I am absolutely heartbroken. Wildlife Rehabilitation in Northwest Tucson had a fire on March 30th that devastated our facility. Over 30 birds were lost as well as all our supplies, storage, and structures. Volunteers have put together a fundraising effort to help rebuild. Please donate and share this campaign at https://www.generosity.com/animal-pet-fundraising/help-wildlife-rehab-of-nw-tucson-recover-rebuild–2.
On June 10th, there will be a benefit at Sky Bar – 436 N. 4th Ave. from 6-9 pm. Our remaining educational animals Cosmo the Barn Owl and Citan the Harris Hawk will be there as well as live music and entertainment from Cabaret Boheme, HipNautique and the Tucson Tribal Belly Dance Collective. I’ll even be dusting off my dance costume for a number! 100% of the suggested donation of $7 and 15% of Sky Bar sales go toward rebuilding. Visit https://www.facebook.com/events/1477126375644510 for more details.
Aftermath of the fire outside – photo by Chris Bondante
The bird room after the fire – Photo by Chris Bondante
Our bird room and adjacent outdoor habitats were completely destroyed, along with food, equipment, and other items. The good news is that 86-year old owner Janet Miller is OK and most animals survived and are receiving continued care. Some of the birds lost had been educational animals for over a decade, they will all be missed.
Both of our educational Elf Owls perished in the fire. Elfie and Cleo brought joy and wonder to all who met them.
Please give what you can, and please continue to share this campaign. This is a kick off that will help us reach short term goals: resuming very limited intake, replacing supplies and equipment that were destroyed by the fire, and continuing care of the many birds and mammals that were unharmed by the fire. Stay tuned for more crowd funding campaigns and fundraising events in Tucson and beyond. And thank you all so much for supporting this very important work!
Luna the one-eyed Great Horned Owl was a great surrogate and raised many baby owls so that they could go on to be released.
Baby Great Horned Owls
Barn Owl that we had been doing physical therapy with to help regain the use of its legs was also sadly lost in the fire.
The Wildlife Rehab receives no public funding and is paid for by Janet herself. Funds will go toward food, medicine, medical supplies, carriers, equipment, and reconstruction. Your support means that we can continue helping wild birds and small mammals recover from injury, illness and orphanhood.
Harris Hawk
Thankfully the baby bunnies were in another room and we did not lose any of them.
Here’s a wonderful video done in 2015 by Tony Paniagua at Arizona Public Media to learn more about Janet Miller and the work she has done running the wildlife rehab for over 20 years. Thank you for your caring and generosity. Click here to donate and share.
The tagline of my blog is “Exploring the Beauty of Arizona’s Wild Places”, but a couple of weekends ago I got to visit Moab, Utah for a special outing with fellow Gossamer Gear Trail Ambassadors. I have been a Trail Ambassador since last February and have enjoyed being a part of a group that inspires others through their love of the outdoors. It’s fun to read other Ambassadors blogs and see what adventures they are up to. Part of being an ambassador was getting my Mariposa backpack that I have used since my Arizona Trail Trek. It’s now my go-to pack and this weekend I got to try out another smaller pack for dayhiking, the Type 2 Utility Backpack. Before I arrived in Utah, I had a couple stops to make- the first was the Grand Canyon National Geographic Visitor Center to see the Arizona Trail promo on the IMAX screen. It was amazing to see it so large and know that so many people were going to learn about the Arizona Trail while waiting to see their movie. Then it was on to Page for two Arizona Trail presentations, one at Glen Canyon Visitor Center and one for the Page City Council. Both went very well and the City of Page is very enthusiastic about being a part of the Gateway Community Program.
Lone Rock Beach, Lake Powell
After my Arizona Trail work was done, I made my way to Moab, taking the scenic route through Monument Valley.
Agathla Peak
Monument Valley
I had the following day to kill before most of the Ambassadors arrived in Utah, so I went on a hike on the Devil’s Garden Trail in Arches National Park. This trail, the longest in the park, takes you to 8 arches in 7 miles. It was a chilly but beautiful day with patches of white snow and ice on the red rock. It made me happy to have my microspikes for the slippery parts.
AZT Mobile in Utah
Navajo Arch
Arches – Devil’s Garden
Partition Arch
Micro Chicken getting eaten by the crazy rock
After an incredible sunset at Balanced Rock, I headed to the Moab Retreat House to meet the other Trail Ambassadors. What a group- some of the most well-known names in hiking and all with fantastic stories to tell.
