I am now back from working on the river this summer and transitioning to a land-based lifestyle. It may take a while, however- the other night it was storming and I woke up worrying about if everything on the boat was covered. I did six commercial trips this summer with Arizona River Runners and Grand Canyon Whitewater. It was amazing and I learned so much about the Grand Canyon and boating. Then at the end of my season, I was invited last-minute on a private 8-day trip on the lower half of the river just for fun. I’ll write about that in an upcoming entry.
As much as I love the Grand Canyon, I missed Tucson- every time I came back from a trip the mountains were more and more green. I didn’t have the time (or quite frankly the energy) to do any hikes around here this summer, so I was excited to get out in my own neck of the woods for a change. You know the place you live is pretty when you miss it while at the Grand Canyon!
Santa Rita Panorama- click to enlarge
I called Wendy to see if she wanted to go to the Santa Ritas, but it turned out she’d already made plans with Cindy and her friend Bobby to do Josephine Peak, so I got to tag along. This was a great destination that I probably wouldn’t have thought of, as it is off the Super Trail and I always take Baldy up the mountain.
Josephine Canyon
We had perfect weather, big fluffy clouds with a couple of sprinkles just before we had the final push to the peak. The Ritas are super-lush with wildflowers everywhere. We took Baldy to Josephine Saddle, then the Super Trail to Riley Saddle and the turnoff for the Josephine Peak “Trail”. I really enjoyed the open views and easy grade on the Super Trail.
Our objective comes into view
A parade of Chrome Domes
We hit the peak turnoff and then the fun immediately began. Cairn-hunting, log-hopping, side-hilling, and brush fighting. Some of us were more successful than others at the brush fighting and a certain person who I hike with often had an up-close and personal encounter. Friendship is plucking pricklies from a posterior that isn’t yours…
Wendy comes through the downed trees and mini-pines
Just a little brushy…
Rincons in the distance
We went up along the ridge that goes from Riley Saddle for a bit and then had to sidehill toward another ridge that led to the summit. After we reached the summit ridge, the tread became more apparent and switchbacked steeply up toward the summit. The summit had fantastic views of Wrightson to the north and I could see the path of the Arizona Trail below. Cindy had her celebratory beer and I got out Micro Chicken for his summit shot.
Hiking up the final ridge, there were switchbacks among the downed logs
Wrightson, Bobby, Cindy, and me
Video from the summit:
Micro Chicken bags another summit
After the enjoyment at the summit, it was time to fight the brush again back down to the Super Trail.
Cool tree courtesy of the 2005 Florida Fire
Log-hopping and sidehilling through brush (also courtesy of the Florida Fire)
Looking back at the summit ridge of Josephine Peak
Glad to be back in the Ritas!
Aaah, back to the big, fancy trail.
We were elated at the wide tread and log-free Super Trail and Cindy turned into Downhill Turbo Cindy. At Josephine Saddle we decided to take the Super Trail to the Roger’s Rock/Pipeline route because Wendy hadn’t seen it before. It was gorgeous, with running water and changing sycamore trees. Spent the whole day on the mountain and topped it off with ice cream on the way home. I don’t think days get much better than that.
Through the flowers on the Super Trail with Hopkins on the left
Mountain Spiny Lizard
Beautiful sycamores and running water on the Roger’s Rock Route
I am also back volunteering at Wildlife Rehabilitation Northwest Tucson, I missed my birds and other critters!
I had a memorable encounter the other day when a Harris Hawk jumped onto my back while I was cleaning its cage. Normally this would not be a good thing, but this particular hawk was raised for a month in someone’s bathtub when it was very little. It has been around people its whole life. After a bit, it made itself comfortable on top of my head! It’s good to be back.
100% of donations go toward housing and feeding the animals at the rehab:
As the Gateway Community Liaison for the Arizona Trail Association, one of my duties is to help communities throw Trail Days events. Events centered on getting people outdoors to experience what the Gateway Communities have to offer. I had helped organize one in February in Superior, but I unfortunately wasn’t able to attend because of prior commitments.
Setting up in the morning at the Pine Trailhead
After having a post-event meeting in Superior, I made my way north to attend an initial Trail Days planning meeting in Pine. I was expecting 5-6 people sitting around a table for the meeting, instead I walked into the Rimside Grill to find the bar bustling with almost 30 people! I was immediately impressed by the outpouring of support from Pine and its sister community up the hill, Strawberry.
