Molino Basin Trail

Oh my, was I feeling weak in the morning!  I was up just before the 7am Reveille.  I had some left-over pizza  while in the car, and then drove to the Molino Basin trailhead , a 35-minute drive. Traffic was light due to the holiday. Weather was forecasted to be breezy and cloudy, but the clouds didn't form until the early afternoon.

I was one of the first cars in the parking lot, but other hikers and mountain bikers quickly followed.  It took me another 45 minutes before I got started, though. The trailhead to the Molino trail isn't well marked at all (the trail begins just past the dip in the road as one enters the campground), so I decided to try the Bellota trail.  The Bellota trail is also part of the Arizona trail and travels Southeast, up over a saddle and then down into a valley.  I made it to the saddle, enjoyed the views of Mica Moutain and Agua Caliente Hill, and then turned around.  I could see the Molino trail from the saddle two miles away.  Had I stayed on the Bellpta trail, I would have had to climb back up over the saddle.

It took me two miles to feel energized.  I had hiked 2.2 miles before even starting on the gentle Molino Basin trail.  This trail, I discovered, is popular with mountain bikers speeding downhill from the north.

A late October fire has burned the south side of this section.  This fire started from a tossed cigarette off the Catalina Highway.  Burned agave and sotol dot the hillside, but luckily damage was restricted.  Water was still flowing in the creek and I encouraged Zeke to drink at every possibility.

A half mile north of the campground one can see a Chevolet Malibu that had rolled off the highway and landed in a narrow ditch.  The car is upright but totalled.  Wonder what the story behind this car is!

I continued the hike on the Soldier Trail a half-mile from the end of the Molino Basin trail, finishing the hike at a vista overlook of Tuscon.  I could hear canyoneers below along the creek, but Zeke and I rested in the shade of an oak.  I had my tangerines, he had his chicken jerky.  The hikes this weekend have tired both Zeke and me.  The return hike was quick in comparison.

Clouds were finally overhead as I headed back home.

I hiked 7.5 miles when I got back to the Honda.  This concluded my long weekend hiking adventure.  Now it was time to head back home and get ready for another workweek.