Hugh Norris Trail to Wasson Peak

We made it to the Hugh Norris Trailhead about 7:15 a.m.   The sun was hidden on the other side of the Tucson mountains, but there was enough light to get going. Alltrails suggests that this trail is 9.2 miles with a 2404' elevation gain; however, we made it a little harder than it needed to be 

This trail was recommended to us by a couple that we met while completing the Finger Rock Trail on Mount Lemmon.  It was an excellent recommendation. This trail starts by climbing up well-maintained switchbacks and then along a ridge that climbs and climbs and climbs.

 

For the first hour, we were in the pleasant shade while still being able to see the sunrise off in the distance.  As we climbed higher, conditions became quite windy.  Also, we eventually began seeing wildflowers.  

 

We kept seeing higher and higher peaks as we climbed.  Usually the trail wound around the peaks, but we were left to wonder what might actually be the final peak.  There were a lot of false summits.  Eventually, we made it to the top. There were no higher peaks.

On the way down, I inadvertently got off on our trail toward a different trailhead.  Julia was not a happy hiker.  I tried to tell her that it was an opportunity to explore the Sendero Esperanza Trail (which we were accidentally on), but she was not amused.  We had to backtrack (all uphill) and wound up hiking 11.3 miles with an elevation gain of 2818 feet.  Her mood mostly recovered by the time we reached the car.  A late lunch at our favorite Greek restaurant and a pint of IPA brought her mood back.

Visitor Season

Visitor Season has commenced.  My mother spent a week here in Oro Valley during mid-January.  For 86-years-old, she is doing amazing.  We took her to the Sonoran Desert Museum, Tohono Chul, Whitewater Draw, and Bisbee.  We also fed her more Sonoran Mexican food than she has probably had in her lifetime.  Except for one day of rain on the way back to the airport, we had great weather for her visit.  And no, my Mom is not slamming margaritas, but Julia thought it was quite funny to place a large margarita in front of my non-drinking mother.  Well, it was kinda funny.

We have a couple of weeks without visitors, and then Julia's brother and sister arrive separately in the next wave.  We've been busy during the lull, but I'll save that for another blog post.

Maiden Pools via Ventana Trail

 It's a drizzly, cool, and cloudy day in Tucson.  Starting temperature was 46 degrees.

Julia and I got up at 5:30 a.m. this morning, had a quick coffee and were to the trailhead by 7 a.m.  It was still pretty dark as we left the parking lot behind the Ventana Canyon Resort.  The first mile took us past the rich people's estates.  The trail was a narrow corridor with barb wire fence warning of the consequences of trespassing, but soon we began winding up through the canyon.

The trail passed back and forth across a dry wash. Huge saguaros rose up along both sides of the trail with closer prickly pair and pencil cactus leaning in to catch our clothing if we weren't careful.  

After the first mile, we rose high enough to catch nice views of Tucson below.

Until today, there hasn't been much rain here lately, so the first"pools" were small and algae-covered.  The Maiden Pools are actually an underground stream which rise to the surface in several locations on this trail.  After the first mile or two, the trail climbed steeply via sharp switchbacks, and the terrain changed to tall grasses and shrubs, leaving most of the cacti below.  The pool below was the largest of the ones that we saw.

By the time we reached this pool, the sprinkles had started.  We hung out above the pools for a few minutes to eat our snacks.

Then the drizzle picked up, which had two effects for the rocky trail.  The water brought out beautiful colors in the rocks, especially deep red, which Julia mistakenly took as blood or ketchup at first glance.  Second, the bare rock became slippery as pig snot, which resulted in a very slow walk back to the trailhead in the rain.

No blood was spilled on the way down, and we made it to the truck.  Total distance was 5.6 miles.  Elevation gain of 1335 ft.  And a leisurely 3 hours and 20 minutes for a hike that turned wet and cool. We rewarded ourselves with a late breakfast at Victoria's Cocina Mexicana on the way home.  A little pricey but so good.

Happy Medicare Day!

Pima Canyon

 Happy New Year!

We are in the midst of chaos with Allie and her four friends taking up residence for a week in our downsized home.  All of the bedrooms and bathrooms are full, and there's a young woman sleeping on the couch in the living room also.  They've been having a good time.  Yesterday was a trip to Saguaro West and to the Desert Museum.  Today, they are off on a trail at Sabino Canyon.  

New Year's Eve

Whew, Medicare is here!  I really hated the high-deducible Obamacare plan last year, which wasn't really health insurance.  It was catastrophic health event insurance with a $7500 deductible for each of us.  This year, we will pay a little more, but with a lot more actual health benefits, including some basic gym memberships that come with our supplement plan.  

Tomorrow, I'm supposed to have a Leer Truck topper installed.  I hope to take advantage of that to do some camping in more remote regions than I could with the now-sold Scamp.  Still deciding on how basic I want the build-out to be.  I can always start out with the lazy way (cot and gear) and add as I go.