 Newly repaved, the 8 mile loop through SENP is a great training route with short, steep climbs, a 1 mile+ climb, lots of turns and if you choose the right day, very little traffic.  The ocotillo is in bloom but we received too little rain to encourage the magnificent wild flowers.  I went around the loop, five times so ending with 41 miles and 3000' of climbing. Good workout but tomorrow is the hike to the Flat Iron so didn't want my legs to be like jelly for that monster.
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 Hey, sorry for the lack of posts but been riding a lot and don't take many pics. Have a big hike for Saturday though. Meantime, I bought a cooler so I too can have cold drinks (beer) to share after our group hikes. More to come.
 Got in a 71 mile ride today that took me almost to Picacho Peak via Frontage Road but rather than continue, I.....  ....hung a right on Park Link Road. In the distance of course is Newman Peak, our hiking destination of last week. I had left this weekend open as I planned to do the Saguaro Century at Saguaro East NP. That event was cancelled when the organizer was unable to acquire a permit. Park Link Road has good pavement but not many good views. It is 18 miles to St. Rt. 79 and all climbing albeit the average grade is only 1.3%.  For 40+ miles, there is no place to take a break until I reached a gas station at Catalina. It was awesome to get off the bike, even if I was sitting on concrete as a reward. The route had 2000'+ of climbing so it was a good workout.
 I continue to regain cycling fitness but at a ponderously slow pace. Recovering from the hikes takes a day or two so each is a small setback. On Tuesday, I started up the 26 mile climb to Summerhaven. It's not the physical challenge as yeah, climbing for almost all of the 26 miles is a challenge but with an average grade of 5%, it's more mental.  I reached the "Seven Cataracts" parking area at mile 9 while gaining 2300'. Then I simply spit the bit and coasted back down, finishing with 26 miles and 2700' as I rode a bit beyond the descent.  It is an epic climb but for every 10 times I begin the climb, I probably finish it to the Observatory, Ski Valley or Summerhaven, probably 2 of those 10 times. Spitting the bit is not uncommon, lol. The problem though, I have a really epic cycling event coming in the next week and I am just not nearly ready but what the heck......
 Waiting on hiking buddy Katherine to pick me up for a first time experience, riding in her Bolt. I discover her driving tendencies are a bit different from mine. 15-20mph over the speed limit in heavily patrolled Oro Valley and 10mph under the speed limit on I-10. I didn't nag much as I was glad for the carpool opportunity.  The tractors are out in force, readying the acreage for planting. We meet the rest of our 10 person group by a pump station, consolidate into vehicles that can make the 3.5 miles of dirt road and soon.....  ....arrive at the trail head. Bill Bens on the left, graciously volunteered to drive his Subaru, so those of us who didn't have a the required high clearance vehicle, could arrive. Meantime. all eyes are looking at....  ....Newman Peak, the 2nd peak from the left and the highest point in the Picacho Mountains. This would be my 3rd visit and my memories of the prior 2 visits were a cocktail of pain, suffering, bushwhacking, calling 911 for a lost hiker and MORE!  The hike begins with a bridge crossing over the CAP canal. Upon our return, each of us would have enjoyed a cooling dive but fencing prevents that. The diversion canal is 336 miles and brings water from the Colorado River into southern AZ.  The forecast high temperature was an unusual 93 degrees. So, our regroups always coincided with shade and within the shade, the cooling effect was significant.  The terrain is very rugged but I was pleasantly surprised that much of the brush that had made progress difficult on earlier hikes, had been cut. THANK YOU whoever you are.  My biggest concern was not making a mistake I had made on a prior visit, missing a 90 degree left turn. With the help of a gps track and more plentiful cairns, I managed to keep us on the route..  It's not accurate to call this a hike. It is mostly boulder hopping with a mix of ascending really steep slopes covered in scree. It's not for everyone but of course, all of our group are way experienced. Katherine tripped and bounced off a saguaro cactus but other than picking a few spines out of clothing, she was good to go.  The shells of land snails were plentiful as was scat from either deer or bighorns. Bighorn sheep were reintroduced into these mountains, 3 years ago.  I detest the use of paint to make arrows or leave messages but had to admit, as we regrouped in the shade. the message on the left wall was funny.  The scenery was magnificent as we slowly make our way to the peak. The average grade for the entire 2.5+ mile climb is 19% so when we finally.....  ...reach the peak, we were more than ready for it. There is an assortment of buildings and satellites. Back in the 1930's a beacon was placed on this peak so planes traveling east/west could use this and other beacons to guide them.  Looking across I10, we can see Picacho Peak, about 1000' lower than where we stood on Newman Peak. Dozens ascend that each day but few ever hike Newman. It's kind of a point of pride to have done both and I was glad all of our group made it today.  Lorna and Lorrie arrive. Check out all the distant fields.  We spent about 30 minutes at the top and then began the tricky descent. We probably all slipped at least once with Bill and Karen falling. Karen had a nasty looking gash but she reminded us that having crashed many times during an impressive cycling career, it wasn't the first time. We eventually made it to our vehicles, finishing with 5.75 miles and 2600' of climbing. Then....  ....all our schedules being clear, headed to a restaurant in Eloy. Missed the Amester on this hike but she'll be back for the next one.
