Tanque Verde Ridge to Juniper Basin Saguaro National Park East February 28, 2015

                       Along Tanque Verde Ridge

Directions: Tanque Verde Ridge is a popular hike in Saguaro National Park East. If you are traveling from the University of Arizona take Speedway BLVD east and then turn onto Freeman Road, Admission to the park is $10 per visit but yearly passes are available,

The Hike: This trail is one of the most popular backpacking routes in Saguaro National Park. It is about 15 miles one way to Manning Camp which is at 8000 feet. Along the way hikers can camp at Juniper Basin. The hike also gives trekkers a chance to see many different ecological environments from cacti along the first part of the trail to Ponderosa pine stands at Manning Camp.

My cousin and I arrived at the trail head early in the morning around 7 am. We did not want to be rushed to reach our destination. The previous weeks trek up Mount Kimball was fun but Nathan and I started too late in the morning to truly enjoy the summit. Today we also wanted to make a tangible destination. Juniper Basin would be the logical choice at 6 miles down the trail. The first part of the hike the trail ascends to the ridge line. Here is the stereotypical Sonoran Desert environment with Saguaro Cacti, Prickly pear, Ocotillos, Palo verde among many more. At 5000 feet the Saguaros and cacti disappear and are replaced by high desert grasses such as Sotol and Bear grass. From here on views from the trail are spectacular to the east and west. This particular day was windy so my cousin and I rested in gullies away from the wind. Cloudy skies also made for a pleasant hike. This trail can be hot during the late spring and summer so bring plenty of water when you hike it. Juniper Basin campground is set in the upper part of a basin among Alligator juniper and Pinyon pine. There is a creek near the campground that has water most of the year. The trail the last mile to the campground can be hard to find because it skirts along rock. Keep an eye out for cairns along the trail which guide the way. The hike back to the car was uneventful. We did see spectacular lighting the last mile of the hike with sun highlighting Saguaros in the foreground and dark clouds in the back, Total mileage was around 12 miles with about 2000 feet of vertical gain. (Some information from Hiking Arizona's Cactus Country by Erik Molvar).

                   Juniper Basin

                         Near the turnoff for the campground

                            Picturesque dead tree

                             Great view along the trail with the grassy environment

                        Splendid lighting

                               Front lit cacti with a dark sky

Commemorative Air Force B-29 "Fifi" and other warbirds Tucson, Arizona February 20, 2015

                      Bomb bay of the B-29, could carry 20,000 pounds of bombs or one atomic weapon

History: The Commemorative Air Force (CAF), formerly known as the Confederate Air Force, began in Texas in 1958 with the goal of restoring and showing historical aircraft at airshows throughout the United States and Canada, Since then the CAF has restored over 150 aircraft and they have branches in other states. One of the bigger ones is at Mesa, Arizona, where 30 aircraft are based. During the summer the CAF takes some of their more popular restored aircraft on tour.

From the 19th to the 22nd of  February the CAF, displayed four World War II warbirds at the Tucson International Airport. The planes which came included the only flying B-29 "FIFI", B-25 "Maid in the Shade", C-45 "Bucket of Bolts," and a C-47. I was especially interested in seeing the inside of "FIFI" because Pima Air and Space does not open their aircraft up to visitors and I had never seen inside a B-29. Quintin and I  toured the aircraft on Friday. It costs $10 total which helps with maintenance and flying the planes. CAF volunteers told me it costs between $5000 to $8000 to fly the B-29 and $3,000 to $5,000 to fly the C-47. As a result every little bit helps to keep these planes in the air. The CAF also makes money off of plane rides. Prices vary on the B-29 from about $600 at the left and right blister (back of plane) to $1700 at the Bombardier's section at the very front of the aircraft. The C-45 is a little more affordable at $75 for a half hour. People will pay these prices because the B-29 and B-25 were very important in World War II. The B-29 fire-bombed Japanese cities and dropped the atomic weapons on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The B-25 became famous for the Doolittle raid on Japan. In April 1942 sixteen B-25s led by Jimmy Doolittle  took off from the USS Hornet. Their mission was to avenge the attack on Pearl Harbor. Each plane bombed their target but 15 crashed in China and one diverted to Russia. This attack raised the spirits of America.  It is good to know that groups such as the CAF work hard to keep this history alive. Some information from "B-25 Maid in the Shade Commemorative Air Force Airbase Arizona Aviation Museum"


                  Inside the cockpit of the B-29, the Bombardier's seat at the extreme front of the airplane with the location of the Norden Bombsite

                       Flight Engineer's controls; he maintained airspeed and kept the engines running.

