Safe Backpacking in the Santa Ritas?

[Tashedelek]

I haven't hiked or backpacked in the Santa Ritas, including Mt. Wrightson, since about 2009 when reports started appearing about drug mules and illegal immigrants using the Wrightson trails (among others in the area). Since I generally prefer to hike and backpack alone I'm concerned for my safety in areas reporting drug mule activity. I'm now thinking about doing an overnight loop around Mt. Wrightson but the prospect of running into a caravan of illegals or drug runners makes me hesitant. So I'm looking for feedback and information about the safety of the Santa Ritas and of Mt. Wrightson in particular, especially for a solo hiker/backpacker. Has the area improved recently, or is it still "busy"? What about leaving a vehicle overnight in the Madera Canyon parking lot?

Please don't lecture me about solo trips: I've done them my entire adult life, including extended winter trips in the northern Canadian Rockies. And please don't advise me to carry a gun: I won't.

Thanks...

[Sarae]

I heard the other day from my Border Patrol friend that there is still a lot of activity in the Ritas.

[sirena]

I think you are less likely to run into "traffic" if you camp at Baldy Saddle or somewhere along the Crest.

[kingsnake]

One thing that might help, is not to use light at dark, as even a flashlight can been seen from miles away in the desert at night. So, no flashlight, cigarette, campfire, etc. At least not out in the open. If you have to use a light, do it in your tent, a cave, or some sort of hollow. If you see sign of heavy human activity, use an alternate trail. If you have to use that trail, camp well off the trail at night. (Preferably in a spot that has few access points, and those it does have are easily observable from your site.) Not just from a "green perspective", but a survival one, leave no trace.

Also, make sure you leave a plan behind, not just with your route, but with when you plan to hit major points along that route.

If it become necessary to escape & evade, have a small & light survival pack you can grab & go, leaving behind the heavy stuff that might slow you down.

That's what I can think of off hand ...

[Jeffshadows]

I wouldn't give it a second thought. That area is positively CRAWLING with Border Patrol. Unless you are looking for trouble, it's unlikely to find you down there. The only area you might want to avoid is the eastern edges near Florida or Sawmill. Every time I hike those trails, I encounter UAs or their leavings; again, I've never had an issue.

[Tashedelek]

Thanks for everyone's replies!

What got me thinking about the Santa Rita/Wrightson area again was this photoset: http://hikearizona.com/photoset.php?ID=16471. I thought it would be great to do that loop (since I hadn't done all of it in the past), esp while the flowers are still out. I was thinking in terms of camping somewhere along the Crest trail, as Sirena suggested, but I didn't know exactly where since I don't know that trail.

[rwstorm]

Much ado about nothing.

[SkyIslandHiker]

I hike in the Santa Ritas via Madera Canyon a lot (in fact, just hiked Mt. Wrightson this morning) and illegal activity has definitely cooled down over the past year. Even back during peak activity there was never any evidence (discarded trash, clothing) of illegals above Josephine Saddle. Even at lower elevations you're more likely to encounter a bear than an illegal these days. As Sirena suggested, if you camp at Baldy Saddle or along the Crest Trail you won't have any concerns. I would not hesitiate to park my car there overnight as I don't recall ever seeing any broken safety glass on the ground at the Roundup parking lot.

BTW, the goldeneye flower show is beginning to fade and the late blooms might last another week. There were considerable less flowers today than a week ago.

Bill

[RickVincent]

Pathetic that we even have to doubt our own security within our own borders, and sad that this question even needed to be asked. "Stay in the peaks", "hide in the dark", "be careful where you park your car"....Is this really what it has come to in Southern Arizona. How tough are we as a country if we can't even protect our citizens in the homeland? Time to get rid of more dead weight in 2012. Let the firings begin.

[RedRoxx44]

I guess I might apologize in advance if I offend anyone----you and you alone are responsible for how paranoid you allow others to make you feel. I have hiked, jeeped, backpacked solo in the border areas of Cali and Az for more than a few years. Never carried a gun although I have one and would not profess to tell anyone to do so or not.
I have seen more that a few illegals. Minded my own business and so did they.