 I'm escorting a group to Newman Peak, a little known peak that sits across I-10 from its much better known sister, Picacho Peak. I've driven the dirt portion of the route a couple of times but needed to check it prior to our hike. Dirt roads are susceptible to great change over time. I passed a large tree having a variety of items attached to it.  I scouted a 2nd route I had not previously driven and decided it was a better choice, requiring a mere 4 miles of dirt road driving. High clearance vehicles are required so our group has enough members with HCV to get all of us to the trail head.  Got out for a 41 mile ride that included the "Tunnel of Death" on north Thornydale Road. Also went as far into the Dove Mountain development as roads allow. Seems like every time I ride in there, another road has been added, stretching the development farther to the west.  Currently, the road ends at a nice park but certainly this too will be bypassed with another road.
 The wind and rain and cold caused us to spit the bit and quit CA. Rather than drive bumper to bumper on I-10, we chose an alternate route that paralleled the 10. It would add 2 hours to the drive time but it was worth it to drive nearly empty roads.  This side of the coastal mountains is much different as there are few trees and not nearly as green as we drive #166. There is however.....  ....thousands of acres of orchards, growing a variety of plants.  We pass through desolate locations such as Barstow and Needles, CA before crossing the AZ border and descending to....  ....Lake Havasu. I've never visited before and glad we did. Beautiful location that included....  .....the 2nd most visited tourist attraction in the state, behind only the Grand Canyon; the London Bridge. Chainsaw magnate, Robert McCullough, in 1967, bid $2.3 million for the 10,300 granite pieces that made up the facade of the bridge. Shipping all to AZ, he had a steel bridge constructed and then the pieces clad to the structure. Included in the sale were the ornate lamp posts that had been cast from melted cannons captured during the Battle of Waterloo in 1815.  Well worth a visit which includes....  ....sandy beaches. Our arrival coincided with the governors lifting of the mask mandate so it was great to.....  ....visit one of the many, booming restaurants and bars.  The next day, we exited Lake Havasu and made for Oro Valley and home.
 I waited until 11am for the temperature to warm to the upper 50's and then off I went on a planned, 72 mile ride having 4500' of climbing. Rolled through Los Olivos and out Foxen Canyon Road until at mile 26, I reached....  ....Tepusquet Road and made a right turn. The road is rolling to start but then climbs steadily, gaining 1500' in 10 miles. Never very steep, probably the maximum grade is 7%. At last I reach....  ....the top of the pass where the road then drops down to the #166. Hindsight being what it is, I would have been fine to descend and turn around but this being my longest ride in way too long I decided instead to...  ...park my bike and sit on the edge of the road for a break. There was no traffic so no problem.  Then I enjoyed a wonderful descent, passing a few wineries along the way prior to reaching Foxen Canyon again and then enjoyed a tailwind for most of my return. I'm feeling better about my fitness, post ride but still a ways to go. Unfortunately, the forecast changed and with a high of 58 on Thursday with rain and wind and more wind and chilly temps, Amy and I decided to.... ....flee. More to come on our return drive, including the rebuilt Londen Bridge in Lake Havasu.
