HILLS HURT, COUCHES KILL hiking log

A hike up Cardiac Gap was interrupted by an emergency call cross-town. I was ready to go but was pretty tired.

Tanque Verde canyon from the helicopter landing pad.

Cardiac Gap again - nothing special. Heck of a workout.

Lower-quality panorama from about half way down. Very pretty day today.

 

Today's hike was a rescue so I can't share much but a fellow rescuer took some good sunset photos.

This is one of the burn areas that I haven't been back to since the big fire. It is still closed to the public and the trails are littered with debris, ash (no rain since...July), and fallen cactus skeletons. Quite a hike




The colors in this one are quite nice. I blocked out people who aren't me.


UPDATE: Here's another after the sun went down.

 

Quick & easy one that my daughter can handle & usually be able to let the pup off the leash a bit. Only about 3.5 miles & good views on top if it’s not socked in

 

Did you say trees?

 

King's Canyon? I grew up out in Southern California. The mountains and trees up around King's Canyon are incredible.

Photo is of a miserably cold night there about 20 years ago.

 

Hiked to Snoqualmie Lake again, around 18 miles total. Glad we brought snowshoes, the last couple miles before the lake would have been impassable without them.

 

No, this is in Crescent City, Ca.

 

Nothin' special. Just a walk out the back 40 with Wag Wag.

 

Looks straight for a long way. Is that a pipeline?

 

Used to be an Old Rail line. Now it’s called the Harte Trail. Part of the Great Trail cross Canada trail system. This leg is about 6 clicks. If you follow this leg to the end it takes you to Ft. White Centre. Big Ducks Unlimited sanctuary.

 

Snow? Believe it. The first is from a snow training exercise last weekend up on Mt. Lemmon. This area is about 7600ft. We almost never get snow which is why it's important to know how to do a rescue. Not as much a recreational hike as it is a bunch of desert dwellers making sure we remember how to walk in snowshoes and rig snow anchors.


Today I hiked Blackett's Ridge in the Sabino Canyon area. Lots of the snow (and mid 70s temperatures) gave us some real water.


Up at the top of Blackett's is a lovely view Sabino Canyon. Thimble Peak on the right of the photo. Snow fell as low as my home which is at 2400ft. Thimble Peak is about 4600ft and can be seen around most of Tucson. When in the Catalinas (all them mountains in the background) it makes a good waypoint. The hike up to it is rough.


Looking south is Bear Canyon, greater Tucson, and Mt. Wrightson in the distance. That's my 45lb rescue bag below.

 

Took my rifle on a walk to about 9kft.
Central Idaho.

 

Is that a recent pic? I'd expect snow at 9000 ft

 

Negative... That was mid October.
You are correct, in that region, theres probably about 12' of snow already.
In fact the road to that site is closed.

should have stated that.

 

Up around Molino Basin near the base of Mt. Lemmon in Tucson, Arizona. My daughter and I went up and down the canyon to see if any snow was left. We did find some as we drove up above 7500ft.


We have done a training on that cliff.

Kids in the desert don't grow up with pools and ponds everywhere. Natural water is fascinating.

 

I've been riding chairlifts lately

 

A group of wild turkeys in Madera Canyon, AZ - south of Tucson. This is about 30 miles north of the Mexican border.



People are getting outside and subsequently lost again now that COVID infections are down so a lot of my hiking has been official business instead of recreational. But dammit, gotta take a pic of them turkeys!

 

Believe it!


And from last night. I got off the trail around 130am. Flurries up on the mountain but it didn't start dumping until around 230am.

 

Put in 12 miles yesterday