Strawberry
The first annual Pine/Strawberry Trails Day was held on April 21st on a day that was sweltering hundred degrees in the valley. North in Pine, which sits at 5400 feet at the base of the Mogollon Rim, it was a perfect day. Many groups came out and volunteered their time to make this event happen.
Lou Hoover and Dave Seigal man the Arizona Trail booth
One of my favorite parts of the day was meeting Joyce Bittner and her three llamas from the Ranch at Fossil Creek. She had agreed to lead a llama hike and it was very interesting hearing her speak about the things that make a llama an ideal pack animal. They can pack 75 lbs. apiece and she said that on overnights, she straps a cooler onto the llamas so that you can enjoy quite the fancy meal on the trail!
Joyce Bittner brushes the llamas while we wait for the hikers
My dad, my mom and a llama
What a face! -photo by Budh Rana
Starting the hike
There was a longer hike later in the day to Bradshaw Meadows and many booths and demonstrations throughout the event. Music came courtesy of Chuck and Barb Casey. There was even a medieval fighting exhibit! Many businesses donated items and gift certificates for a giant raffle basket of goodies. A good time was had by all who attended and I’m already looking forward to planning next year’s event.
Basket of raffle goodies
Arno from Germany riding the Arizona Trail 750 race rode into town as we were packing up- Tamara from Rimside Grill made sure he got a hot meal and a shower before tackling the Highline Trail
In Wildlife Rehabilitation news, it’s full-on baby season at the rehab. There are so many cute birds, bunnies, and squirrels I can hardly stand it! Click below to donate to help feed these little guys:
The second annual Birds, Blues, and Bellydance Benefit for Wildlife Rehabilitation Northwest Tucson took place on April 14th and a fantastic time was had by all! Despite cold weather and Fourth Avenue being totally torn up for the trolley construction, we had a good turnout and raised $833 toward wildlife rehabilitation. Here’s some pictures from the event- all photos by the very talented Mike Bieke.
Luna the Great Horned Owl
Troupe HipNautic- from the left: Tama, Raja, Zahyra, Marjani, and Krishana
Raja
Janet Miller who runs the rehab and her son Russell with Elfie the Elf Owl, who had to stay in his house because it was too cold out.
Zahyra
Citan the Harris Hawk
Krishana's candle dance
The Railbirdz and their funky danceable blues music
Troupe HipNautic
Vagabond Incorporated provided live music for the bellydancers
Luna and her handler Sue
Things went so smoothly this year, there was even time for me to do a surprise performance!
What an event! There were so many people who donated their time and talents to make this happen. Huge thanks to Sky Bar and Brooklyn Pizza for donating the space, the talents of their graphic designer Serena Rose, and 15% of the food and drink receipts. All of our performers: The Railbirdz, Troupe HipNautic, Vagabond Incorporated, and Boz the MC were fantastic and generously donated their time to the cause. Thanks to Mike Bieke for donating his time to produce these beautiful photos. We also had a bunch of help from Russell Miller, Janet’s son, who brought members of the TKE fraternity, who volunteered their time. If you missed the event this year, don’t worry, it will be back again next spring! If you’d like to donate, you can do so online securely via PayPal to the wildlife rehab by clicking the button below, or send an old-fashioned check made out to Wildlife Rehabilitation Northwest Tucson to Pima Federal Credit Union P.O. Box 50267 Tucson, Arizona 85703.
I returned to Elephant Head after two years with “Santa Rita” Bill Bens and Wendy. It was Wendy’s first time up and though she was a little nervous on the final scramble, she pushed through like a champ to the summit! Click on the picture below to go to the album from that trip. The captions tell the story, but if you want to read more about the hike, click here to go to my writeup from 2 years ago. :
One of my favorite pictures of the set was when Bill met Micro Chicken, who has been riding along in my pack for several months now.
Bill meets Micro Chicken
My friend Taylor was in Tubac the next week and wanted to meet for a hike, so I suggested we do Little Elephant Head. I hadn’t been up there before, but it looked like a great destination from my hike of Elephant Head the week prior. The hike starts out at the same TH as Elephant Head, then turns left onto a spur trail that follows the undulating ridge out to the Little Elephant. This turn is blocked by a row of rocks at the saddle with the connecting ridge before the trail heads downhill toward the Quantrell Mine Tr. junction.
Floating rainbow over the Santa Ritas
The ridgeline that leads to Little Elephant Head
I know Taylor from a volunteer project that I did in the Grand Canyon in 2010 with the GC Hiker’s and Backpackers Association. He’s a hiking guide in the Canyon and has an infectious exuberance for the outdoors.
Taylor Branch serves up hors d'ouevers in style on the South Kaibab Trail!