 We drove to Nojoqui Park to visit the falls. A sign warned of mountain lion activity as we entered the trail for the short hike to the base of a 100' falls.  Jack showing his climbing prowess.  The standard, "Don't Go Beyond This Point" signage, ignored by everyone as a view from that spot is pretty lame.  It really is a beautiful location. Retracing our route, we jump in the car and drive back to Solvang while passing.....  ....hundreds of massive white oak trees. I was having a problem with shifting on my bike so had dropped off my bike at Dr. J's bike shop the day before. I was pretty sure I had bent the rear derailleur while removing the bike from a trainer. Sure enough, a stop at the shop confirmed that was the problem. Bike repairs were taking 2 weeks but since I was a visitor, they put the bike in the stand and quickly fixed the problem. The winds were 20-30 with gusts to 40mph so we drove out Santa Rosa Road, got on Jalama Road and soon....  ....were at Jalama Beach, visited the Jalama Store and had the world famous, Jalama Burger!  We walked along the beach while watching....  ....a wind surfer and talked to.....  ....a couple of guys fishing for perch. Next we drove around and eventually got on a very bumpy Drum Canyon Road where we saw....  ....a long line of cattle heading up a trail before stopping at....  ...Zaca Mesa Winery. Fun day, back on the bike tomorrow.
 I rode 61 miles on Saturday that included a visit to the town of Oracle. With Sunday's drive to CA, my legs were kind of stiff so Amy and I took a leisurely ride route out of Solvang, passing several wineries. We got onto....  ....one of my favorites, Ballard Canyon Road.  A beautiful entry to a home at the top of a climb.  Amy reaches the top too and we enjoy....  ....looking down the valley. We arrive in Los Olivos, cross #154 and proceed on Foxen Canyon Road which is flat for a short distance but then....  ....climbs before descending where we make a left, pass Firestone winery and then reach the....  ....#154 again where there is signage to indicate the direction to many wineries. The day was very windy with 20-30mph winds so we were glad we kept it short. We walked around Solvang, having a nice conversation with the manager of a wine tasting room, made reservations at the Sear Steakhouse, a new restaurant. We were very pleasantly ....  ....surprised they allowed seating inside. Food was terrific too. Thus endth the first day in CA. The wind tomorrow will be in the 20-30mph range so going hiking instead and a visit to Jalama Beach.
 We departed Oro Valley at 8am with an expected arrival in Solvang, CA at 5pm. All was going well as we traveled on I-8, jogged north to I-10, crossed the Colorado River and transited through.....  ....Palm Springs, CA. Mount San Jacinto, towers over us at 10,800' so slightly higher than Mount Lemmon. Exiting Palm Springs, we ran into traffic at a virtual standstill. We killed 45 minutes in that jam and from that point forward, we encountered many such delays as the volume of traffic overwhelmed the 4-6 lanes available to us. I thought CA was in a virtual lockdown???? Then, on the 101 we....  ....emerge with grand views of the Pacific and the Channel Islands. Reaching Santa Barbara, we take the 154.....  ....into the Santa Ynez mountains, cross over and descend into....  .....Santa Ynez Valley, home to Solvang, Los Olivos, Los Alamos, Buellton, etc... Great cycling opportunities in the surrounding countryside. I'm escorting Amy on a beautiful loop of 25 miles on Monday and then doing something more ambitious the following day. More to come.
 Tuesday evening, the sun sets on an unusually cool day having a high of only 58. The snow has melted from Pusch Ridge. I didn't want to put my legs through the impact of a hike so took the day off. I find it so odd that when living in OH I'd join group rides having a start temp in the mid to upper 20's but out here, I'd rather not ride until the temp is at least 55 degrees.  Wednesday though, a return to close to normal with a high of 70 so I got in a 51 mile ride that included rolling through Saddlebrook. Managed to avoid getting run over by one of the many golf carts motoring around.  The 1'+ of snow on the top of the Catalinas has begun to melt too of course as day time highs up there will be in the 50's. My bike mileage is way below where it should be. I've averaged around 120 miles each of the last 4 weeks but instead should be in the 200-250 week range. I've allowed some unusually cool or windy days to discourage me from riding. I'm eyeing a cycling event on 4/11 that is 100 miles and 8000' of climbing, entirely within Saguaro East National Park. I have a very long way to go to get ready for that, along with an Ohio visit where I will slot in with a fun group for a few rides.
