The last time I hiked the Tortolitas, I did it on a cool, overcast day in January three years ago. Since we were forecasted to have a cool, wet winter thanks to El Nino, I figured it was safe to schedule this high desert hike in early March. Earlier this week Marana was predicted to have a high of 88F. The forecasters were right. A light breeze and midday clouds saved the day.
Four people showed up at Fry's in Sierra Vista for the two-hour carpool to the trailhead at the Ritz Carlton hotel. SteveA and SteveS, Rod and Patty met there. A fifth, Mike, met us at the trail head since he was already staying with a friend in Marana. I took Sadie along, knowing she handles the heat better than Zeke. She knew I was going hiking and pushed herself out the door as I packed the truck. To avoid any dog chaos, I just opted to take her instead. It was a wise decision. We all arrived at 9:20am at the trail head; by 9:30am we were on the trail. It was warm but tolerable. The sky was clear, which concerned me. I worried that I didn't have enough water for Sadie.
Hikers are allowed to park at the Wild Burro trail head for free to hike any of the trails in the surrounding hills. The dirt parking lot is large enough for at least 50 cars and a few horse trailers. Only the hotel itself, and its expansive buildings, is available to paying guests, where a basic 450-square foot room with two kingsized beds start at $559 a night.
The trails are well-marked and color-coded. Maps are available at the trailhead parking lot, where all trails begin off the Wild Burro trail. Most hotel guests just hike up and around Dove mountain outside the resort to see a view of the valley, then loop back to their rooms. We saw hikers returning as we began, surely taking advantage of the early morning coolness. By the time we made it to the ridge at 11am, the sky was already hazy. We could see the Huachucas from our vantage point.
We started walking the wash north, then turned left and started climbing on the Upper Javelina trail before reaching the ridge on the Wild Mustang trail. The area had not gotten any rain since January, so flowers were not vibrant, hoWever, the desert native shrubs were blooming and a faint aroma of sage permeated our walk. Pink penstemons were also in bloom. Neither the many saguaros or other cacti were in bloom.
The first two miles were an uphill, mostly exposed trail before the trail leveled off at around 4100' and continued on with low ups and downs in elevation. Rod, Patty and SteveS enjoyed the views and stopped to read any informational signs along the way. Sadie was now seeking comfort in any shade she could find, mostly under mesquite trees that were too dense for humans to crawl under. I stopped every mile to water her. She quietly followed me, never leaving me far behind. I could tell the heat was bothering her, and paced myself to her ability. When she sat in the shade of boulders, I let her rest for a while.
I really like the Tortolita hills. They are a prime example of Sonoran desert without having to drive to the more congested Superstition mountains in Sun Valley. The area is studded with saguaros, chollas, agave and various low-growing cacti. But they are best enjoyed in cooler temperatures due to the lack of major shade. Not too many people were on the trail by the time we continued north on the ridgeline. At one point the trail dipped into a small, dry drainage and when we continyed back uphill, was overcome with heat and had to rest for ten minutes. This is what I dreaded, being overcome by heat and being too far from the trail head to turn around. But we trekked on. SteveS and Mike were now upfront and waited for the rest of the group at the first intersection, one leading to the Wild Burro water tank, the other to the falls. The falls, actually the Alamo Springs, was our designated lunch spot where I was finally able to feed Sadie the raw 1.45 pound of beef shank steak as we sat in the shade of a rock wall as others found other spots to eat.
It was now past 1pm and we finally had some food. I was more thirsty than hungry and tired from the heat. My lunch was a plain wheat bread Swiss cheese sandwich, one I had for breakfast at 6:30am. Cool, dense clouds were now overhead and the drop in temperature noticable. Was this the predicted cold front due in tomorrow? We all became lively again and thought about continiuing on via the Alamo Springs trail, two miles longer than the Wild Burro trail (the wash) back to the parking lot. As soon as we got back on the Wild Burro trail, though, the clouds disappeared and the sky clear again. We were glad we opted for the shorter trail back.
I had not hiked the Wild Burro trail to the springs last time, but this is a nice trail hiking downhill. It passes a scenic canyon overlook before dipping back down in the wash and a rock ruin 1.6 miles from the Ritz Carlton hotel. But by that last nile we were back in the warmth of the sandy, dry wash. As we got to the trail head sign, a thermometer along the post did indeed register 88F in the shade. We were all glad to finally make it back to the parking lot at 3pm. We all rested there to drink up before taking Mike's advice and stopping for a post-hike meal at a Mexican restaurant in Marana, "Nana's Kitchen" where I gulped three large glasses of iced tea with my finely-spiced chicken burrito. The place was quiet and we got service fast. We lucked out with finding two shaded parking spots right out front. Sadie rested thus in peace in the open-window truck in the cool shade and napped. We stayed inside, slowly cooling down with the restaurant's mild and cool air, chatting wildly about GOP candidate and goofy-haired businessman Donald Trump. All the people at the table were Independents or Republicans, yet no one had a kind word to say about Trump. "The GOP party is broken, and Trump is going to destroy it," said SteveA. Kansas, Louisiana, Maine and Kentucky had their primaries or caucuses today and Trump and Senator Ted Cruz from Texas, Trump's biggest rival in the GOP race, each won two states.
I finally got home at 7pm, making this a 12-hour day. I'd love to go back to the Tortolitas, but only after a cooling rain and overcast skies. We lucked out that we had some clouds mid day and that no one, including Sadie, suffered from heat exhaustion. SteveS got some sunburn on his neck.
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