"Connie, get up!"
Those were the words that finally made me get up at 5:40am. I led this hike in the Catalinas, a slightly different route than the route I did two weeks ago. I changed the hike from a strenuous hike to a moderate hike over more level terrain, more shade trees and water for the dogs. It was going to be a record high in Tucson today and I needed a cool hike. This one fit the bill.
Kevin, however, opted out due to the heat. Apparently he wanted to enjoy it fullstrength in the valley instead, where temps in our town reached 99F.
Distance: 6.5 miles
Elevation 7200'-8000'
Out-and-back
I met the hiking group in Benson. Today newbies Cyndi and Jeff, along with their older chocolate Labrador Angel, joined us. They had recently moved here from San Diego and wanted to start hiking again. They did better than expected and I think they felt that way, too.
A bank marquee flashed 82F as we drove by it at 9am on Houghton Road in East Tuscon. The high temperature reached 104F.
We were all expecting a hard time finding parking spots at the trail head and indeed we got the last few as we arrived shortly before 10am. Where was everyone? The picnic tables were still void of human life so perhaps people were already on the trails enjoying some high-elevation relief. We got to the parking lot just in time!
We took the Marshall Gulch Trail that began near a set of bathrooms. This trail took a gradual incline up to the Marshall Gulch Saddle as it meandered along a shallow and rocky stream, around pines,firs and aspens. Most of this trail was salvaged from that deadly 2003 fire that left so many of the more higher-elevation trees dead and brittle. A singing group of young women were at the saddle and a few isolated couples were along the trail (most probably did the Aspen-Gulch loop) and once we got away from the crowds, we took the dogs off-leash. Sadie stayed right by my side the entire time.
Neither Sadie nor Angel fought with each other, or showed aggression to either. They acted like litter mates. The only time I saw Sadie snap at Angel was when Angel got too close to my backpack (which contained her beloved chicken jerky treats). Angel snapped at Sadie when Angel thought Sadie was going to steal her stick which Angel had just fetched from a watering hole.
We rested a lot and allowed the dogs ample time to cool off in the water. Angel, naturally was drawn to the water and would dive in, while Sadie only got her paws wet and remained at the water line.
At the saddle we resumed our hike on the Wilderness of Rock trail. This is where I was glad I had reconnoitered this two weeks ago, as I told the group we would walk another mile or so to the last viable watering hole, rest there, and return the way we came. This turned out to be ideal. According to Rod, we hiked 6.5 miles. The group, however, mocked my alleged statement that the turn-around point was "Just around the bend!" There were many "bends" in this hike.
At times the pace was slow, but the hotter it got the more I enjoyed the cool mountain breezes as we sat in the shade. We took almost an hour (!) for lunch, plus a few more stops for the dogs to cool off in the water, and to chat. Rod took off on his own to explore "Balanced Rock" while we remained at the creek. We all hiked back to the parking lot and due to personal plans, went our separate ways at 3:30pm.
Now the picnic areas were flocking with people cooking meals, kids running around and dogs chasing after them. Most Tucsonans most likely went to hike Sabino canyon as it's easier to get to. Summerhaven, the resort mountain town that has been rebuilt since the fire, was active with life but I didn't stop.
I didn't want to get back down into the hot valley so quickly. Instead I stopped at every pull-over to photograph the vistas. There's Thimble Rock, Molino Canyon, Hoodoo Canyon and all kinds of geological formations to admire along the way. When I hit the 5000' I felt the last of the cool breezes; when I got back down to 4000' it felt hot again.
I shopped at Trader Joe's when I got to Speedway Boulevard, perhaps my one staple shopping area in town. I had a late meal at Chuy's and again shared my chicken leftovers with Sadie who had to put up with waiting for me in a still-warm truck despite the windows all open.
There is no hike scheduled for next weekend and I'm having trouble coming up with a "cool" hike nearby. I'd love to visit the Chiricahuas but the fire that's still burning there may make breathing uncomfortable.
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