 Another evening with a roaring fire. I've bought so many bags of firewood I really should bring a chainsaw I keep in Ohio, back with me when I visit in May. I don't have a clue where I am allowed to cut and it likely is way north or otherwise remote.  Another system came through, Monday night and brought some rain to the valley and snow to the mountains. That creates some great views.  In the distance, the line of clouds advances towards me, bringing a rather cool but sunny day. Sombrero and Panther peaks are obscured by lingering clouds.  I rode yesterday as I continue to build toward a bike week in CA, which begins next week. I'll post lots of pics. Rest day today just because I don't want to ride when temps are in the 40's/50's. Back to 70 tomorrow.
 Rain moved in overnight but was forecast to be beyond where we would start our Saturday morning, 9am hike. As Amy and I drove to the Superstitions, with hiking friend Katherine, it appeared we were good to go. Nine of us gathered at the First Water trail head and began.....  ....our hike. Soon we got onto the Lost Dutchman trail and followed a rolling route that was occasionally in the burn areas but mostly not so that was good. I was actually glad that the clouds lingered as they created some.....  .....incredible views. In the distance, Weaver's Needle or a portion of it. While yes, I am infatuated with far off vistas, I can also appreciate things like....  ....Indian paintbrush flowers. Ok, nice but as we continue, I am looking for a clearing where there are some camp sites and close to an intersection with the Black Mesa Trail......  .....I find it and there we find a group of backpackers who have been out here for a week. I look for a nearby ridge and climb it, knowing this is the way into a ravine that we must follow. In the distance.....  .....Dead Woman's Cave. While we began our hike with 9, we collected a couple who moved from NJ, two weeks ago. They were not lost but also were unaware of all the marvelous features around them. We invited them to join us and they eagerly accepted. Two weeks ago, stuck in the cold and miserableness of an east coast winter and now.....  ...with us as we go off trail, up a canyon. Well, ok, today was somewhat similar to NJ with the weather if not the scenery. Cold (low 50's), windy, occasional sun, lots of clouds and then it began to rain. Most of us, well, all of us were prepared for the rain except one.....  ....me. I was wearing a windbreaker. I look at the enormous packs my companions carry and I wonder, what the heck do you have in there? Gosh, they were all able to produce rain gear! How about that?!?!? During a brief, heavier period of rain, I retreated beneath an overhang as shown above. Note the lichen on the boulder above me.  I locate a cross ravine where, turning left, we begin a steep ascent having an average grade of 33%. In the distance, center-left, Aylor's Arch on top of Palomino Mountain. I hope, that as you skim this report, you aren't doing it on a cell phone because some of these images deserve.....  ....a much larger format on which to view. I enjoyed watching each of my fellow hikers emerge from the difficult ascent and then stand.....  ....to celebrate what was a destination not yet reached. I scouted around a bit and then after dropping our packs, we all headed toward the arch.  We filed up a narrow gap to reach....  ....the top of a ridge that narrows as it descends to the top of the arch. I've gone about half way down but the exposure got to me so no reason to give it another go today. Instead, I showed some of the group a way to drop below the arch so we could watch as....  ....Lorna confidently walks to a point just above the start of the arch. The arch appears somewhat fragile so neither Lorna nor Colleen from NJ went beyond where they wisely stopped. Another of our group, John, ventured almost as far.  We regathered and then it began to.....  ....hail! What the heck although I preferred that to rain. We snacked.....  ....at an awesome overlook and then began.....  ....the steep descent, back to the.....  ....ravine where we boulder hopped back to the official trail. We finished with 11 miles and 2000' of climbing. As we drove back to Oro Valley, closing on the Catalinas, we could see.....  ....snow had crept very close to the floor of the valley. So odd for mid March. Close to a foot of snow had fallen at the highest elevations. Back to cycling.
 After the fun hike with a great bunch of people on Saturday, to Thimble Peak, I did a very short ride on Sunday just to kind of "reorient" the ligaments, bones and all else impacted by the hike. Followed that by finding a $20 dollar bill on the pavement....how about that!!! Then another short ride on Monday and finding all systems were agreeable....  .....got in a 61 mile ride, 2000'+ climbing, on Tuesday with a climb to Gates Pass. I declined going down the west facing side as then I'd have to climb back up or go way over to Picture Rocks Road for the return. There being a "Red Flag Alert" for high winds moving in, I didn't want to get caught out in that so made it back in breezy conditions and THEN......  .....came home to find a wine box that I ordered had been delivered. Every time I visit a restaurant or wine shop and see one of these boxes, I always think it'd be nice to have one so now I do. Have no idea where I will place it but the Amster has promised to lend her inner decor eye to the project. Also received new bike tires and cleats for the bottom of my bike shoes. Then.....looked at the extended forecast for Solvang, CA for when I'll be there for a cycling vaca and it looks fantastic. Really hope it holds. Well, that's about it gang.
