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 :(