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| Hiking | 11.00 Miles |
3,595 AEG |
| | Hiking | 11.00 Miles | 12 Hrs | | 0.92 mph |
| 3,595 ft AEG | | | | |
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| no partners | | Overall this was one of the hardest hikes I've done and, in terms of difficulty, is right up there with Table mountain, Finger rock, Cathedral rock, and Valentine peak. I hiked with Patrica G. and we started at 8:20 am. See our timeline below. The Pima canyon trail and canyon is beautiful and not difficult to hike. The steep climb to the saddle on either side of Table Tooth mountain is quite difficult and tedious in my opinion. Once at the saddle, the climb to the top of Table Tooth was pretty straight-forward except for ONE exposed rocky climb section that is probably 30 feet high. There are some rock ledges that are relatively flat that can be used, except near the top, I found it necessary to use my arms to pull myself up. Once beyond that section, getting to the top was pretty straight-forward. If you are not comfortable with rock climbing or if you are afraid of heights, this is not the hike for you. On the last 300 feet hike to the high point, I saw some very steep drop offs to the North and South. There were amazing views from this high point. Looking Southwest, I could see Table mountain. Looking to the South, I could see Valentine peak and parts of Pima canyon. The hardest part of this hike, and most time consuming, was getting from any part of the canyon to the saddle. Route finding was difficult and it would have been faster if we had gone directly to the correct saddle Northeast of Table Tooth, rather than the saddle between Table mountain and Table Tooth mountain, but the views from that saddle were amazing!
Timeline:
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8:20 am - started hiking
10:00 am (3.2 miles) - reached first dam, stopped for roughly 30 minutes to have breakfast
11:00 am (4.1 miles) - reached junction with canyon, and switched from the trail to the canyon
11:16 am (4.25 miles) - reached junction with another canyon branching left
11:26 am (4.43 miles) - reached junction with yet another canyon branching left
12:05 pm (4.78 miles) - exited the canyon on the right side and climbed to the ridge
1:17 pm (5.3 miles) - after climbing the steep ridge, finally reached the wrong saddle (between Table mountain and Table Tooth). Looking at the topo map, it appeared that there may have been a safe way to climb to the summit from here, but based on my exploration, it was not possible from here without ropes.
2:11 pm (5.6 miles) - after bushwhacking East around the front side of Table Tooth mountain, we finally reached the correct saddle
2:48 pm (5.8 miles) - finally reached the summit after climbing some steep sections, including an exposed short rock climb
3:38 pm (6.14 miles) - got back to the saddle on the Northeast side of Table Tooth, then started to bushwhack down from here. We ate a late lunch, taking at least 30 minutes, which used some extra time and we knew we would be hiking out on the trail in darkness. This bushwhack down was very steep and there was a lot of grass, which could have been dangerous because it would have been easy to slip. We just had to take this section really slow.
5:58 pm (7.17 miles) - reached a canyon where the hiking was easier, didn't have as much grass and were able to use the rocks more.
6:38 pm (7.78 miles) - reached the junction with Pima canyon and it was just starting to get dark at this point.
6:46 pm (7.94 miles) - reached the Pima canyon trail and it was already dark by this time.
10:08 pm (11.14 miles) - finally reached the Pima canyon trailhead and parking area. Obviously it took a long time to get back because it was dark and we only had 1 headlamp to share between the both of us.
My GPS measured a max elevation of 6,032 feet, rather than 6,000.
Total AEG = 3,595 feet
Note: The Pima canyon trail is much nicer today than it was 5 years ago, thanks to the people who have worked on this trail. I met an older couple 2 or 3 times before who were part of the "Friends of the Catalinas" group who were doing maintenance work on the trail. They mentioned that there are a few volunteer groups and also the Forest Service does some work at times. |
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Michael Williams
IT Professional
Rocky Point Vacation Rentals
Ocean Front Condo in Rocky Point, Sonora, Mexico
www.beachfrontmexico.info
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