 A prominent peak when viewed from the south or east is Thimble Peak. It can be approached from Bear Canyon, Sabino Canyon or Sycamore Canyon with the latter being the most direct so I organized a group hike, departing from the Gordon H parking area at 5000' elevation.  All but Amy and I arrived early (a paving project stopped us for awhile) so rather than start at 8:00am it was more like 8:10am....sorry! We begin our hike but soon I hear a yell and am told to pause as the group needed to shed a layer of clothing. In the valley, the overnight low was only around 50 and the high to be 85. At this higher elevation, it wasn't much cooler.  After 1.3 miles with a mild ascent, Amy's sunglasses reflect a.....  ....magnificent view. The high point in the distance is Cathedral Rock. I've only been there once and want to do it again but would have to carefully select the hiking partners rather than open it to anyone interested. The once a week group hikes have been great fun for me but Cathedral is a different set of circumstances at 17 miles and 6000' of climbing....yikes.  After descending 600' from the saddle down into Sycamore Canyon and at about 2.4 miles from our start, we reach a trail intersection and take the left breaking fork which gives us our first view of Thimble Peak in the distance and a marvelous spot at.....  ....Sycamore Reservoir. The dam, built in the 1930's, appears to be in good shape but the area behind it long ago filled in with debris so it was simply a stream, tumbling over the dam.  The trail through Sycamore Canyon is relatively flat, sandy and easy on the feet. Reaching a large cairn, from previous visits, I know to make a left which is known as the shortcut to Bear Canyon Trail. We cross a wash with some water flow and ascend to.....  ....Bear Canyon Trail where we make a left. The shortcut shaves about 1 mile from the hike. I was surprised that there was no evidence from last year's fire. Good that this area was spared although still standing, burned trees, likely from the 2003 Aspen fire, were plentiful.  We reach Thimble Saddle and soon thereafter, Thimble Flat. Just as the trail plunges into Bear Canyon, I look for what was once a very faint trail breaking right but is now rather obvious. In the distance, Thimble Peak and not looking all that impressive considering all else about it.  The route has many obvious outcroppings where we can stand to admire the awesome views.  We ascend, steadily making progress to Thimble Peak. A few days prior to our hike, a member, Paul C. contacted me and said he would depart early, climb the east tower and be there to assist our climb, describing it as, "any capable hiker ought to be able to make it".  Sure enough, close enough now to see the full exposure of the east tower (referred elsewhere as the south tower so who knows) I see Paul, standing at the top. You have to look closely but there he is. That was a relief as while just reaching the base of Thimble is a fine hike, making it to the top is freaking spectacular.  The gang follows closely behind. Having hiked 5 miles, there was a worn face or two but this group is comprised of real troopers. Fun loving, outdoor, adventure seekers.  Paul encouraged me so up I went, a little, kind of reconnoitered the situation and thought, "Hmmm, I don't think the group will do this." Au contraire! Marc G volunteered and up he went. Then I think Jeff, then maybe Lorna and at some point, I did too.  With space being limited, we had to clear out and continue the slightly less technical ascent. Amy shows her reaction to reaching the peak with Jeff and Lorna to her left. All but two of us made it up as we busied ourselves with having.....  ....our pictures taken from various vantage points.  Marc poses with the west tower behind him. That tower is about 10' higher than the east tower on which we were standing. Paul volunteered to down climb, go around to a center notch, climb up, secure rope so we could ascend the other tower but we all were satisfied with what we already had accomplished.  We could see into Bear Canyon and.....  ....farther down Bear Canyon and the city of Tucson beyond. We also could see...  ....into Sabino Canyon and even Sabino Canyon Road and the shuttle, transporting people who were gawking at the scenery and having no idea, way above them, we were gawking in their direction.  Having left our packs below, many of us were hungry and thirsty so we began to gather ourselves for the climb down, about which I was a little nervous. We signed into the peak register but then I found an older one, shoved under an overhang. Paul had ascended this peak more than a few times but had never previously spotted it.  Taking one last look around, we....  .....began the descent. Lorrie, above, has an issue with exposure but the effect of the chimney made a difference and she had no problem. Paul had secured a rope for us so some took advantage of it, some not.  We circled around and looked at the notch between the twin towers. I've been up it once and to the west tower but, again, our appetite was sated and we headed back. Finished with 11 miles and 2700' of climbing. I had guesstimated it would take our group 6 hours but it was 7 instead. Not too bad of a miss but a couple of us were running short of water at the end.