I would hope I used common sense rather than fear to stage my camping places. I drove the El Camino before any semi permanent border patrol presence and hiked along it too. Walked along the old wire fence at Jacumba, Ca, long before the serious fence now.

See what you want to see and have a good time doing it, do not let anyone tell you how to do it. Be intelligent in your information gathering---but don't be fearful down here. I'm not. ;)

[rwstorm]

Walked along the old wire fence at Jacumba, Ca, long before the serious fence now.

I love it around Jacumba!

[writelots]

I'm just a wee lassie (well, maybe not so wee) and I've camped up there solo more than a couple of times over the last year or two. Those narcotraficantes do NOT want a run in with a hiker - it would really ruin one of their choicest routes. Just keep your wits about you and don't do anything stupid.

[kevinweitzel75]

When hiking the trail, just yell out every few minutes, "La Migra!" That should take care of any problems with unwanted guests. Kind of like bear bells.

[Jeffshadows]

I meant to ask the last group I saw for recipes!

[writelots]

If you show them your prescription for medicinal weed, are they required to dispense on the spot? ;)

[Jeffshadows]

If you show them your prescription for medicinal weed, are they required to dispense on the spot? ;)

[Thoreau]

Something to consider... In general (there are always exceptions to any 'rule' or generalization) IA's are going to be found at lower elevations and on the easiest of paths. When your only goal is to get from A to B without dying, you don't stop for sightseeing or try to bag peaks along the way. Obviously, IA's are going to usually be the least concern to a hiker.

On the opposite end of the spectrum are the mules and spotters. They will galdly go the extra mile (no pun intended) and take higher ground for spotting operations, and some of the higher paths/routes for the movement of drugs.

Either way, while I personally would NOT go into known drug smuggling routes without being quite well armed, both of the above groups will usually want nothing to do with hikers or any other persons they might encounter. Wether you're a hiker, border patrol, or a competing cartel looking to steal the drugs, they want nothing to do with you. Again, this is a generalization, and applies best in larger groups vs. hiking solo, but I wouldn't necessarily call that a deal breaker for everyone.

The advice already given to ensure you leave a detailer itinerary with someone you trust is probably the best you can plan for given the restrictions you have outlined. Perhaps adding a SPOT messenger isn't a bad idea either, even adding BP or other local law enforcement to the notification roster for the emergency button.

The only other thing I'd advise is to take extra water. I personally put forth a good bit of effort to thwart IA and drug activity when I can, but at the same time I would never knowingly stand by while someone is dying of dehydration out there. A simple bottle of water is truly a life-saving item out there. Let them drink up while getting BP to come scoop them up =)

[Jeffshadows]

They won't come for them. I have a friend who insists on reporting (and documenting) every single UDA he sees and BP has shown up a grand total of once. The one time they did come was when he found a gal on the road between Madera and 83. They won't dismount their little rolling offices and go up trail unless they are in platoon strength, and probably not even then. Their job seems like an excuse for people so inclined to get away with off-roading where they're not supposed to on our dime.

[Thoreau]

Your friend simply doesn't know the right people to call. I guarantee you they DO come for IA's, frequently =) lol @ the off roading thing tho. They sure do get to do a lot of things that us mere mortals would be in jail for don't they?

[Tashedelek]

Some background on why I asked my question in the first place: I have a botanist friend who did field studies on the east side of the Santa Ritas, so he was in the area quite a bit and extremely familiar with it. In 2006 he decided that it wasn't worth the effort or the risk of continuing his work in the area after he'd had at least a couple of close enounters with armed coyotes or drug mules. He advised me to be very careful in the Santa Ritas, but I figured he might have had a higher chance of encountering trouble because of the amount of time he spent there. (By the way, my botanist friend does extensive work in northern Mexico, is fluent in Spanish, and has had face-to-gun barrel encounters in Mexico when he wandered into places he shouldn't have been. So he's not a wimp-- he's had the muzzle of a Glock pushed against his forehead.) What finally convinced me to avoid the Santa Ritas were accounts such as the following: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TucsonHikers/message/2445.