                                     Close up of the Bombardier's section; Norden Bombsite provided calculations for the dropping of bombs.

                              Front of "FIFI"

                     C-45 with Qunitin in front

                        Inside the C-47; after World War II it became the Executive Aircraft for Hoover Vacuum Cleaner.

                               Quintin at one of the window

                         The front of the C-47;  this one saw action during World War II in Italy and Eastern Europe.

                         Quintin hugging one of the propellers on "FIFI"

                 Side of the B-29 looking at the left two engines

                 B-25 "Maid in the Shade" flying in

                 Front of B-25

      Inside the B-25; unlike the B-29 this was not pressurized.

                     Looking back inside the plane the right and left gunner's station

                                      Cockpit of the B-25

                              Me in front of the B-29

Mount Kimball Summit Hike Catalina Mountains February 21, 20015

                           GPS rendition of our route up Mount Kimball

Directions: From the University of Arizona take Campbell Road North toward the Catalina Mountains. After River Road Campbell become two-lanes with curves so watch your spped. At Sunrise  Drive turn to the right (east). Follow Sunrise until you see the turn-off for Skyline Drive. The Finger Rock Trail head is on Alvernon Drive left off of Skyline

My friend Nathan and I arrived at the trail head at 10;15 am. our objective was to summit Mount Kimball. With an elevation gain of over 4,200 feet in approximately 5 miles this is a challenging hike. The trail is also extremely rocky and narrow making adding to its difficulty. Last year I made it up to the saddle where there is a junction for the Ventana Canyon and Pima Canyon trails. At this point my hamstring was tightening and cramping so I made the decision to turn around and go back to the car. Ever since that day I had sought to summit the peak. Because of our late start Nathan and I had to keep moving in order to finish the hike before 530 pm. I got into my grinding pace churning out the miles. About three miles in Nathan and I met two girls who were working in Arizona on a temporary basis sadly they hiked faster than I did so I was not able to talk with them. At the saddle we took a break and moved on. The summit of Mt. Kimball is wooded but there are a few rock out crops that give hikers almost a 360 degree view. The view from the top (we hiked to a rock outcrop 400 feet above the presumed top of Mt. Kimball) was extraordinary with the Biosphere to the North-west and Picacho Peak to the west. Sadly because it was late in the day we could only stay on top for ten minutes  On the way back to the car my walking stick became useful to decrease the strain on my knees. I  also ate some salt to relieve my cramping hamstrings. Overall Nathan and I hiked about 11 miles with about 4500 feet of vertical change. The trail is easy to follow and minimal route finding skills are needed.

 Part way up Finger Rock Canyon


              Looking north near the top

                East from the outcrop on top

                      Me on top

                                                 Cool dead tree in the canyon

                            Looking up Finger Rock from near the bottom

Miller Canyon Huachuca, Mountains February 14, 2015

                             Cascade on Miller Creek

Miller Canyon is located south of Sierra Vista, Arizona, along State Route 92 near the Hereford Road Junction. Other popular canyons you will see on the way include Ramsey Canyon and Carr Canyon. Miller Canyon Road to the trail head is mostly dirt. It is passable to sedans in dry weather if visitors look out for potholes and wash boarding.. The parking lot accommodates 10 plus vehicles.

The Hike: Miller Canyon is one of the popular routes for hikers to climb Miller Peak. It is four miles to the Huachuca Crest Trail and another two miles to the summit. This trail is steep and gains elevation quickly. The first part of the hike the trail detours around private property before descending to Miller Creek. Here the trail is forested but the it can be hard to follow because it is washed out in places from a disastrously flood a couple of years ago. If hikers are observant a path can be followed by visitors. On the hike also look for a pipe descending along the creek. This brings water to Tombstone, Arizona, from the Miller Peak Wilderness. Last summer Tombstone officials won a prolonged fight over fixing this pipe and using mechanized equipment to accomplish the task. Last summer 2.5 miles in I almost stepped on a Mohave rattlesnake. When I reached this section of the trail I hiked through with trepidation even though the snake had long departed. Around the Huachuca Crest Trail I noticed patches of snow. It is always surprising to me how the mountain ranges get wetter and colder as you go south. I hiked a half mile to a mile toward the summit of Miller Peak on the Crest Trail before turning around because of threatening clouds. I didn't have my rain coat and knew rain would almost certainly lead to hypothermia. My wife and I left quickly from Tucson and the coat didn't make it into my pack.  I descended back into the canyon and decided to explore waterfalls along Miller Creek when the sun came out. While exploring I saw at least eight small waterfalls. I have included some of the pictures in this post. Total mileage was about nine miles with 2000 feet of vertical change.

