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| Hiking | 5.40 Miles |
1,957 AEG |
| | Hiking | 5.40 Miles | 8 Hrs | | 0.90 mph |
| 1,957 ft AEG | 2 Hrs Break | | | |
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| no partners | | | I've thought about doing this hike for the last 5 years and finally did it today! From the description, the words "extreme bushwhack" and "blood-letting catclaw" extended my procrastination. Actually, the bushwhack wasn't bad at all. The canyon had a lot of brush at the very end, close to the Pima canyon trail, which we had to find ways around and it wasn't too bad. It is best to stay North of the canyon for the first 1/10 mile or so, then drop into the canyon when it's not so full of bushes. When the canyon starts angling upward, there's more rock and less brush. Near the saddle, my friend Brian and I found some well beaten trails, probably animal trails which made navigating a bit easier. From the saddle to the peak took us about 20-25 minutes. The first part of the climb from the saddle is steep and there are some areas where you'll need to take your time and get good hard grips. After the initial 10 minutes of climbing, the rest is pretty straight-forward. From the peak it was possible to see some people standing on top of Pusch Peak, which is the highest peak to the Southwest. We didn't see any deer or sheep and we're starting to wonder if these sheep even exist in the Catalinas! ;-). Views were great all around and it's possible to see most of Oro Valley down below. According to the log, we only saw 10-12 entries over the last 5 years. Amy, my new friend, I found your name from Dec 2015, almost 1 year to the date... Anyway, I only lost a few drops of blood when my hand got caught in a cat's claw. Luckily, I had no damage today from those damn shindaggers, which probably should just be called daggers (without the "shin") because they can stab you in the foot, angle, hand, face, etc. How do the animals avoid these things, or don't they?? This hike was definitely well worthwhile and I enjoyed it!! |
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Michael Williams
IT Professional
Rocky Point Vacation Rentals
Ocean Front Condo in Rocky Point, Sonora, Mexico
www.beachfrontmexico.us
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Route Editor
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