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| | | Aspen/Lemmon Rock/WOR/Marshall loopy thing, AZ | | | |
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Aspen/Lemmon Rock/WOR/Marshall loopy thing, AZ
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| Hiking | 10.11 Miles |
2,658 AEG |
| | Hiking | 10.11 Miles | 5 Hrs 57 Mns | | 2.17 mph |
| 2,658 ft AEG | 1 Hour 18 Mns Break | | | |
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| no partners | | I thought it would be fun to do a figure-8 with the Aspen, Lemmon Rock, WOR, and Marshall Gulch trails.
I started with Aspen as I knew it would be sunny and I wanted to get that part out of the way early. I wondered if the trail might be more accurately named New Mexico Locust Trail, since that particular variety has sprouted prolifically post-fire. Other than a couple rather thick stands near Marshall Gulch and around the saddle below the final ascent to Mount Lemmon, there really aren't a lot of aspens on the Aspen trail.
At Marshall Saddle there were a couple mountain bikers descending upper Aspen. I wondered if they noticed the wilderness sign at the trailhead on Radio Ridge, or knew it meant no bikes allowed. Hmmm....
Upper Aspen was really windy, especially on the exposed ascent to Radio Ridge. Like, blow you off the mountain windy. It was a little nerve-wracking with all the standing dead trees everywhere from the Bighorn fire, so I hiked faster.  As I approached radio ridge it sounded like there were jet planes overhead; turns out it was the wind blowing through the towers.I was actually thankful for the wind, which was mostly pushing me uphill and kept temperatures reasonable. The views on the final ascent are pretty neat.
Once at the top I made my way over to Lemmon Rock Lookout, which is a cool gem of a lookout building. I read the interpretive sign and walked up to the lookout, which I was not able to do last time I was up there. It was closed and presumably locked of course, but I did get a glance through the window to see the fire finder. I'd love to get a tour someday.
I descended Lemmon Rock trail, which had amazing views. The burned areas are pretty rough and there was one massive old-growth tree that had fallen across two switchbacks. I had to crawl underneath it on the upper switchback, then scramble over the trunk on the lower. The tree appeared to still be alive, with fresh green needles reaching for the sky. Either it had just fallen very recently, or somehow it was still growing with half its root system in the air.
Last time I was on Lemmon Rock trail I was going up, and I was thankful I had oriented my trip to go down this time. That trail is steep!
Down in Wilderness of Rocks, it was a bit less windy and noticeably warmer. The first creek crossing was dry, which was a bit of a surprise despite it being mid-June. I'd been on WoR countless times but somehow never at a time of year with no water in it. Turns out there was water, just not consistently throughout.
I met my friend Keith about a half mile from the intersection and we hung out for a bit before hiking out together. He had spent the day in a hammock with a good book while I did all the work. Figures.
After Marshall Saddle we had a pleasant stroll down Marshall Gulch, puzzled by the lack of columbines.
I really enjoyed this itinerary. Great trails, great views, and lots of variety. Not terribly involved, either. |
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Wildflowers Observation Light
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Route Editor
Route Scout
Route 
Delightful as always, though nowhere near flowing as well as last year. 
Meadow 