It was on that trip that Taylor mentioned that he also did volunteer work on the Colorado River with Game and Fish. He said he’d put in a good word for me and that is how I got to go on my river trip last year. On my 12-day river trip last May, I fell in love with the Grand Canyon all over again. When I got back, I called the boatman in charge of my trip and asked him about the possibility of working for a commercial outfitter as a swamper (a boatman’s assistant and general gofer) next summer. He said that if I wanted to that he would put in a good word for me with his friend at Arizona River Runners. I said absolutely! I spoke to the person in charge of hiring numerous times on the phone last summer, asking all sorts of questions and finding out what the requirements were.
Looking back at Lava
After getting my Wilderness First Responder certification, I called and called again to try and set up a interview. Finally, in January I got one. I sat down with the owners and the first thing they said was, “We’re happy to talk to you, but we want you to know right off the bat that we don’t have any jobs available at this time.” I was a little sad, but went on with the interview. Well, I’m calling it the most epic interview ever because the next day, the owner called and said that he would like to offer me six trips this summer and a full-time position with a track to become a river guide! My first trip launches in May and I could not possibly be more excited. I don’t think I have even grasped how my life has just changed. It will all become very real come mid-May.
I wish it was May already!
So back to the hike, I was excited to see Taylor and give him a big hug for getting me on that river trip last year. He had never been to this part of the Santa Ritas and was really impressed with the views and the giant ocotillo forest. The route was very easy to follow, well beat-in and trimmed back. The ridge weaved this way and that and finally approached the exposed summit ridge. There was no exposed scrambling as on the big Elephant, instead there was a nice path that led to the top. We took a long break, enjoying the views.
Taylor Branch and Elephant Head
Summits of Elephant and Little Elephant
Summit ridge
From the looks of the register, it’s pretty popular with the locals, and I can see why. It’s a gorgeous little hike! Perfect if you don’t have the time or the energy to go “full Elephant”. There’s a couple of features like the Devil’s Cashbox and the Devil’s Throne that look particularly interesting, I’m going to have to take Santa Rita Bill up on his offer to check them out.
Massive ocotillo forest
Arizona Rainbow Cactus
2 summits in 2 weeks
Mount Hopkins
I am also going to have to come back when the ocotillo forests are green and blooming. It must be incredible!
In Wildlife Rehabilitation news, the second annual Birds, Blues, and Bellydance fundraiser to benefit Wildlife Rehabilitation Northwest Tucson will be on Saturday, April 14th from 7-10 pm at Sky Bar- 536 N. 4th Ave. Live blues by The Railbirdz, birds from the wildlife rehab, and bellydance performances throughout the evening. 15% of all sales at both Sky Bar and Brooklyn Pizza will also be donated, so come by and have a beer and a pizza for a great cause. Hope to see you there! Here’s a picture from last year’s event:
First of all, November 13 is the one-year anniversary of Sirena’s Wanderings- a big thanks to all my readers and a super-big thanks to those who have donated to my Wildlife Rehab Fundraiser! My first post wast a video of a gorgeous rainbow I saw at Cedar Ridge on the South Kaibab Trail in the Grand canyon while hiking out of my volunteer project. (it’s also the picture on the the header of my website) Click here to watch it.
As much as I enjoyed my recent time in the Grand Canyon, I was with a large group of people the whole trip and didn’t have much opportunity at all to enjoy the wilderness solo. I have primarily been a solo backpacker, and on the Grand Canyon trip there were all sorts of things I did differently from my usual routine on the trail because of the group around me. I had been thinking since I got back that I needed to go on a palate-cleansing solo trip, to a location where I was practically guaranteed solitude. I tossed around a couple of different options, but remembered one location that has been on top of my to-do list for a while now: The Spine.
The Spine
The Spine runs northwest above the Gila River and south of the White Canyon Wilderness, northwest of the small mining town of Kelvin. I had admired it when I bushwhacked through this area on the Arizona Trail (most of the passage hadn’t been built yet) in March 2008 with John Rendall and his friend Paul. I remember thinking that I needed to come back someday and explore further. I’d planned a dayhike out on The Spine once before, almost a year ago, but wasn’t able to go. This time I was bringing my backpack and staying the night. The temperatures have finally cooled in the desert, making a crack-of-dawn start unnecessary. I had a two-hour drive up to the spot in the wash at the base of The Spine where I parked my jeep. I packed light, but had to carry all my water for a dry camp. I started to hike away from the jeep, and something told me to go back and get the extra two-liter container of water that I’d left in the car. After taking on even more water weight, I started down the wash. Tomorrow will be Veteran’s Day and this area will be full of various people camping, driving, and hiking. But today, it is all mine. I see no one on the drive in and hear not a sound made by another human until I drive back out.
