I had this hike scheduled at the January hiking club meeting. I wanted to hike this loop while the weather was still on the cool side. A few days ago the forecast called for cloudy skies and 76F. It turned out to be partially cloudy with a high of 81F. Still, this was better than last year's 88F and clear skies.
The Tortolitas once were popular with miners. Saguaros and Crested saguaros call these hills their home. Elevation ranges from 2700' to 4130' on the trails. I wanted to experience the Ridgeline trail, the newest trail in this range that connects with the popular Wild Burro trail.
No one had RSVPed me via email before starting time so I wasn't sure anyone was interested in this long hike. I got up early this morning, ate a small breakfast, fed the dogs and packed the van with recyclables. (I always take the recycables with me when I drive through Tucson because that city recycles everything and the drop-off bins are easily accessible 24 hours a day. I drop mine off on Park Avenue, less than a mile off I-10 and next to a police substation) I wasn't in the mood to hike this trail alone. Would I cancel the hike if no one showed up at the designated meetup?
As my luck would have it, SteveA and Pat S were waiting for me. I hadn't seen Pat since last summer. She had spent the last four months in Pennsylvania working a temporary job and returned last week. We chatted a bit, waiting ten minutes past our 7:30am departure date for a 4th person, Mel, but he was a no-show. We drove in two vehicles, since my van was packed with two excited dogs and two boxes of recycables. I gassed at for $1.99/gallon at the Pilot gas station off Craycoft Avenue and arrived at the Dove Mountain trail head parking lot at 9:20am. Pat and Steve were already waiting. We started our hike at 9:42am, starting with the Wild Burro trail along the wash, (.6m) then climbing up via the Alamo Springs trail (4.2m) to the Ridgeline trail (3.1m), the highest trail that offers spectacular views of the much higher Catalina Mountains and Mount Lemon. The rather level Ridgeline trail then joins the Wild Burro loop trail (1.7m and 2.4m) before joining the Wild Burro trail (5.4m) back to the trail head parking area.
The first six miles were the hardest for me. I hate climbing steps while ascending and the first 4.5 miles were all uphill on rock steps. I'd rather just have a level trail to hike up. Zeke seemed overtaken by the heat and was panting heavily when we got to the intersection with the Ridgeline trail. I contemplated turning around here, just before the half-way mark. I only had a gallon of water for the two dogs, with two more gallons in the van. I should have packed one more half gallon so that I didn't need to ration our water. I stopped at every shaded spot I could find once we hit the three-mile mark, just to keep Zeke from suffering and allowing him to dig in some cool soil. Both always drank heavily from their water.
Once we stopped for lunch at an overlook at the 5.7 mark, with a bench overlooking the canyon, the dogs and I seemed to do better. Steve and Pat sat on the bench, I sat in the shade with the dogs, where both dug up the dirt to stay cool. The high cirrus clouds now made their appearance and that hot midday sun was quickly diffused. I noticed both dogs immediately felt better in the diffused light, even me, and we took off energized. A refreshing cool breeze also helped. Most of the people we met on the trail were in the first six miles. I noted that some of the younger people, including two women with no visible water source on them, also lacked head gear. The Ridgeline trail is popular with mountain bikers, as they coast downhill on a well-smoothed trail downhill for 3.1 miles.
The Ridgeline trail lived up to its write-up. The views north and northeast and southeast were spectacular. We could see Tucson and Marana, Mount Wrightson, Picacho Peak, Baboquavari Peak, and the hills south of Tucson. Two of the park's Crested Saguaros are in this area, with one right off the trail. (Many more died in the 2011 killer freeze and their skeletons remain across the hillsides.) The level grade was easy on us, but the high sun made finding any shade difficult. The good news is that the descent was on the northwestern side of the hills and we had more shade now. This trail went past an old goat corral and a solar-powered water tank with trough, in which Zeke jumped in right away to cool off, even though the water looked stagnant. Sadie rested in the shade along the northern wall of the trough. In another 2.4 miles we were back on the Wild Burro Trail, familiar territory from last year's hike. I gave the dogs a long water break.
We were now in the lower elevations again as the sun set behind the peaks. We had to stop at the nine-mile mark when Pat stepped on some cholla thorns that went right through her boot sole. This required a minor extraction with tweezers by Steve. The dogs rested and waited. Shortly after we resumed our hike, we came across a stainless steel cross right off the trail, held up by a mound of rocks. "Molly, 1989-2012." Pat said that was a cross for a dog that had died on that spot, but I questioned the age. Dogs don't live to be 23 years old. (It turns out that Molly was Amalia Barber, a Purdue student visiting her family in Tucson for her birthday. A five-mile hike on a 93F day in May turned out to be a deadly mistake. She died of a heat stroke (heart attack). Lack of cellphone signal made getting help more difficult. The cross is a somber reminder to come prepared for a desert hike. Even I avoid hiking in 93F weather.
We were now perhaps the last people on the trails as the last two miles were in the cool shade of the wash. Zeke chased a few rabbits but Sadie stayed by my side. We got back to the parking lot with the last rays of sunlight. There were four other cars left.
We ate at Nana's Kitchen, the same Mexican diner we ate at last year after hiking this range. We arrived at 7:10pm, just before a mariachi band began. It was the last thing we wanted to hear! We were tired, hungry and wanted a quiet meal and not a loud, boisterous band blaring right in our ears. At least the dogs were able to nap in peace, sprawled out across the back of the van. They got their raw meat when I got home at 10pm. Both dogs slept soundly through the night.
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