My unexpected hike back in Tucson was a pleasant weekend surprise. Spending the night in Casa Grande, I got the trailhead about an hour after I preferred. It was a little bit busy on the lower sections, but again, no one really out after a while. The conditions were perfect for this, and I made a pretty good hike time to the summit at right on 3 hours. Finger Rock is much steeper than Pima Canyon, that is certain.

I am glad I was able to hike this so soon after having hiked Ventana and Pima Canyons. Initially, I found this to be a lot steeper than Pima (it is) and Pima to be much, much nicer as a result. The riparian areas of the lower Pima sections are nice, and the shady sections of trail in the late day are very pleasant, too. My knee was bothering me and I started going slower. I found I enjoyed the hike more while going slower and it wasn't like I had a reason to be back by any time. I started taking breaks to enjoy the conditions of the day. There is something really nice about hikes like this. Wildlife certainly wasn't lacking, either. Not just an angry rattle snake or the usual compliment of cliff swallows, or both the canyon and cactus wrens, or the regular compliment of quail I flushed out of the mesquite, but also the half dozen javelina I spotted grazing on the other side of the canyon near the mouth. Frankly, the hike ended even better than I could have fathomed, and that is impressive given my already high expectations.