I had originally had grand plans of a full hike of The Spine and both arms, as well as an overnight on a patio underneath The Spine that I’d seen pictures of. But a busy work schedule at my very physical job as a massage therapist had left me pretty tired, and I realized that all I really wanted to do was get up to the patio with my copy of Desert Solitaire, and read, write, relax and enjoy the view.
But before I could relax, I had to pay the piper with a rugged off-trail bushwhack to get to my destination. It started out mellow, winding through attractive washes streaked with reds and golds.
Hiking in the wash
I turned into a side canyon and passed a copse of cottonwoods with a trickling spring at the base. There were tons of bees, so I hurried along. As I gained elevation in the smooth-rocked drainages, a hint of the amazing views to come tantalized me to the north. Several climbs over and under trees, a bypass of a dry fall, and decisions of which thorny bush would hurt the least, and I was at a saddle where I could see my climb to The Spine.
Cottonwoods at the spring
Smooth rock lines the drainage bottom
View down the drainage
Classic desert choice: both are spiny, which do you choose? If you picked the one to the left- you lose!
Climbing from the saddle- Copper Butte mine is on the right
It looked rocky, steep, and a little bit daunting, but I had all the time in the world to get up there and the weather couldn’t have been better. This was definitely a hike where I had to concentrate on exactly where I was putting my feet and scanning ahead to see where the best line of travel was through the ever-increasing boulders. At first, I had the help of a ridge that went part of the way up, then it really got interesting. Here’s a video:
Not a great picture, but it shows how rugged the climb is up the slope toward The Spine
I had to use my hands to push and pull myself up at times, I was skirting around loose rockfalls and brush, and it was very slow going, but I was enjoying the hell out of it. The views just got better and better and I could see the boulder I was aiming for getting closer. As I looked down to where I had come from, I could see my jeep way down in the wash, and no one else around at all. Perfect. Almost to the ridgeline, it was the most jumbled, but I took my time and an hour and a half after leaving my jeep, I reached The Spine.
Atop The Spine, looking north
Crest and arms of The Spine, which hang above the Gila River to the south
Wow- a great effort paid off with a great reward. The Spine is made up of a hodgepodge of giant red-brown boulders, some with a splotchy white coating that makes them all the more attractive. The big boulders were very sturdy and I was able to hop from one to another along the ridgetop. After a short while, my objective came into view. The Patio is on the northern part of The Spine, about 100 feet below the ridgeline, facing the Gila River.
Looking down on The Patio- Catalinas in the far distance
I had to hike along The Spine to find the best way down the jumbled boulders and scree slopes down to The Patio. It was precariously steep and loose in places, much more than my hike up to the ridgeline, but I made it down safely and headed to the north end,to make my camp. I chose the north end because it overlooks the White Canyon Wilderness and Battle Axe Butte, one of my favorite peaks. A bonus of the views from camp was that the ridgeline blocked out views of nearby Copper Butte, its sides all slashed up by the mine.
Video of The Patio:
I shed my pack and made myself at home, inflating my air mattress and finding a perch on top of a perfectly curved boulder and ate some lunch. It had taken me two hours to go only 1.6 miles, but it was worth every scratch. After lunch, I went exploring my new digs and was surprised to find a large fire ring with a ridiculous amount of firewood gathered nearby. I think it’s funny how people feel the need to have a giant raging inferno when a small fire is easier and less damaging. There were no views from this campsite, so I was not at all interested. At the south end of The Patio, there were fantastic views toward the Catalinas.
Home sweet home
View down The Spine from the patio
Sentinel of the south end of the patio
I spent the entire afternoon staring at the scenery, watching the wispy clouds roll in, listening to music and getting up every so often to check out the views from different parts of The Patio. My campsite faced the path I’d taken on the Arizona Trail over two years ago, a place I remember well because it is where I overheated trying to keep up with my friend John Rendall. The crazy thing is that John was 73 years old at the time! I bonked and had to elevate my feet above my head, holding my umbrella for shade, while John fed me GU until I felt human again. I wrote in my journal: “The upside was that I had the most beautiful view of these sheer white cliffs while I was recuperating.” Men like John illustrate time and time again that if you stay active, you can enjoy all sorts of very physical activities late into life. A definite inspiration. And now, for a goofy shot of me from that day:
Bonk! A rather silly picture of me trying to cool off in '08- at least I'm still smiling...
