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| Hiking | 5.61 Miles |
1,200 AEG |
| | Hiking | 5.61 Miles | 4 Hrs 51 Mns | | 1.29 mph |
| 1,200 ft AEG | 30 Mns Break | 8 LBS Pack | | |
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| partners | | Earlier this week Randy (RWStorm) issued me a challenge to come down to Tucson and go for a scenic hike in the Huachuca Mountains with him. With all the heat in the Valley, I needed a break and a hike above the 7,000 foot level sounded just about right. I drove to Tucson and met up with Randy, switched vehicles and off we went.
Randy drove to Ramsey Canyon Preserve, a nature conservancy nestled in a narrow canyon a short distance from Huschuca City. Entry to the Preserve is through the main building where they collect a $6.00 fee per person which is used to fund the operation. The Preserve is famous for it's abundant wildlife that inhabits the lush narrow canyons. However, on this particular day, we didn't see any of the thousands of Hummers and only a few of the hundreds of bird species and only a couple of the thousands of Butterfly's (can I get my $6.00 back?)
As we walked down the trail we were soon surprised by a couple of deer that crossed the trail only a few feet in front of us, stopped briefly, then continued on their way. We were both so stunned that neither of us managed to get our cameras out and snap a shot before they nonchalantly walked off into the dense brush (OK maybe you can keep the $6.00 after all).
The trail continues on past some early 1900's cabins that are slowly decaying back into oblivion. The cabins were build by miners who sought the cool narrow canyon and the convenience of nearby running water in Ramsey Creek. A toll road was build that connected the housing area with the remote mining area a couple of miles further up the canyon.
The trail system through the Conservancy is fairly short and soon you find the start of the Hamburg Trail which, after a short distance, leaves the Preserve and continues up to a scenic overlook where you can view some of the nearby peaks and the canyon below. From the overlook, we could hear the sounds of falling water down below us so we continued on down the well shaded trail until we were again at the creek.
The trail was once the toll road although it presently has large trees growing in it, at one time it was the main conduit for the heavy mining equipment that had to be brought up to the mining area.
Randy and I were in no hurry and paused often to get photos of the amazingly huge Sycamores surrounded by lush creekside foliage. We may have missed the sounds of birds but that was replaced by the relaxing sounds of flowing water. We continued up the trail, but we noticed that we were running low on time (Randy had lots of other stuff to show me) so we turned around before we reached the mines.
Back at Randy's car, we drove on over to Carr Canyon Road that contains a dizzying number of hairpin switchbacks and presents you with amazing views of the distant mountain ranges and peaks (And Randy knows the names of all of em). A Helium filled blimp floated above us that contains a radar system that is on the lookout for airborne drug smugglers. It's a kinda cool leftover from another era and is being replaced by drones looking for illegal entrants and drug smugglers who are known to frequent the area.
We reached the top of the mountain where Randy showed me his favorite camping spot where he has set out numerous times on those hikes that are published within these same pages. Then it was back down off the mountain, and a scenic return trip to Tucson where we had a satisfying Mexican style dinner and a couple of cold beers to top everything off.
We had lots of fun on this day, it's unfortunate that we ran so short on time as Randy had a full itinerary of interesting stuff to show me. Thanks for the break from the hot weather Randy, I hope we get the opportunity to resume where we left off. |
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Wildflowers Observation Moderate
Numerous clumps of colorful flowers could be found close to the water and alongside the roads. |
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Ramsey Canyon |
Medium flow |
Medium flow |
| | | Lots of clear water that's surprisingly cold. | | _____________________
| On every trip into the Superstitions, I find another Gold Mine. Today the mine was filled with Memories. I can not wait for the next trip. |
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