 The rugged looking, Catalina Mountains.  The trail is easy to follow, as always but also as rugged as ever.  The area has of course been impacted by the fire but in many places, unaffected.  A blackened ocotillo still stands in front of a stark landscape.  We reach a set of pools and.....  ....relax as the water flows by in a narrow channel. We enjoyed exploring the area but soon began the hike back.  Looking to the ravine from where we came, it's a beautiful place.  Great views....  ....all around with Sombrero and Panther peaks in the distance.  Visible evidence of fire retardant that failed to contain the fire but it did preserve a narrow band of vegetation.  A saguaro has been cut into pieces as Amy stands beside it for context to its size. Finished with 5.7 miles and 1200' of climbing.
 Our group of nine, park at the scenic overlook at the top of Gates Pass Road on this beautiful, sunny morning. We'll hike clockwise around the formidable Bushmaster ridge before ascending to the peak. Thereafter, some ridge hopping, prior to a nasty, bushwhacking descent to complete our loop.  The initial ascent, following a faint trail, winds through many patches of the dreaded Jumping Cholla. Most of us collected at least one cone on our clothing with a few of us having to remove spines that had penetrated.  The route has a few steep but short descents that require some care while navigating. Above, top right, members of our group have stacked up a little but quickly clear through and we continue.  There are multiple peaks in the vicinity, each beckoning to be visited.  Matt emerges from a fairly steep climb with lots of loose footing. I always hike this route clockwise as the reverse direction would require a treacherous descent. In the distance, Gates Pass Road and branching from it, the Yetman Trail.  Working our way behind the ridge, we ascend a very steep, brushy section and reach.....  .....the ridge that we viewed while in the parking lot. There is some easy hiking along this until.....  ....the ridge narrows. A hiking pole or two is very handy through this section.  Gloves too come in handy as we pick our way up and down several peaks until we break at the high point. We find the summit registry and sign in before some additional ridge hopping and then....  ....descend steeply off the ridge, reach a saddle and then descend a ravine. Once the descent eases, we make our way through one last obstacle.....  ....a thicket of a variety of nasty cactus. I managed to lead us on a serpentine route until we reached Gates Pass Road and followed it a short distance to the parking lot, finishing our 3.4 mile, 1800' adventure.
 The recovery from the Rattlesnake hike took a couple of days but back on the bike for a 40 mile ride on Monday and a.....  ....40 mile ride on Tuesday. I have a ways to go to get ready for the Planet Ultra, Solvang Spring Tour. The itinerary is below and I know, I know, you're thinking.....  ....Mark, ain't no way you can do that much riding and climbing in a week. I share your misgivings but I've done it a few times. I'll probably skip the climb up Figueroa Mountain in favor of climbing Gibraltar out of Santa Barbara. A classic that one.