My view when I bonked in '08 on the Arizona Trail
This trip was just what I needed- solitude in an amazingly beautiful setting. I took out my well-worn copy of Desert Solitaire and alternately read and watched the clouds drift past the bald peak of Battle Axe Butte (someone has to do it) until the sun began to set. The wispy clouds I’d been watching all day made for quite a display as the sun sank between North and South Buttes on the Gila River. The ridge above me lit up a firey red and I moved around the patio, taking lots of shots of the ever-changing light. Here’s a series of photos:
5:29 pm- sun starts to dip between South and North Buttes, which are on either side of the Gila River
5:30- Sunset lights up The Spine a firey red
5:35
5:36
5:37- I spot the lone saguaro on the small ridge
5:38- this one is my favorite
5:41
5:43- view west with a crescent moon
The Patio had been somewhat of a wind tunnel all afternoon and I was a little bummed that I wouldn’t be able to have a fire, but as the sun set, the air calmed. I made dinner on my little rock perch and then made a fire and read some more. I was going to sleep on the ground, but I was reading and watching the stars on my rock perch and fell asleep up there. It was just big enough and quite comfortable.
The next morning, I awoke to the sound of great horned owls calling out to each other. I spent the morning writing pages and pages in my journal and lounging around camp and even had a small morning fire to keep away the chill. I don’t often have a fire when I backpack, but I really enjoyed it this trip. I even brought some white sage to add to the fire and it smelled wonderful. Around 10 am, I went into my backpack to get something and my hand came out all wet! Not a good feeling, as the rest of my water was in my platypus bladder in my pack. I took the bladder out and saw that I’d lost over a liter to a small hole. I transferred the remaining water into my extra container that I’d gone back for yesterday (I knew there was a reason for me to listen to the little voice that said to bring it along!) and realized that it was probably time for me to pack up and hike back down. Due to the precarious terrain, going downhill wasn’t going to be any faster than going uphill. Before I left, I dismantled my fire ring and returned the spot to its original condition, even sweeping away the multitude of footprints I’d made in my camp.
Morning view
This is why I backpack instead of dayhike- the sunsets and sunrises are not to be missed.
The hike back up to The Spine was easier than the descent, and then it was back to boulder-hopping on the ridgeline. I got a great shot from above of my sleeping boulder- from up here it looked so small. My descent went very slowly because I had to test a lot of my foot placements to make sure the rock I was stepping on wasn’t going to roll down the hill once I put my weight on it. Once I got back down to the saddle and into the smooth-rock drainage, I took a break to stretch and snack and and to admire the big, white, fluffy clouds that had rolled in. What a place. I would have stayed longer, but I was down to the last of my water, so I had no choice but to continue on through the pretty drainages back to my jeep. The spring I’d passed yesterday seemed to be flowing stronger and I stopped to listen to the sweet trickling sound over the rocks. When I reached my jeep, I took my GPS out to record my stats and saw that my entire mileage for the trip was only 3.2 miles. Probably one of the shortest backpacking trips I’ve ever taken, but one of the more challenging, for sure. I adore the sense of accomplishment that comes upon looking where you’ve been on the drive out and this trip was no exception.
Looking down on where I slept last night- it's the white spot at the far end in the middle of the frame.
Snack and cloud-watching spot
Success!
Looking back at The Spine from Battle Axe Road
A short list of why I love solo backpacking:
Quiet. Wonderful all-encompassing quiet.
What time you do things is all up to you and can be changed on a whim
No worries about how others are doing (especially valuable after my Royal Arch trip)
Privacy- no need to tell others not to look while you pee, change clothes, etc.
Dancing and stretching (two of my favorite camp activities!) are more fun sans onlookers
No need for earplugs to drown out hiking companion’s snoring
As much time as I want for reflection, meditation, writing, staring at the scenery, photography
Sense of accomplishment that comes from figuring out a route on my own
Not having to worry about what I look like, not even a teeny tiny bit
Though short in both time and distance, this was a perfect trip- a challenging bushwhack, plenty of time to relax and rejuvenate in a beautiful setting, and a healthy dose of solitude. This is the stuff that revitalizes my soul.
For today’s Wildlife Rehab Fundraiser picture- With the cooler weather, things have calmed down somewhat at the rehab, so I thought I’d share one of my favorite characters from June 2009. I’d only been volunteering there for a couple of weeks when this little Harris Hawk was brought in. I love his feet and the look on his face!
Sirena's Wanderings 