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.
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