 Our group of twelve gather at the Sabino Canyon over flow parking lot. I had scouted about 3/4 of our hike to Rattlesnake Peak, a few weeks ago and lamented all the time I spent wandering around the slopes. Today, despite the thick vegetation, we got through in much faster time than my earlier solo effort.  Happy hikers all, at least at this early part of our hike as we enjoy the views. The start temp was around 45 degrees but once the climbing began in earnest, layers of clothing were peeled.  The hike has many steep sections....really steep but all that climbing creates the usual, visual reward.  We spot a cave in a distant wall. I claim it is a well known lion's lair. Of course, I have no idea, ha, ha.  How to differentiate one peak from another? Hike buddy Marc produces his cell phone which has an app that identifies all significant peaks. Rattlesnake is the middle one. At some point, noting a couple of the hikers were lagging a bit, I suggested we climb the lower peak to the right, name if "Rattlesnake Junior" and call it a day. Nope, the hard core participants looked at me like I am an imbecile.  At last, we enter the burn area. While it creates a stark appearance, the hiking is so much easier.  In a canyon to our left, we detect movement and spot a deer. Since the vegetation has burned, it is easy to spot game trails, represented by the slightly lighter brown color strips, criss crossing the slopes.  There are some great rock spires as we ascend. In the distance, Mica Mountain which, rather than snow, is showing the sparkling mica around the peak.  We had become separated from 3 of our group. We decided to take a break and see if they could catch. As we waited, one of them, David, emerged from a ridge above us. Really good thing he had not followed our route exactly because he discovered a hiker, not of our group, out of water and without a cell phone. David gave him a bottle, sent him to hook up with 2 of our group and they all hiked out together although there was some drama during the descent, arguing about which route to follow. All made it back and on the spot, I declared David the winner of the group's "Humanitarian of the Year" award winner. Of course, the incident provoked much conversation during and the day after our hike. Being unprepared will, and it's no exaggeration, get you killed in these mountains.  Then, we turned our attention to the reminder of what is a very difficult hike. If we were not ascending slopes having an average grade of 30%, we were traversing them. Above, our group takes a short break as I poke around slightly above.  Then the difficulty meter, ratcheted up some more. Same steep slopes but now brush and boulders crowded in amongst us. No trail, just shoving through, backing up, probing elsewhere, over and over. At last.....  ....we reached what David aptly named, "The Rattlesnake's Tail". Lorna climbed it and being the camera hog that she is, posed like a Hollywood star at the Oscars. ha, ha. She is a wonderful hiking buddy.  The reason David named it the Tail is because, while not much farther is the peak, the effort to shove our way through the remaining 1/4 mile to the peak (head), would have taken too long. We declared victory and stopped for a short break.  A couple of quartz pieces left on a boulder.  We descended and reentered the burn area. It is with some satisfaction that I observed Shin Daggers, burned. Nasty plants.  Exiting the brush, it was easy route finding down to a saddle. While you can't identify them, there are 9 hikers in the above image.  While I was a little concerned about our amount of daylight, I needn't have worried. We took a break but rarely for long as we headed down.  So much evidence of last summer's burn. No one will be impressed with our distance of 8.3 miles but couple that with 4600' of climbing and the bushwhacking....that was a really hard hike. I've been to Cathedral Rock which is the high point in the front range of the Catalinas and judge Rattlesnake, at only 40' lower elevation, to be more difficult. After checking Strava, I saw my hike time was 4:44 but total elapsed time was 8:19. Lol, the life of a part time guide requires some waiting but that is ok. I enjoy providing a few people the chance to visit sights they otherwise would not see.
 Pass Mountain sits slightly southwest of the Superstitions in the Usery Mountain Park. I drove to one of several trail heads, this one at the top of Meridian Road in Apache Junction. I've read the Pass Mountain ridge line route is a good one but not to do it on a windy day so I decided to try the Pass Mountain Loop trail. 8 miles with 1000' of climbing so given what I have scheduled for this Friday, not too strenuous. In the distance, the western end of the Supes.  From the Meridian trail head, there is no signage nor did I encounter any for over half of the hike so have a gps track for reference. You'll discover several trail intersections that will leave you confused at times. The trail climbs almost 2 miles to a pass from where....  ....the views are great, including the Four Peaks.  From the pass, rather than dropping down, the trail....  ....stays high and traverses the slopes.  Someone hung Christmas ornaments on a cactus in the foreground.  The trail descends slightly and eventually I reach a broad area with more good views where I talk to a couple of hikers.  The trail descends in earnest and rounding a corner I can see the "PHOENIX" directional sign on a nearby hill side.  Continuing, I reach the Wind Cave trail head where there is a steady stream of people making the 1.5 mile mile climb. The cave is somewhere at the bottom of the cliff band.  Nearing the end of the hike, the sun has changed the appearance of the Supes from how it looked 2.5 hours earlier. This is a good hike and worth doing but probably not again. Portions of the trail are runnable so you can motor around it faster than your normal pace should you want to.
