool off for a bit.  Our packs were heavy with all the water we need to carry and it felt good to get them off for a bit!

We soon discovered that if we kept walking just a little further, there are more pools- several of them are deep enough to swim in.  We didn’t, but several people clearly made the trek out there with the intent to swim.

After a week in the lap of luxury, we moved on towards Phoenix, but we stopped at Picacho Peak to hike one of our favorite trails. Every time we pass by this way, we try to hike this one.

  This time around we did it differently.   We went up Hunter Trail ( the more difficult and steep trail) to the peak, and back down Sunset Trail, which is a little easier.  There’s lots of rock climbing involved, and sometimes you have to wait for someone to come down, before you can go up.

There are many places where the cliff is quite steep, but usually there’s a fence or railing to help out. I do better when I don’t look down.

We were delayed on our way up by an accident.  A young guy had been rock climbing off trail and fell about 20 feet. Several paramedics came up the trail to help him, so we waited around to see if they would need help carrying him down the mountain to the helicopter. Once we knew they were all set, we moved on.

Sometimes you have to go down, to go up.  We don’t like it when that happens, but there isn’t much choice!

In many places there are cables to hold onto while you climb, which sure makes it a lot easier going up and down!

Once we got to the peak, the view was awesome, as usual!

After lunch, we started the trek back down. By now, the temperature was in the mid 80s- pretty hot for hiking in the desert.  Luckily there were a few clouds in the sky to keep us from baking.

The trip down can sometimes be trickier than the trip up.  Especially for me, because it’s easier to not look down when you are going up!

 
Also,somehow on the trip down, it’s easier to see the precariousness of the trail!

We didn’t have any problems though, and 8.4 miles after we left, we arrived back at the campground. 








{rant on} A note about this trail:  It’s not for novice hikers, and there is a big sign at the trailhead that says that.  It also says to stay on the trail, wear good hiking boots, and bring at least 3 quarts of water per person.  It states that the trail is not suitable for dogs, or for children under 10.  We saw two dogs on the trail- I’m not sure how they even made it up there.  We also saw a man with 4 kids, all under 12 years old or so, and the ONLY one who had any water was the adult.  He had one bottle of water and NO food for the 5 of them.  It amazes me when I see people hiking in the desert with no food or water {rant off}. 

Benson and the (ghost) town of Fairbanks, AZ

 

Arizona has quite a few ghost towns- some that have been abandoned for many, many years, and some that are still in the process of being abandoned.  Today we went to Fairbanks, which was a small town that had its heyday when silver mining was actively being pursued in this area, in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Because the railroad was nearby, it was a hub of activity for many years, but activity slowly dwindled  until the town was completely abandoned.



Paul exploring the stamp mill ruins



   One of the building ruins is the stamp mill. Once we came to it, I could see Paul's eyes take on their distant, preoccupied look.  He wandered off to explore the mill, and I sat on  the bench conveniently located nearby.  We both love exploring this type of place, but we enjoy completely different aspects.  So, I sat there and wondered where the people lived, where did they go when the mill closed? Were there children? How isolated did they feel?



Paul, on the other hand, is more mechanical. When he came back from his exploration, he had his theories on how the mill was set up, what kind of equipment they may have had, and where it would have been.

 


    I got my chance to do more speculating when we saw the cemetery.  It is the most primitive and rustic cemetery I have ever come across.  There were few headstones- mostly just wooden crosses nestled in a pile of rocks.  They looked just like the ones you'd see in a movie about the old west.




lunchtime on the trail- Brenda and Kit

    The weather in Benson has slowly gotten better, although its still been in the 20s at night. At least the wind and the snow has stopped though, so we have been able to get out and about more.  Yesterday we went for a hike in the Coronado National Forest, in an area that was the refuge of the Apache Chief Cochise.  The highlight of that hike was the company! After spending some time with Brenda and Kit over the last few days, the four of us decided to do the hike together.  The weather was perfect except for the fact that there was a fair amount of snow still on the ground once we got up to the mountain. We walked for a few miles, stopping once in a while to admire the view and give the guys a chance to do some boulder climbing.  Once we ate lunch and started to continue on our way, we were hiking in the shade, which ended up halting our hike.  The snow was getting a little too deep and slippery, and it wasn't worth risking injury, so we turned back a little sooner than we had planned.  Still, we hiked about 6 miles and had a great time.

    Tonight it was dinner at a great restaurant with 5 other couples.  They are all Escapees, staying in the same RV Park as us.  Dinner went by way too fast,  but we'll see almost everyone again in a week or so in Yuma.  Tomorrow we head out, stopping at Picacho Peak State Park for a night or two.