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11 triplogs
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Nov 27 2010
avatar

 Triplogs 11

47 male
 Joined Jan 22 2009
 Tucson, AZ
Mount Kimball via Finger RockTucson, AZ
Mount Kimball via Finger Rock
Tucson, AZ
Hiking avatar Nov 27 2010
lookout • Triplogs 11
Hiking9.50 Miles 4,400 AEG
Hiking9.50 Miles
4,400 ft AEG
 no routesno photosets
1st trip
Linked   none no linked trail guides
Partners none no partners
Second time up to Kimball, first from Finger Rock. Absolutely love this canyon. Must be getting in pretty good shape because descending was more painful than ascending.

Coming up the trail, we saw 2 rock climbers on top of the Finger itself... Don't think I'd ever have the courage for that, but I'd like to hit up the Guard one day.
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Nov 13 2010
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 Triplogs 11

47 male
 Joined Jan 22 2009
 Tucson, AZ
Mount Kimball via Pima Canyon TrailTucson, AZ
Mount Kimball via Pima Canyon Trail
Tucson, AZ
Hiking avatar Nov 13 2010
lookout • Triplogs 11
Hiking14.20 Miles 4,355 AEG
Hiking14.20 Miles
4,355 ft AEG
 no routesno photosets
1st trip
Linked   none no linked trail guides
Partners none no partners
First trip up Kimball was definitely one to remember. Pima is an absolutely beautiful canyon from start to finish. Took the short (and steep!) side trip out to Pima Saddle. The trail from the saddle to Kimball gets faint in places, but the route is very well cairned and never that tough to follow. The view from the top of Kimball might be my favorite so far of any in the Catalinas. I'll have to hit it from Finger Rock sometime soon.

Didn't see anybody on the upper half of the Pima Canyon trail going up or down. Surprisingly, there also weren't that many people in the lower sections of Pima. Last time I hiked in Pima, I felt like I was fighting the crowds at the mall coming back the last mile.
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Nov 06 2010
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 Triplogs 11

47 male
 Joined Jan 22 2009
 Tucson, AZ
Pontatoc Trail #410Tucson, AZ
Pontatoc Trail #410
Tucson, AZ
Hiking avatar Nov 06 2010
lookout • Triplogs 11
Hiking9.90 Miles 3,900 AEG
Hiking9.90 Miles
3,900 ft AEG
 no routesno photosets
1st trip
Linked   linked  
Finger Rock Trail #42
Partners none no partners
It was a day full of bushwhacking fun in the front range today. Went up Pontatoc Canyon trail. The upper sections are much more overgrown than the last time I was there, and I had trouble following the trail as it climbed the side of the canyon after the crossing. Saw 2 young javalina in this section (no sign of mom).

Continued past the end of the trail up to Peak 5783, which was definitely the highlight of the trip. I've been wanting to climb to this peak for a couple of years now, and I've been reminded of it every time I drive down Sunrise in the Craycroft area. It's one of those lovely little peaks that has amazing views in all directions and probably sees almost no visitors... very close to the city and a trail, but also very isolated. There was a deer near the peak that didn't even seem to mind that I was there.

Continued up to the ridge overlooking Ventana Canyon at around 5960' for a nice view of the Window and the Maiden Pools area. The 1980 Rainbow Expeditions map shows the Pontatoc Canyon trail going out about this far, so I guess it was shortened at some point with that scenic "end of trail" sign that exists now. I did find quite a few cairns on the way, but no recognizable trail or route even.

Made my way back down to the official trail and then remembered that I had researched a route some time ago from this area over to Linda Vista saddle and decided to give it a try. Figured the bushwhacking was going well and it probably wouldn't be too much worse than trying to navigate the upper sections of the bloody Pontatoc trail (which sort of turned out to be true). I found my way across the shindagger-infested hills trying to follow game trails, ridge lines, and rocky paths as much as possible. Climbed over and around a few drainages and navigated a crossing of the only decent-sized canyon between the two points. Finally, I made it to the saddle and was very happy to see a real trail again by this time!

Came down the Finger Rock trail. Hadn't been on this trail before and was quite impressed with the canyon. Descending through the towering cliffs was a perfect way to end a great day on the trails, not-quite trails, and not-even-close-to trails.

