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Mt. Timpanogos via Aspen Grove

Upon planning our trip to the motherland this year, I just had to include a hike on Mt. Timp. I have hiked to the summit probably 3-4 times. My first hike I was probably 8 or so and it seemed like all we did was slide down glaciers all the way down. Another time I was with Jay Taylor and Jacob Davis and we dared each other to swim in Emerald Lake. I remember it felt
like my body was going to freeze in place if I stayed had I stayed in a few more seconds. Well this hike was a whole new adventure. Utah has had a late spring so I realized there was still some visible snow on Mt. Timp. As you can see with the pics, there was a lot more snow than I expected. There was plenty of true hiking where we actually had to find the trail and do some bushwhacking, etc. Even though this is a regularly hiked trail, we found out the late spring and our early start made our hike a little more difficult. We had to cross lots and lots of snowfields and try to find the trail. I even had a hairy moment on a shale rock cliff where I had to give the mountain a big hug for fear of sliding off of it. Note to self: do not venture out on shale rock cliffs with water running down them; they become more like a natural slide.

So we didn't even make it to the summit! When we got to the plateau before the summit climb, it was covered in snowfields; it looked like an Antarctic wasteland. My dad and I wanted to see if we could approach the summit, but G was not interested in risking death/injury for another 1000 feet. In retrospect, it was much like the final scene in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade where the Holy Grail has fallen onto a small nook in a bottomless schism. IJ is inches away from the grail but will likely fall to his death if he reaches any further. Of course, he chooses wisely and chooses life over death. Good choice. I chose the better part myself as well, but needed a little heel digging by my wife to see the light. What she didn't realize is all she had to say was "Indiana, let it go" and I would have instantly recognized my foolishness! It also made me realize that my dad and I are much alike when it comes to our decision making. We both minimize the danger ahead and can only think of the final goal.

On the way down, we slid down a couple glaciers. My favorite part was when I told my dad "are you sure you want to go down THAT glacier??" to which he responded: "Why not?" I could only laugh as his trajectory carried him past the snowfield onto and over several large boulders. That's where our minimal thought to danger decision making was exposed. The other unexpected part of our hike was the effect of snow on our dog Shadow. I think it unlocks some innate programming and she kicks into hyperdrive. Whether it was charging at full speed back and forth from me to Galen or barking/on the verge of biting us as we slid down glaciers on the way down, she was in her happy place.

This was a GREAT hike. It was a return to a place that reminded me why I love hiking. I would love to return and finish the summit another time.

Douglas Spring Trail-Rincon Mountains

Nice hike today. I hiked in the Rincons today; "Rincon" means corner in Spanish. You can send me to this corner any day of the week, baby. I always feel like I'm leaving civilization behind on this trail rather than hiking to a destination (even though I was).

I have trod this trail before. This mountain range is where Saguaro National Monument lies so theres a little more "government oversight" on these trails. Trailheads here starts at about 2800 ft. but get up to 10000 ft. or so. I'm really itching to hike Rincon Peak, but that will come in a month or so.

I felt very much like the tech snob this morning. I usually tend to scoff at people who bring their high tech equipment to the gym or to a mountain trail. And I do tend to get a certain amount of pride when I pass them on my old mountain bike or running up a hill on a race. But here I was today, equipped with several battery powered gizmos. The wife got me a really nice birthday gift, a Garmin Forerunner 305. Gives me all the stats: pace, distance, elevation, heart rate and it has GPS. Very cool. I also came equipped with the old faithful iPod. Usually like to be alone with my thoughts, but I pulled this out on the descent and did some improvisational dancing to They Might be Giants. Fortunately, I wasn't passed by some cherpa and didn't have to be faced with my own hypocritical reality. So, according to my calculations, I hiked 9.18 miles, had an average heart rate of 117 bpm, averaged 19:42 minutes/mile, and gained 1900 ft. in elevation :))
I chose my turnaround point based on when I could find my first manzanita, one of my favorite little trees here.

Here's just a few shots of today's hike.....

