The week following the Prison Camp hike (see
post below), Dan and I once again joined the hiking group from our RV Park for
another trek into the desert and mountains, this time to Wasson Peak. At first
glance, it would seem that most desert hikes in the Tucson area are all the
same. And there is no doubt about it, in this environment you will see acres
and acres of cactus (especially the ever-present Saguaro and Teddy Bear Cholla),
with a landscape that appears to be unchanging, as far as the eye can see. But,
if you pay close enough attention, you will find something unique on every
trail – variation in plant life, subtle changes in color, light, and shadow, the
absence or presence of water, views from the top of the mountain, and possibly
even wildlife sightings.
Our January 26th hike began at the Hugh
Norris Trail located in the Saguaro National Park, and is the most popular
choice for reaching Wasson Peak, climbing about 2200-feet and 5.5-miles before
reaching the top. Although it was an effort to make this climb, the sweeping
panoramas from the summit were well worth it, including the Brown Mountain and
Golden Gate Mountain to the south, the Rincon and Santa Catalina mountain ranges
to the east, and Mount Lemmon (one of the Tucson area’s tallest mountains) to
the east. After a brief rest at the summit for lunch, and to take in the views,
it was 5.5-miles back down the hill. But, I found it hard to complain too much
after finding out that two of the men in our group were aged 88 and 89 (and one
of them a hike leader). To me, that was as impressive as everything else about
this hike!
Because Dan and I enjoy hiking so
much, we
really appreciate all the opportunities for hitting the trail in the
Tucson
area. You don’t have to look far to find books, websites, and hiking
groups
providing information and meet-ups for hikes in the desert, mountains,
and
flatlands covering all levels of hiking preferences and abilities.
Recently we joined a group from our RV Park for a trek into the Catalina
Mountains, on the Prison
Camp to Sycamore Reservoir Trail. Part of the Arizona Trail, this hike
starts
from the Gordon Hirabayashi Recreation Site, named for Dr. Gordon
Hirabayashi
who was imprisoned during World War II for resisting the relocation and
internment of Japanese Americans – a conviction that was overturned by
the Supreme
Court in 1987.
The hike began in the parking lot near
the campground, and ended
at the Sycamore Dam, constructed to create the reservoir which provided
water
for the Prison Camp. The morning started out quite cold, with frozen
patches of ground to negotiate, and patches of snow from a recent storm
still lingering in shady areas. But before long the sun and the climb
warmed things up, and extra layers of clothing started coming off. The
dam was our turning point, although for those interested, there
are trails that continue on. This was a nice introductory hike in the
Catalina Mountains, with a small elevation gain, mountain views, and
desert
landscapes.
The Arizona Sonora Desert Museum, located about
15-miles from downtown Tucson, has been rated as one of the Top 10 museums in
the country and the #1 Tucson attraction. Most of this unique museum is
outdoors with 98-acres combining botanical gardens (1200 types of plants and
56,000 individual specimens), animal life (230 species), natural history
museum, and aquarium. Two miles of interpretive walking paths wind through
various desert habitats, with spectacular views of the Tucson Mountains as the
backdrop. We spent a day exploring the museum, and were lucky to be there on a pristine
weather day – not too hot, not too cold, perfect for walking around outdoors. Who
knew there were so many cactus varieties?
