Bernardo Mountain Escondido, California January 3, 2014

                 My mom walking up the trail to the summit

Before leaving on Saturday to drive back to Tucson, I wanted to do one last hike with my parents. We chose Bernardo Mountain because it is close to Rancho Bernardo, has a moderate elevation gain of 1000 feet and offers great views from the top. We drove to the trail head on Bernardo Drive and  began hiking at 11 am. The weather was beautiful but the temperature was very warm for January. I was happy I had brought three water bottles instead of the two I was planning on bringing. Around Lake Poway and the San Dieguito River Park I saw a total of seven hawks circling in the thermals. Without binoculars I identified four as Red-tails. On the summit I was struck by how much drier the mountains looked this year from last December. San Diego needs more rain in January and February. (Trail description available in my January 2012  post on Bernardo Mountain).

            My mother and father on the summit

                  My father looks like a mountain man.

             A nice picture of me with my father.

Woodson Mountain to Big Sky Ecological Preserve December 31, 2013

                              My mom hiking up to the top of Mount Woodson

When I returned to Southern California over the New Year to visit family, re-hiking my October route from Highway 67 to Big Sky over Mount Woodson would be a priority. This hike offers everything including great views, Lake Poway and the majestic oaks of Blue Sky Ecological Reserve. The hike is approximately 8 miles with 2000 feet of elevation gain. If visitors do not want to hike the whole route it is possible to hike to the top of Mount Woodson from Highway 67 (three miles) or the longer route starting at Lake Poway (seven miles).   The route up Mount Woodson from Highway 67 offers more shade from the sun.

Today I hiked the route with my mother. Over the years I have not been able to hike much with her so it was great she could join me. Her presence also forced me to slow down and appreciate the views and ecology of the area. This hike is very popular  in fact today we saw many groups of four or five hikers. When I hiked this route in October Potato Chip Rock was deserted. I was able to climb on it but didn't get the ubiquitous photo because my camera stopped working. Today the line for Potato Chip rock was about 75 people definitely too many to wait. (For more information on the route itself please consult my October 13, 2013, post).

                At the top of Mount Woodson showing the great boulders on the mountain.

              Top of Mount Woodson with the transmission towers definitely not a pristine summit.

              Me in foreground looking north

                 The line for Potato Chip rock
   

       View toward Poway from the top.

                  The blue of Lake Poway

San Pedro River from the San Pedro House Sierra Vista, Arizona December 27, 2013

                            The river and riparian habitat

Location: Today I am going to begin my hike along the San Pedro River at the San Pedro House.  The house is located off of Highway 90 east of Sierra Vista, Arizona. This is a nice place to begin a hike because many different trails begin here. The San Pedro House is staffed by volunteers who are knowledgeable about access points, trails and historic sites along the San Pedro River.

I am visiting one of the most endangered ecosystems  in the Southwest--the cottonwood willow riparian habitat. In the Southwest rivers have been dammed and water diverted for irrigation purposes. As a result, cottonwoods have declined and riparian habitats have suffered. The San Pedro is important because it is the only free-flowing river in the Southwest, features larges stands of cottonwoods and it also supports a wide diversity of wildlife.

The Hike: I started out hiking along the Self-Guided Walk. The loop is two miles long with twelve stops which teach visitors about the area. After a mile of hiking I departed the trail and then followed game trails and other illegal trails for an extra three miles. I have included my favorite photos of the hike. Bird sitings were scarce because it was in the middle of the day. I did see a couple of Gila woodpeckers and Red-tailed hawks. Snakes are present throughout the year so watch out especially if you are going off-trail.

                                     Cottonwoods

                         Very picturesque

                      The San Pedro River

Pomona Mine Huachuca Mountains, Arizona December 26, 2013

               Brown Canyon from on the Pomona Mine Trail

Over the Christmas Holiday I hiked up to the Pomona Mine in the Huachuca Mountains. Historic mines are numerous in southern Arizona. Oftentimes they offer historic structures and equipment making them great hiking destinations. The Pomona Mine was active intermittently from 1918 until 1963. While open the mine produced around 570 tons of tungsten ore. (Information from www.mindat.org)

The Hike: The hike to the Pomona Mine starts at the Brown Canyon Trailhead on Ramsey Canyon Road. It is over 8 miles round trip (mileage approximate depending on how much you explore) with approximately 2000 feet of elevation gain.  The first 1.1 miles the trail is non-existent. Hikers follow ATV roads until the outlet of Brown Canyon where the Brown Canyon Trail 115 begins. The next two 2.5 miles are along the bottom of the canyon. Be careful of mountain bikers coming downhill because they do not watch for hikers. Major vegetation is grass, oak and manzanita which gives visitors shade from the Arizona sun. The Pomona Mine Trail branches off after 2.5 miles. This trail is steep in places and gains elevation quickly. The first 1.5 is on an old road that goes to the base of an old tram used to transport ore from above. The next two miles to the top of the tram is along trail that is narrow, extremely steep and rocky. Watch your footing.  Views of the valley and surrounding mountains are extraordinary. The trail becomes faint and hard to follow so route finding is necessary if you want to hike to the top of the ridge. Once on top of the ridge I found a nice place to eat lunch on a cliff with views of Miller Peak and the valley below. The weather was definitely colder as I was about 8000 feet in elevation with pines and two inches of snow in the shade. On my map an unofficial trail is shown to Ramsey Peak and the Crest however, I saw no evidence of this trail and I do not know whether it exists.

