Mount Lemmon loop

Mount Lemmon is a peak north of Tucson in the Catalina Mountains. It's home to the most southern ski resort in the country. The 9157' (2791m) peak is rather nondescript but since the 2005 Aspen fire has had a vista where there used to be a strand of Ponderosa. The Mount Lemmon area draws in a lot of people for recreational purposes, and if it weren't a two-hour drive to get to the peak, I'd go there more often. The views of the surrounding valleys are spectacular to the southwest through northwest.

I led the hike today. Expected weather for Mount Lemmon was 70F with a low of 36F. SteveS, SteveA, JohnS, Mac were my hiking partners. I brought Minnie but kept Sadie at home to give her more time to recover. Although she runs and fetches balls in our back yard, the last two hikes with her, she has been sluggish and slow. I had done this hike back in May 2010 with Sadie and wanted to see if the aspens that were regrowing since the 2005 fire had gotten any bigger since my last hike.

We got to the trailhead at 9:05am. There were a lot of people at this trailhead, including several dogs, two of which were also GSDs wanting a barking match with Minnie. This is the kind of environment where dogs must be leashed to avoid any conflicts whatsoever. Most people apparently just came to the Lemmon summit to look at the yellow aspens, as we saw no one on the trail going down. Minnie was on her leash for the first mile. then let her off so that she wouldn't pull me downhill. The trails are very rocky here.

The Mount Lemmon loop is a combination of several trails: The Mount Lemmon trail, the Lemmon Lookout Trail, the Wilderness of Rocks Trail, back up to the Mount Lemmon trail and Meadow trail. The last three miles are uphill and can be exhausting. There are many loose rocks and tree roots along the way; one must watch one's footing. There were three GPSs on this hike and all three had three different distances of within a .5 mile.

The trailhead to this hike starts to the left of a fenced-in power substation. The sign is partially hidden by a sign talking about the Mount Lemmon area. The trail isn't wide here, and the heavy traffic at 9am made for a very busy throughway. We stayed together as a group, hiking downhill. "Remember guys, it's uphill in the end!" That didn't stop our high spirits as we first stopped at the Lemmon look-out tower to see the peaks and the southern valley before continuing on downhill. New tree growth wasn't very obvious as this section was heavily burned in the Aspen fire of 2005. There was still a heavy ash layer on the trail when I did this hike in May 2010. Most of that has blown away or mixed in with the trail. What was once a lush hike is now mostly exposed and hot. The dead trees provide perching opportunities for raptors, and we saw a red-tailed hawk fly overhead and land on a high tree branch. We came across water near the base of this trail as a creek flows into Lemmon creek nearby. This was Minnie's first water break.

This was the first time SteveS, John and Mac had done this hike. They were very cooperative. They also talked me into going to the Lemmon pools, a hidden water hole popular with the locals who know how to get there. This side hike added almost two more miles to the grand total. I didn't mind, as long as we all got back in daylight. It was on my way to the pools that I torqued my right knee, and that knee pained me the rest of the hike whenever I landed on an uneven surface. Wearing Kayland boots more suitable for alpine trails also didn't help much, as the boots are stiff and over-the-ankle.

We got to the pools at 10:40am. SteveA and I sat on a sunny rock while Minnie went into the cold water right away. She also wanted to fetch sticks and I did so reluctantly, but then two more women came and joined us and I didn't want their clothes nearby to get wet with Minnie's post-swim shake downs. We had our first snack at the pools. We stayed here for almost an hour.

From the pools we continued on the Wilderness of Rocks trail as it meandered up and around hills. This two-mile stretch is the most level section of the hike as it passes hoodoos and other interesting rock formations. Rappel Rock, a popular rock climbing wall, is visible along most of this section as its walls glisten in the sun.

John and SteveS were up front. I took the middle, making sure Mac and SteveA, who slowed down for Mac, was always within eye sight. Mac was steady but slow as we began our big ascent back up the Mount Lemmon trail at 1:45pm. Would we make it back to the cars by 4pm?

We were now on the western ridgeline with views into the valley. Cathedral rock was prominent, and the distant Mt Wrightson range as well. We could also see Picacho Peak and Oro Valley. The winds were picking up, so despite the exposed sections, this was a cool hike in many ways.

My right knee was slowing me down. I could feel every uneven step I took. My backpack also felt very heavy, as I had brought two gallons of water for Minnie and me, even though there were several creek stops along the Wilderness of Rocks trail (more than last time) so that the only dry part for her were the last three-four miles. The grade along this section started out moderate, but in the second mile we climbed up a long, steep section just before reaching the intersection with the Sutherland trail. The 2005 Aspen fire reached this area, but there were still small sections of mature Ponderosa pines that provided shade.

SteveS and John were long ahead of us and I stopped every few minutes to make sure I had Mac and SteveA in sight. I waited at the Sutherland intersection until they crested the trail, but continued on here as it was getting too cold to sit and wait. Mac was tired by now, but the last 1.5 miles were in sight, and the radio towers of Mt Lemmon were within reach.

The busiest part of the section was this last mile. The sun was getting low and urbanites were coming to the peak to see the sun set. Most groups we passed weren't dressed or equipped for anything more than a jaunt to the vistas. Minnie was back on leash for the final ascent. I got back to the parking lot at 4:50pm; SteveS and John had gotten there by 4:05pm. They made impressive time.

Mac and SteveA arrived by 5:20pm. Again the parking lot was filling up with people wanting to see the sun set. We just wanted to get off the mountain and out of the cold! There were some pretty colors around vistas as we drove the 26 miles back into Tucson, finishing off the day with dinner at Buddy's Bar and Grill on Houghton Avenue. Minnie slept in the truck and was quite content getting a break. What a trooper she is.

Everyone in the hiking group agreed this was a challenging and beautiful hike. I'm glad I had such good company.