 Since I began organizing group hikes a couple of months ago, the hikes tend to be on the adventure side of the equation, with distances in the 8-10 mile range. With 3300 members in the group I thought I'd organize a shorter, slower hike to see if that appealed to a different crew. Ahhh, no. Only 3 of us showed up and as I was walking, I realized I wasn't getting much cardio benefit so not to be selfish but that's the end of that little experiment.  Today's hike was around and over Brown Mountain. I had time if not to stop and smell the roses, to stop and take pics. Well gang, it's been a good winter for hiking but the upper 70's and low 80's are right around the corner. I've signed up for a cycling camp in So Cal for March so I need to put in a bunch of bike miles before then. Don't worry, will still hike, just amping up the saddle time.
 Wow, clouds? Our group of nine, ascend the Bluff Springs trail. At mile one, I show the group a faint trail coming in from the left, the Cave Trail. So named because there are several caves along its 1.5 mile length. I should have never mentioned that as throughout the hike, while not on the Cave Trail, I was asked, "Where are the caves?" or "Is this where the caves are?" ha, ha.  The usual brilliant blue sky is covered for part of today although the clouds add some drama to the scenery.  After 1.5 miles of hiking, we descend Bark's Canyon where the fire damage is extensive. At least the vegetation at the bottom of the canyon remains. Weaver's Needle in the distance.  Water is flowing at the bottom of Bark's Canyon. We ascend to a ridge, drop down into....  ....another canyon having a broad rock base with another stream. Really beautiful place. I look for a boulder on which miner A.R. Peralta had inscribed his name and....  ....find it. I opened a water bottle and poured it over the surface to enhance the viewing pleasure of the group. Only then did I think, "I just poured half a bottle of my water over that boulder. That's really stupid." Especially with water flowing through the stream bed a step away. Fortunately, I still had plenty at the end of the hike.  The skeletal remains of burned plants but the roots survive and already, green shoots have emerged. We ascend out of this canyon and take a break at a ridge.  During the break, most of us explore a nearby formation.  David takes a break as the Needle continues to, if not dominate, at least almost always present itself in the distance.  I know to look for a left breaking trail at mile 3.1. I'm at 3.5 miles and a tad anxious that I may have missed the trail. About the time I decide I did miss it and will need to announce the embarrassing news to the group, at 3.6.....  ...whew! There it is. I had parked a distance from the trail head so that added enough to the hike to skew the trail find an extra .5 miles. Now on the unsigned, Weaver's Needle Crosscut Trail, we soon see....  ....the standing lion formation, upper right. The walk through Needle Canyon is typically....  ....beautiful and it still is but so different. With all the brush burned, our attention is turned to the surrounding rock spires and other neat features, much of which would normally be obscured.  We reach the saddle below Weaver's Needle. There is an option to take a cairned route to get a closer look at the Needle as from our vantage point, it is completely hidden, but I opt not to go. Our hike is taking quite a bit longer than I anticipated and that would have added a good 30-40 minutes. The wind is rather strong so I suggest we descend to a warmer and more sheltered location. The descending route through the boulders is no longer cairned and I am glad I have been through here a few times. The notch toward which I am walking, above is not at all obvious as part of the route. On the other side....  ....a giant boulder balances with an awesome background.  The descent is rather sketchy but a fun, bouldering experience. Reaching the Peralta Trail, we regroup and make a left.  The clouds have begun to shift out of our vicinity and the sun feels great. Reaching Fremont Saddle, we have the option of descending the very busy and boring Peralta Trail or descend via the exciting Cave Trail.  The caves, some shallower then others, are plentiful. Here again, because of time constraints, I had to bypass one section higher up that had some nice cave examples. A couple of our members chose to visit and glad they had the opportunity while I escorted the others through some challenging route finding that included...  ....descending several steep drainages, visiting the Devil's Bathtub (see last week's report for details) and of course.....  ....down climbing the wall. I guessed the grade was 40% and later checked and it was 41.5%...that's steep and a couple of us had some issues but Marc was always there to assist. Hey! I could have but I was taking pics and offering verbal encouragement, "You're not going to make it!" The experience was complicated by wind gusts reaching 30+mph. After 1.5 miles, we reach the Bluff Springs trail again and....  ....descend to our cars. I finished with 9.5 miles and 2400' of climbing. I badly missed my estimated overall time (4 hours) by a bunch (6) hours. I need to build in more time on future, adventure type hikes like this one.
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