La Sal Mountain Sunset
Sunset at Balanced Rock
The next morning, we headed to the Gold Bar Canyon-Jeep Arch-Culvert Canyon loop. It was a wonderful hike that included scrambling through slickrock drainages to Jeep Arch.
Hello Colorado River!
Scrambling up the canyon
Hiking the slickrock toward Jeep Arch
Approaching Jeep Arch
Disco from The Trail Show strikes a pose
Slickrock perch
We then climbed on slanted slabs up to the Gold Bar Rim for superlative views of the Colorado River below.
Heart-shaped linked tinajas
Gold Bar Rim Pano
Twinkle living on the edge
A cairned route looped us back to the car via Culvert Canyon. Trail Ambassador Will Rietveld, ultralight guru and expert in the Moab area, led all the hikes. It was so nice to be able to follow someone and not have to navigate for a change. We had a little daylight left, so some of us went back to Arches and hiked the Windows Trail before going back to Balanced Rock for sunset. Touristy but still very pleasant. I love how anything that is not a rock-lined trail in Arches is called “primitive” and comes with stern warnings.
Sunset at Balanced Rock
Turret Arch
The next day, we went to the Needles District of Canyonlands, and hiked the Lost Canyon to Peekaboo Trail. We had hoped to go to Peekaboo Spring, but were stopped by an uninviting icy traverse along sloping slickrock.
Needles District, Canyonlands
Bearclaw descends the ladder
Dirtmonger and Bearclaw, who got married on the PCT last summer
Slickrock Snorkel
Granaries
Icy in the shady spots
I didn’t care where we ended up, as long as I was enjoying the outdoors with new friends. The landscape was dotted with gorgeous tinajas- slickrock pockets full of water after recent rains. The other Trail Ambassadors, most from cool, wet climates probably couldn’t understand my giddiness over such a small amount of agua. Grant Sible, president of Gossamer Gear, joined us and it was so nice to meet him and Glen Van Peski, who founded the company. There was an international contingent as well- Tomo from Japan who owns an ultralight backpacking store in Tokyo, Hiker’s Depot. I sent some Arizona Trail maps back to Japan with him.
Tinajas
Loving exploring Canyonlands- I need to come backpacking here!
Me and Grant Sible
One of the best parts of the weekend was getting to talk trails with others who are just as obsessed as I am. We kept intersecting parts of the Hayduke Trail and geeked out with the guidebook, trying to figure out where it ran in the area. Plans for adventures big and small were discussed and tips and tricks exchanged. It was a fantastic experience. I really enjoyed the fact that there were so many women represented, including Heather “Anish” Anderson, who has the PCT unsupported speed record and Liz “Snorkel” Thomas, who has the Appalachian Trail unsupported speed record. Always inspiring to meet ladies who kick ass! In the evening, some people asked me if I had a presentation with me about the Arizona Trail. Of course- that’s what I do for a living! I got to give my full slideshow and I’m pretty sure I left some people dreaming of future thru-hikes of the AZT. I even got a mention on the latest episode of The Trail Show (at about 52:00). There were two more days of Ambassador fun, and Outdoor Retailer after that, but I had to leave in order to be home on the 20th for my husband’s birthday. No missing that date, no matter how much I wished I could hike some more! I took the scenic route back through the Grand Canyon and met Levi Davis, the wonderful videographer who produced the promo, so that he could see his work on the IMAX screen. It was fun to watch it again with him. Levi is so incredibly talented, I highly recommend him.
Me and Levi Davis at the Arizona Trail Exhibit
If you’d like to see the Ambassador exploits on Instagram, search the tag #GGUtahAdventures for a real treat! I’m now on IG @desertsirena. I look forward to more outings with this fantastic bunch! I may even plan a Trail Ambassador outing in my neck of the desert. In Wildlife Rehab news, I got called in to fly a Red-Tailed Hawk who’s recovering from an injured wing. Got some distance, needs to be flown some more to rehab the wing.
Donate to Wildlife Rehabilitation Northwest Tucson
Red-Tailed Hawk
Flying a Red-Tailed Hawk- why is it looking at me like that?
I had been swamped with work and needing to get out, so when Russ put out a call for folks to go canyoneering, I jumped on the chance. There had been a big winter storm and while most would avoid canyons flowing with snowmelt in December, I was willing to brave cold temps for the reward of seeing this place I’d looked down upon on my way to Romero Pools. Immediately out of the parking lot, the big wash was running and we knew the canyon was going to have a great flow.