                      Abandoned mine

                              View east from Huachuca Crest Trail

                  Patches of snow and pine trees. This part of Miller Peak burned so shade can be hard to find.

                             Cascade along Miller Creek

                              Waterfall

                               Scenery along the canyon walls

Little Bushmaster Peak Tucson Mountains February 7, 2015

                      A map created in ArcMap showing my route in red; an ESRI Basemap is used
       
Gates Pass is located in the Tucson Mountains on Gates Pass Road. To get to the main parking lot take Speedway BLVD away from Tucson to the west. Gates Pass Road is two-laned and drivers can be aggressive.

My objective for today was to hike until I reached a high point with views east and west. The summit I reached does not have a name but I called it Little Bushmaster Peak because it is on the same ridge as Bushmaster Peak. From Gates Pass there is an established trail that travels west descending out of the mountains. For this hike I will be on well-worn but un-established trails.I departed the parking lot and hiked passed the old CCC huts. These are great examples of stone work from the 30s sadly visitors have spray painted some of the walls and the inside floor has trash. From here I easily found a trail that ascended farther into the mountains and skirted most of the Devil's cholla that is brutal for hikers if you brush up against it. The unincorporated trail was easy to follow but there is one section that is steep with precarious footing. I also had to side step some cholla, Barrel cactus and Saguaro in this seection. At the top of this section,  the  trail switch backed some more before wrapping around the peak to the summit. This last section the trail is faint in spots and easy to miss. From the  top the top the view was extraordinary in all directions. The hike back was uneventful but I did get off this main trail onto an underused faint path which took me into a Devil cholla forest. At this point my hiking stick became useful in keeping me from brushing up against this nasty plant. During the Spring and Fall watch for rattlesnakes.

               Tucson Mountains scenery with chollas in the foreground

                  The steep and precarious section. The trail side-steps around the left side of the cholla

    Golden Gate Mountain on the right with Gates Pass Road far below

               Summit rocks with Golden Gate Mountain on the right and mountains in the background

                  The trail in the foreground with Golden Gate in the background

                Desert vegetation in the foreground with Kitt Peak in the background

                               On the slope of the mountain with the David Yetman Trailhead at the bottom

                               Dead Saguaro

Benchmark Mountain Tucson Mountains, Arizona February 6, 2015

                     Map showing my route in red with an ESRI Basemap in the background

Gates Pass is located to the west of Tucson in the Tucson Mountains. Take Speedway BLVD away from downtown. At the end of Speedway visitors will see the turnoff for Gates Pass Road.

Today I drove over Gates Pass and parked at the David Yetman Trailhead. The parking lot was full when I arrived and had to scramble to get a space when somebody left. The first half mile is on the David Yetman Trail which ends at Starr Pass. This trail is easy to follow and popular with visitors. At a small divide I departed the David Yetman and hiked the Golden Gate Trail which climbs on the side of the mountains and ends at Gates Pass. The scenery from this trail is very beautiful but hikers do need to watch for cholla polyps (or cholla bombs as they are affectionately called by hikers). The trail is also rocky so please watch your step.After a 1.5 or two miles about there is a small divide where hikers are rewarded with views toward Tucson. At this point I decided to summit Benchmark Mountain  I noticed a steep but hikeable trail leading up the slope of the mountain (cross-country hiking in the Tucson Mountains is not advisable because of all the cacti in the desert). After an initial steep pitch I noticed a nice well-maintained trail that wrapped around the peak to the summit, From the top I could see the Rincon Mountains and the Tucson basin to the north and Kitt Peak to the west. After eating some lunch I departed the peak to find some shade.

                      On the Golden Gate Trail looking toward the Old Tucson Studios and Kitt Peak

                                Sonoran Desert scenery

                Top of Benchmark Mountain looking toward Tucson

                               Right below the summit

                       Cool effect with the sun right behind the hill

                       Looks like the grass is lit from behind