Mileage and AEG estimated from maps.
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Oct 31 2010
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 Triplogs 11

47 male
 Joined Jan 22 2009
 Tucson, AZ
Bug Springs TrailTucson, AZ
Bug Springs Trail
Tucson, AZ
Hiking avatar Oct 31 2010
lookout • Triplogs 11
Hiking9.30 Miles 1,969 AEG
Hiking9.30 Miles
1,969 ft AEG
 no routesno photosets
1st trip
Linked   none no linked trail guides
Partners none no partners
Nice day and a nice trail. It's really cool that there are basically two distinct sections of this trail. First it winds across ridge tops through open rocky terrain, then it suddenly drops into a beautiful forested canyon. Not a ton of climbing either way you go, but the climbs are steep enough for a good workout.

Talked to a ranger for a while in the parking lot. He said that the goal is to connect all of the trails going up this area of the Catalinas. They apparently have plans to connect Incinerator Ridge with the Green Mountain Trail... just waiting for the time and money. Hopefully it will actually happen sometime in the next decade, but I'm not holding my breath.
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Oct 24 2010
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 Triplogs 11

47 male
 Joined Jan 22 2009
 Tucson, AZ
The Window via VentanaTucson, AZ
The Window via Ventana
Tucson, AZ
Hiking avatar Oct 24 2010
lookout • Triplogs 11
Hiking13.50 Miles 4,900 AEG
Hiking13.50 Miles
4,900 ft AEG
 no routesno photosets
1st trip
Linked   none no linked trail guides
Partners none no partners
I had hiked the Old Baldy/Super Trail loop to Wrightson about a month ago, and on paper Window Peak didn't look too much harder... Well, it was actually quite a bit harder! Unlike my Wrightson trip, the weather was beautiful today. Very clear and calm. Hardly a breeze in the Window or on Window Peak, which I hear is unusual.

Most of the trail isn't too tough, but the steep sections are quite steep, especially the switchbacks coming out of the canyon at around the Ventana/Esperero/Finger Rock junction. Route finding was no problem. Even the upper sections of Esperero and the unofficial route to the peak itself were easy to follow.

All of Ventana Canyon is beautiful, of course. Steep canyon walls, rugged terrain, great views down canyon, and a nice shady forested area in the upper sections. My favorite part was walking the high ridge out to the Window itself with amazing views down 2 canyons and up to the 3 highest peaks in the front range of the Catalinas.

From the Window, it's really not much further to Window Peak (about 1/2 mile and 500 feet uphill). I was ready to turn around at the Window, but I figured that I had come that far so what the heck, right? Plus, I can see Window Peak very well from my desk at work. Literally, it's right over my computer screen, so I kind of became obsessed with getting to the top. The scramble up to the tip top was about as much rock climbing as I can handle, but I'm sure glad I did it! Absolutely amazing view.
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Oct 16 2010
avatar

 Triplogs 11

47 male
 Joined Jan 22 2009
 Tucson, AZ
Sandia Crest, NM 
Sandia Crest, NM
 
Hiking avatar Oct 16 2010
lookout • Triplogs 11
Hiking3.60 Miles 500 AEG
Hiking3.60 Miles
500 ft AEG
 no routesno photosets
1st trip
Linked   none no linked trail guides
Partners none no partners
Drove up Sandia and did some hiking on top. Aspens were changing colors, which made it a beautiful day.
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Oct 12 2010
avatar

 Triplogs 11

47 male
 Joined Jan 22 2009
 Tucson, AZ
Humboldt hills, AZ 
Humboldt hills, AZ
 
Hiking avatar Oct 12 2010
lookout • Triplogs 11
Hiking3.50 Miles 700 AEG
Hiking3.50 Miles
700 ft AEG
 no routesno photosets
1st trip
Linked   none no linked trail guides
Partners none no partners
Mostly bushwacking in the hills of Humboldt.
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Oct 10 2010
avatar

 Triplogs 11

47 male
 Joined Jan 22 2009
 Tucson, AZ
Oracle Ridge to Catalina CampTucson, AZ
Oracle Ridge to Catalina Camp
Tucson, AZ
Hiking avatar Oct 10 2010
lookout • Triplogs 11
Hiking8.50 Miles 2,800 AEG
Hiking8.50 Miles
2,800 ft AEG
 no routesno photosets
1st trip
Linked   linked  
Red Ridge Trail #2
Partners none no partners
Went down Oracle Ridge Trail and Catalina Camp Trail to Catalina Camp, up Red Ridge Trail to Ski Run Road, then took roads back to the car.

I had been eyeing this loop for awhile since I love loop hikes and ridge trails and hadn't done either of these. Thanks very much to the authors for writing great descriptions. The only thing I really have to add is that on the descent of the Catalina Camp Trail, someone has spray painted a message on a rock claiming that you are entering private property and to keep out. You are indeed going the correct way when you see this, and it's not private property.

