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| Hiking | 9.25 Miles |
3,056 AEG |
| | Hiking | 9.25 Miles | 9 Hrs 33 Mns | | 1.01 mph |
| 3,056 ft AEG | 25 Mns Break | | | |
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| no partners | | Since we didn't make the complete traverse across to Pima Spring, I'm calling this Recon 3. Frank and I fully intended to make the complete trip up Alamo Canyon from Catalina State Park to Pima Spring, then down to Pima Canyon TH. We dropped a car about 7:30 a.m., made good time up the trail part (which gets you to about even with Buster Mtn.), dropped into the wash and beat our way forward though lots of boulders and waist high grass. We had to pick our way around a few pouroffs, but were optimistic about reaching the saddle with Pima Canyon... but got off into the wrong canyon past the spur to Leviathan. The two ways south to the Saddle are very close to each other (couple hundred feet) and have the same directional alignment. I didn't make the right call until after plotting our position several times. With the extreme elevation, by the time we realized the error, we were too far up to move laterally over to the right canyon (got cliffed out), and too tired to drop down to pick up the correct route.
We tried to go around the high point by moving right to a view point but ran into a difficult descent which would have to be followed by a difficult ascent. It was then 1:00 p.m., and we were pretty much out of gas... and we could not see the top part to have any assurance that it was doable. We opted to return down Alamo Canyon and reached our vehicle just as it was getting dark. The descent from the highest point back into the canyon was difficult (there's that word again) and not much fun. I left quite a bit of skin up there. Next time, we're taking a 100 foot rope, some webbing and bale rings.
To be honest, the part above the spur up to Leviathan is not much fun. Wouldn't recommend it, unless you have an insane goal of completing the traverse from CSP to Pima Cyn TH. When we finally make it, I'll post it on HAZ. We got really close to making it: maybe 900 feet horizontally and less than 300 feet of elevation, but close only counts in hand grenades and horseshoes.
There is quite a bit of water in the upper canyon. |
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Autumn Foliage Observation Isolated
At this point, I expected little or no color, but a few cottonwoods and the lush grapevines (yes the ones that make this canyon so difficult) are a nice yellow, but fading fast. |
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