Blackett's Ridge- Sabino Canyon- Santa Catalina Mountains

Although unintentional, I seem to be choosing a hike in each of the surrounding mountain ranges. Blackett's Ridge makes 3, now I lack only the Rincons. This was my first "new hike" so far as I'd already done the others before. My mother-in-law hikes it faithfully but I have never been able to get out and do it myself. I considered it comparable to Tumamoc Hill, but I must say now that Tumamoc is not even close. This one kicked my butt pretty good. Blackett's Ridge is a bit longer, but it's the rugged terrain that makes the difference. Having to hoist yourself up large rocks gets your heart pumping more than a steady slope, no matter how steep. The gnats were fairly persistent, but I managed to avoid the very persistent horsefly. One came close, but my odor must have been so foul as to make him avoid me altogether.

I interrupted the basking of a good number of lizards. I could imagine them say in their best Dustin Hoffman accent: "I'm basking here! I'm basking here!" Seeing all the lizards made me reminisce about an area we used to play in behind our house. We called it Lizard Valley, but I'm not sure if that was our name or someone elses. It has now been developed and there are homes built there. You know, good things can't happen when you build homes on an ancient lizard burial ground. I would not be surprised if there have been supernatural events in that neighborhood....

As I got closer to the top, the cliffs got closer and closer. I could hear some kind of bird of prey, but I'm not good enough to recognize what kind it was. But make no mistake, he intended to kill. Great views up top. This canyon also tends to avoid the sun pretty good until the later part of the morning, so you've usually got some nice shade if you get an early start and are off the trail by 10 or so. As the temps rise, the cicadas chime in like an orchestra of reflecting metallic wings.

Total mileage was probably about 4.5 miles, but you definitely have to earn it here. You get a lot of benefit from a short hike here. Next week I'll probably look for something of a gentler kinder variety but longer distance.

Tumamoc

There is a "hill" on the west side of Tucson that is good for a quick hike. It's called Tumamoc. Sometimes when I drive past it, I imagine it whispering it's name to me, challenging me to climb it. I kind of do that with most mountains; I personify them to make it sounds as if they are challenging me dare to climb them. Anyways, I don't know if you can technically call this hiking as it's paved, but the slope is nothing but up.

I realized I had forgotten MP 1.3 about halfway up the hike. It's too bad because there are some great views of Tucson on this hike. This is not a hike for solitude as there are usually a good number of people hiking it. But you do get a sense of solitude from the concrete and pavement of the city. The university has a desert laboratory halfway up the hill which is why the path is paved. There are also two small observatories at it's peak.

I also was interested in doing this hike today because of it's steep slopes; wanted to see how the knee would hold up on the downward slope. The answer I got was the knee will hold just fine, it might just complain about it and I can't half run down the hill as I used to. Starting to wonder if my knee will ever be the same :(

Day 1: Josephine Saddle-Santa Rita Mountains

My maiden voyage begins. I brought Shadow on this first hike a) because I can in this region, and b) just in case I had an Old Yeller moment and needed saving from my faithful companion. I actually have some serious doubts that she would go find help. She would probably stay by my side and bark a lot.

Anyways, this was also a known trail and a good place to begin my adventure. Trailhead was about a 40 min. drive from my house. Trailhead is at about 4500 ft. and climbs to probably 6200 ft. or so. It was a loop. I went up Old Baldy trail which is a little over 2 miles and came down the Super trail which was about 4. Great views and cover along the way. Never got really hot. Good wind blowing through that sounded like the beach when I got to the saddle.

It was great being alone with my thoughts. Hiking gives me a lot of mental momentum and there isn't much to interrupt me, so I can actually maintain focus on my thoughts which seems to get harder and harder to do these days. The idea for this blog actually began from this initial inspiration. It got kind of goofy from there, but I will disclose no further information at this time. You may see the fruits of my thoughts at a later post and maybe the one after that too. I took my camera phone with me and snapped my pics. He will be referred to from here on out as "Mp 1.3" for his megapixelar output. Hence the quality of these pictures is somewhat limited. But you can't beat the portability, which trumps all other considerations.

Birds and lizards were my constant companions. Thankfully no flies. In Tucson, those guys can get really annoying if you're hiking near a wash in the summertime. Normally a nuisance to horses, these flies do not simply pester; they seek to drive you insane. Imagine your little brother/sister when you were younger, but the size of a fly. Maybe the altitude on this hike kept them away.

Finished the hike with no real soreness. I was taxed a little on the way up but came down at a more gentle slope. Knee gave me no trouble. Gave Shadow a can of condensed bean w/ bacon soup at the end. I forgot water, so it was kind of like offering a salt block to a thirsty camel. She survived.