                           At the entrance of the Pomona Mine with the Tram cable in front

                             Mining Equipment

                    View of the Huachuca Mountains from my lunch spot

                                  Cliffs in the upper part of the Huachuca Mountains

Carrillo and Wild Horse Loop Saguaro National Park East December 15, 2013

                   The three hiking trails involved in the loop denoted by three different colors.

If you right click on each image and select "View Image." The image will come up in a different screen where you can see the full image. 

Location: The Douglas Spring Trail head is located at the end of Speedway BLVD in eastern Tucson. The Douglas Spring Trail gives hikers and backpackers the opportunity to hike into Manning Camp and other destinations deep in the Rincon Mountains. There are also many trails in the Cactus Forest which originate near this location as well. Consult a park map to plan a hike.

The Hike: Today I am connecting two trails in the Cactus Forest- The Carrillo Trail and Wildhorse Trails. This loop is approximately six miles with over 1500 feet of elevation gain. The first part of the hike is on the Douglas Spring Trail.  (For more information on this trail please consult my November 10, 2013 post). After 1.4 miles the Carrillo Trail exits on the right. The first quarter mile the trail is at the bottom of a wash and then it becomes extremely steep as it summits a small hill topping out at an elevation of 3500 feet. The views toward the Catalina Mountains and Rincon Mountains are stupendous at the point.  From here it descends to a junction with the Three Tank Trail. Stay on the Carrillo Trail until the Wild Horse Trail junction. Along the Carrillo Trail are magnificent Saguaros many with three or more arms. I returned by way of the Wild Horse Trail (black on my map). This trail is two miles long, easy to follow and gives great views of the surrounding mountains. My favorite part was the Bajada Wash area where I saw beautiful riparian desert vegetation and two Jack rabbits.


                      Sonoran Desert vegetation with the Catalinas in the background.

                           View from the summit of the Carrillo Trail


                              Dead Saguaro. I think they are majestic in a morbid way.



                                       Bajada Wash on the Wild Horse Trail

                              Saguaro with many arms.



                                                     Desert jack rabbit

Yetman Trail Tucson Mountain Park December 14, 2013

                    Golden Gate Peak in the Tucson Mountains

After lunch, I drove into the Tucson Mountains over Gates Pass to hike the Yetman Trail. The Yetman Trail is one of the longer trails in the Tucson Mountain Park at over five miles starting on Gates Pass Road and ending near the International Wildlife Museum on Speedway BLVD. I hiked for about three hours with total miles around 5.5.  This last week I have been suffering from a head cold so I did not want to over exert myself.  The hike was beautiful with lots of views of Golden Gate Mountain near Gates Pass and  surrounding desert vegetation. On this hike I saw more young Saguaros under nurse trees such as Palo verde or Creosote bush. Most people think Saguaros are hardy cacti but they can easily die during periods of cold temperatures and low rainfall. Saguaros are also a keystone species providing habitat and food for many species of wildlife.

Special Note: Bikers and hikers have created lots of unincorporated trails in the Tucson Mountains. Be sure to carry a topographic map so you do not get turned around.

                 Golden Gate Peak and Bushmaster Peak (to the right) in the background with desert vegetation   in foreground

                         Saguaro using a Palo verde as a nurse plant

                  Afternoon light on the Tucson Mountains

                     Looking east toward Saguaro National Park

Tuscon Mountain Park- Yetman and Golden Gate Trails December 8, 2013

               Looking toward Starr Pass

This last weekend my cousin Franak and I went on a hike at Gates Pass in the Tucson Mountains west of Tucson. I had never hiked at Gates Pass or Tucson Mountain Park so I was really looking forward to this hike. We drove west on Speedway BLVD passed the International Wildlife Museum and over Gates Pass to the Yetman Trail. The Yetman Trail is over six miles long and ends at Starr Pass. The first one mile is on a well established yet rocky trail. After one mile we followed the Golden Gate Trail toward Gates Pass. This trail was a lot steeper and rockier. The tricky part of the hike was dodging the many Teddy bear cholla balls on the trail. Cholla cacti have some of the nastiest thorns in the Sonoran Desert and will attach themselves onto skin or clothing. They also seem to jump onto clothing or skin (hence their alternate name Jumping cholla). I spent long parts of the hike watching for these balls so my dog Nevada would not step on them. Disaster almost happened once when he stepped on one but managed to kick it off. I was certainly relieved. Besides the scenery and hike I enjoyed reconnecting with my cousin. Growing up we never lived in the same town so I rarely saw her. Hopefully with both of us living in Tucson this will change.

Special Consideration: This area has many illegal trails created by visitors. As a result it is easy to get off the main trails. Pay attention at trail junctions and carry a good topographic map.

                                On the Golden Gate Trail hiking toward Gates Pass

                           Scenery in the Tucson Mountains with the Catalina Mountains in the distance