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| Hiking | 11.00 Miles |
2,087 AEG |
| | Hiking | 11.00 Miles | 6 Hrs 20 Mns | | 1.74 mph |
| 2,087 ft AEG | | | | |
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| no partners | | It was only going to be a hundred degrees today, so I thought it'd be a good time for a desert hike. :-) I used to hike this trail frequently when I lived in Tucson, 2000-2005, and I love the summit view: It's a spectacular vista of the northwest part of Tucson, the Avra Valley, and the Tucson Mountains.
I didn't know that the Saguaro National Park now charges $10 (per car) to use the Park, and that was a surprise. They say it's for "improvements"... like the staircase of granite steps they've built for the first 3/4 mile of the Hugh Norris (and another section, 3 miles up the trail). Who asked for stairs? They're beautiful stairs, no doubt, and they'll still be there 1,000 years from now (unless we have earthquakes). I think they really spoil the trail, and I'm not happy until I'm walking on real dirt. Let's see: 2,000 stairs at $100 construction cost each... gosh, it's no wonder that they're charging ten bucks! In fact, to pay this off they'll have to charge hikers for the next 20 years. I just can't imagine who would vote for stairs on a trail like this, because it's not a visitor-center trail by any means.
There's enough real dirt to enjoy, though. The trail climbs (up the stairs!) quickly away from the parking area, gaining a lot of elevation in the first mile. By that point, the footing is "improved natural", meaning that the surface is gravelly and irregular during the steep parts, and packed gravel and sand on the more level sections. It's easy to hike. I found that there was a great southeasterly breeze for the whole trip, and it was a refreshing 80-85 degrees. Because of the fee (actually, because of the 100-degree temperatures, more likely), there wasn't anyone else on the whole trail. I didn't see anyone on the Sendero or the King Canyon trails, either. It was strange to be out there alone. I'm fine with "alone" on trails like this, but the last time I was there, it was literally crowded; no parking spaces at the trailhead, for example.
Today must be the middle of Grasshopper Week; I saw zillions of BIG grasshoppers, and uber-zillions more of smaller ones. The birds and lizards were very busy chomping 'em.
I didn't bring enough water with me for the hike, which is stupid. I left my CamelBack at home, thinking that two quarts of PowerAde would be enough... my bite valve on the water bag has started to leak, and I didn't want my leg to get wet again. I made another mistake: I froze the PowerAde, thinking that I'd have a nice slushy freezy drink on the trail. When I checked (a mile up the trail), I discovered that both bottles were still hard-frozen. Ooops. I hung the bottles outside my fanny-pack, in the sun, and they s-l-o-w-l-y defrosted. But I missed my CamelBack, and I'm gonna get the bite valve fixed. I ended up wanting at least twice as much water/liquid as I had, and I was uncomfortable because of it. That's a dumb mistake to make on a solo hike in the desert on a breezy, hot day. That's the reason this hike took so long, though. To compensate for the lack of water, I stopped frequently and walked very slowly, even going downhill. |
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| It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves. Edmund Hillary |
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