We hiked the Romero Canyon Trail to the ridge that separates Montrose from Romero canyons and had a short bushwhack down to the creekbed. Took a break to gear up- I hoped my 3/2 wetsuit was enough for the icy waters. It was a beautiful day and bright golden ash trees dotted the canyon. My waterproof camera has a cracked screen and wasn’t too happy about being submerged, so the pics are all from Dan’s camera.
Montrose Canyon 1st Rappel- Photo by Dan Kinler
Montrose Canyon- Photo by Dan Kinler
Photo by Dan Kinler
The canyon wasn’t terribly narrow, but still very attractive. We made our way through polished granite boulders and pools filled with amber-colored Catalina tea. The tannins in the water made it hard to see the depth.There were three rappels and quite a few mandatory swims. We had sun to warm up after the first rappel, but it eluded us the rest of the day- just around the next corner. It was a really fun day out, if a little chilly. It was worth it to see and hear all the water.
Montrose Canyon 2nd Rappel- Photo by Dan Kinler
Beautiful Fall Colors in Montrose Canyon- Photo by Dan Kinler
Photo by Dan Kinler
Montrose Canyon Slide- Photo by Dan Kinler
Gneiss! -Photo by Dan Kinler
One nice thing about this canyon is that it is a very short distance out of the canyon to the Montrose Canyon bench, then an easy flat mile back to the car. We opted to hike out in our wetsuits and harnesses, garnering a couple of interested looks on the way. I had really missed canyoneering, there’s nothing like having all the waterfalls and pools to yourself while the trail above is swarming with people on a Saturday. Love it!
Hiking out in our gear- Photo by Dan Kinler
In Wildlife Rehabilitation news, our educational elf owls might become famous soon! There’s talk of them being filmed for a TV special. I’ll post an update when I know more. Donate and help feed these cuties so they look good for their close-up!
Last year, I spent Christmas in the Grand Canyon. It was awesome. This year, I needed to stay closer to home because my husband is visiting his family and I’m home with our old dog Bailey. I never hear of anyone backpacking in the Tortolitas north of Tucson, but I thought it might be a fun spot to wake up Christmas morning. I could also choose a campsite that would get early sun.
Tortolita Panorama
I wanted to make the trip a little special, so I got out a red sparkly skirt my dad had brought me from India and a Santa hat to wear on the trail. (I can see this becoming an annual tradition- see this picture for last year’s sparkly skirt). I didn’t see anyone after I left the parking lot and once I got past the Ritz-Carlton I couldn’t hear any sounds coming from the hotel. I hiked a little ways past the Cochie Canyon junction and found a great spot right off the trail with wonderful views for the sunset. I could see all the way from the top of the Catalinas down to the base of Pusch Ridge, south to the Santa Ritas and Huachucas and Babo, Kitt Peak and Ragged Top to the west. Good stuff so close to town.
My Gossamer Gear Mariposa and I have been some amazing places this year!
Both my family and Brian’s celebrate on Christmas Eve, so I called and people passed the phone around. My family, being Italian, told me all the different foods that were served. My Christmas Eve dinner was cheese fondue with apples, bread, broccoli, cauliflower, and figs for dipping. And for dessert I had blackberries with balsamic and some Panettone (an Italian sweet bread). I listened to some music and then I went to bed. My camp had a great view of the city lights without being too noisy.
The morning was gorgeous and the night had been warmer than expected. I wrote a bit in my journal and then got packed up. The best part of the hike down was meeting a family from New Jersey that was coming up the Wild Mustang Trail. They asked me how far I’d gone that morning and I told them I’d spent the night out. They didn’t quite know what to make of it- “By yourself? Did you see any wild animals? But you’re so clean! You had the cheapest room in the place!” Pretty funny. I took the hotel spur back to save myself walking the wash and was back at my house by 10:00 am.
Christmas Camp
Christmas in the Tortolitas
I had plenty of time to relax and then visit my friend Leigh Anne and her family before going over to Wendy’s for dinner. Wendy made me the coolest present for Christmas- she framed one of my Arizona Trail Trek bandannas and put pictures from my hike on it. She’s so thoughtful! This Christmas was a great mix of indoors and outdoors, solo and with friends.