I'd say sturdy pants are a must for this hike, especially the mid-to-upper section of the Red Ridge Trail, which is currently overgrown waist-high with sharp bushes. The only route-finding challenges I had were in the Catalina Camp area. I never got far off course. It was more just second guessing myself before finally seeing the signed intersection and realizing I was right all along. I would really like to come back and spend more time in this beautiful, secluded area when I'm not under time constraints as I was today.

The only other person I saw the whole time was someone coming down Red Ridge on his horse. Based on the evidence left behind, it looks like this trail is fairly popular with horses.

Anyway, this is definitely a trip worth making for the amazing views from two ridges, rich history of the area, and a great workout all in one. The Red Ridge Trail isn't very long, but make no mistake, it's a pretty tough climb!
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Oct 02 2010
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 Triplogs 11

47 male
 Joined Jan 22 2009
 Tucson, AZ
Aspen Draw Trail #423Tucson, AZ
Aspen Draw Trail #423
Tucson, AZ
Hiking avatar Oct 02 2010
lookout • Triplogs 11
Hiking4.50 Miles 1,150 AEG
Hiking4.50 Miles
1,150 ft AEG
 no routesno photosets
1st trip
Linked   linked  
Upper Sabino Canyon Riparian Area
Partners none no partners
Lovely hike through the Upper Sabino Canyon Riparian Area and Aspen Draw Trail. This area probably has the prettiest forest in the Catalinas that I've seen. Still a decent amount of water in upper Sabino.
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Sep 26 2010
avatar

 Triplogs 11

47 male
 Joined Jan 22 2009
 Tucson, AZ
Old Baldy - Super Trail LoopTucson, AZ
Old Baldy - Super Trail Loop
Tucson, AZ
Hiking avatar Sep 26 2010
lookout • Triplogs 11
Hiking12.40 Miles 4,210 AEG
Hiking12.40 Miles
4,210 ft AEG
 no routesno photosets
1st trip
Linked   none no linked trail guides
Partners none no partners
Hadn't done this hike since I was about 12 years old. Beautiful hike, wrong day. Extremely windy and mostly cloudy on top. The weather report had said sunny and clear... oh well! It at least made it nice and cool going up, but the visibility was poor. I hit the trail at 7:00 AM, and the Old Baldy was already pretty crowded. As I found out later, there was a hiking club doing their annual ascent of Wrightson, which apparently included a King/Queen of the Mountain competition. The Super Trail was much less busy. I didn't run into anybody on the upper section.

Lots of flowers in the upper section of Old Baldy and especially near Baldy Saddle. I think that was my favorite section of the trail.

Side trip to Josephine Peak looks interesting, although the trail(?) out there looked VERY overgrown. The upper section of the Super Trail was a little overgrown in places too, but nothing sharp. Both trails are very easy to follow.

This seems to be one of the best known hikes in the Tucson area, and with good reason! Almost all of my hiking so far has been in the Catalinas, but I now have plans for about 10 more hikes in the Santa Ritas after doing this one.
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Sep 18 2010
avatar

 Triplogs 11

47 male
 Joined Jan 22 2009
 Tucson, AZ
Butterfly Trail #16 - CatalinaTucson, AZ
Butterfly Trail #16 - Catalina
Tucson, AZ
Hiking avatar Sep 18 2010
lookout • Triplogs 11
Hiking11.00 Miles 2,700 AEG
Hiking11.00 Miles
2,700 ft AEG
 no routesno photosets
1st trip
Linked   none no linked trail guides
Partners none no partners
This was my first time hiking the Butterfly Trail, and it was definitely worth the trip! I'm glad I read about using the dirt roads over Bigelow to make a loop, because that made it all the better. The roads are nice to walk because they go through some beautiful forest. Took side trips to Butterfly Peak (not very exciting), the bottom of Novio Falls (very exciting), the airplane wreckage (a little eerie to me for some reason), and went the wrong way for awhile (always exciting). Didn't see another soul until I was finished with Butterfly and headed up to Bigelow. That was a little surprising given how great of a day it was for this trail. The sky was crystal clear and there were great views, especially all the ranges to the east.

The trail is pretty overgrown in places, but never hard to follow. I definitely recommend pants! I went in shorts, and in addition to some cuts, I also found something that I'm apparently allergic to.

This was the longest hike I've done in many years. I'm really enjoying getting back into it, and I can't wait for the next one next weekend!
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WARNING! Hiking and outdoor related sports can be dangerous. Be responsible and prepare for the trip. Study the area you are entering and plan accordingly. Dress for the current and unexpected weather changes. Take plenty of water. Never go alone. Make an itinerary with your plan(s), route(s), destination(s) and expected return time. Give your itinerary to trusted family and/or friends.

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