Wendy’s Arizona Trail Trek present- she’s so crafty!!
For today’s Wildlife Rehabilitation Northwest Tucson picture, I’m digging into the archives for this little Javelina that came to us several years ago. We don’t take care of many larger mammals, so seeing this little guy was pretty fun!
Donate to Wildlife Rehabilitation Northwest Tucson
Your trip through the wild and rugged Mazatzal Wilderness on the Arizona Trail isn’t complete without a stop at the LF Ranch! The ranch was homesteaded in 1909 by the Fuller family. When the Mazatzal Wilderness was designated in 1964, the ranch was grandfathered in- 37,000 acres that straddle the East Verde River. In 1976 it was bought by the Pratt family, who own and operate the ranch to this day. They run 160 head of cattle on the Bull Springs Allotment.
LF Ranch Sign- photo by Wendy Lotze
There’s no easy way to get to the ranch- the closest access is a four mile hike or horseback ride from the locked wilderness boundary gate off of Doll Baby Road outside of Payson. From the north, you’ll have to hike in 11 miles on the Saddle Ridge Trail. From the south it’s 36 tough miles on the Arizona Trail from the Mount Peeley Trailhead.
Doll Baby Trailhead at the locked wilderness gate
Looking down on the ranch
This spring on my thru-hike, by the time I arrived at the LF Ranch I had been out for four days. As I neared the ranch house I heard the peculiar calls of peacocks, completely out of place in the middle of the desert. After going through a gate that says “Welcome Hikers” I was greeted by Maryann Pratt, matriarch of the ranch, and an assortment of friendly dogs, cats, peacocks, and chickens. A signpost at the ranch has the mileages to Mexico and Utah as well as signs pointing the directions to other notable landmarks on the ranch.
LF Ranch welcomes hikers!
Peacocks!
In addition to being a working cattle ranch, there is a small bunkhouse with showers to house weary hikers or horseback riders who arrange to stay over on their journey. It’s not fancy, but even the most spartan accommodations feel like such a luxury in the middle of the wilderness. Picket lines are available for horseback riders.
Little Zelda munching on a bone- she’ll grow up to be a good cattle dog someday
Meals are also available, but only by prior arrangement, and the ranch also accepts resupply packages. Many a weary traveler has shown up to the ranch house hoping to get a ride out to the wilderness gate or into town, but unless you’ve made prior arrangements, don’t get your hopes up. The closest store in Payson is an hour and a half drive away on a bone-jarring road. The day-to-day chores of running the LF are endless and the folks on the ranch are almost always busy.
Yum!
Sunset at the LF Ranch
Once at the ranch, there are many places to go exploring nearby. There are swimming holes in the East Verde River and Rock Creek and a nice afternoon can be had following the East Verde River up or downstream. Polk Spring is worth a visit- a beautiful running creek with plenty of areas to relax nearby.
East Verde River
Campsite at Polk Spring- photo by Wendy Lotze
Wikieup at Polk Spring
Undoubtedly, one of the most interesting things about the LF is Maryann herself. Get her talking and you’ll realize the strength and tenacity it takes to run a ranch in such a remote place. The ranch is powered by solar panels scattered around the property and the occasional generator. Constant vigilance is required to shoo off predators that might want to eat at the LF Ranch Smorgasbord. Just rounding up cattle and moving them from one area to another is made challenging given the rugged nature of the landscape.
Maryann Pratt
So if you’re going to be “in the neighborhood”, hiking the Red Hills #24 and Whiterock Mesa #25 passages, follow the barking dogs and peacock calls to the LF Ranch. You’ll be glad you did! For more information visit http://www.lfranch.com.
In Wildlife Rehabilitation NW Tucson news, I am so thrilled to be able to work with these animals and birds. It’s good to be back, I had to take a long break during my thru-hike and river season. Recently, we took a drive out to Arlington Wildlife Area to release some hooded skunks that had come to us as babies. It was a wonderful thing to see these guys go out into the world and they were nice enough to not stink the car up on the ride over!
Donate to Wildlife Rehabilitation NW Tucson
Hooded Skunk #1
Hooded Skunk #2
Loaded up with ducks and skunks
Duck release!
Skunk #2, the more docile one, took off right away!
Skunk #1 was reluctant, so we took apart the carrier
Unfortunately we had forgotten to close the other carrier and he went in. So we took apart the other carrier.
Sirena's Wanderings 