 Catalina State Park opened last week (post Bighorn Fire which burned 119,000 acres) and when first we enter, park, all appears normal but of course, how could it be given what has occurred. So, no surprise.....  .....we park at the end of the drive, walk a few feet to a wash and see the above. It's impossible to know how much of the plant life will survive. Time of course, will tell.  It appears the wash was one backstop and when that failed, crews pitched in to limit the burn to the main trail.  As sad as this is, I spoke to many volunteers from various states who had been brought in to assist the fire fighting effort and they all saw the burn as a good thing. It had been about 100 years since the area had last burned. Lot of good fertilizer on the ground and already, many shoots of new growth are apparent.  The surrounding hills, stripped of vegetation, seem ripe for rock fall if we get a good rain during this 2nd consecutive monsoon season of little rain.  Many hikers were on the trails within the park, including this dog wearing glasses. My timing could not have been better, capturing the tongue out.  Nothing green in this image and a nearby Saguaro....  ....made us wonder if it would survive. I have no idea how quickly the fire moved through or how much it lingered, burning fuel while the Saguaros suffered.  The biggest disappointment is when reaching state trust land, trails are closed at least thru October. Frankly the justification for closing some of these trails is really weak....really, really weak.
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 The early morning views are so awesome as I arrive on the west side of Gates Pass at the Yetman trail head. From the parking lot, I can see Goldengate Mountain to my right and to my left is the little known Bern Mountain. I've read a couple of hiking reports and there are a few different approaches. I follow Yetman to a point where I see the above view. I've reached one access point from a gps track I have but see 0 evidence anyone has ever tread so I turn and follow a.....  .... trail that is well worn but not on the park's maps. It goes clockwise around Bern and gives nice views of Gates Pass Road and the distant Bushmaster Peak.  I approach a saddle and soon am in an area of the Tucson Mountains I have not previously visited. The trail mostly climbs and when reaching another saddle, I hear a noise to my left and...  ....see a couple of deer bounding away. I continue to look for a way up and see a couple but don't see any cairns and have no interest in pioneering a new route in today's heat.  I started the hike in roughly the 6 o'clock position and now at about the 12 o'clock position, see a cairn and begin heading up. It's getting too late so I turn around but now know the access point. The trail I have been following continues but not certain where/if it emerges on a known trail (it does I learned later), turn around.  Retracing my route, I see the serpentine Gates Pass Road and as I continue my descent I....  ....see a black tail rattlesnake cross the trail a few feet in front of me. I suppose it is returning from its morning hunt and pays me no attention as it slithers into its den. Finished with under 4 miles so not a difficult hike but will be back to finish the trek to the peak.
 I arrived at the trailhead and began the hike. About 1/2 mile in I woke the heck up and realized I was on the wrong trail, returned to my car, drove a few miles and began the hike. Not a good way to begin but after way too many false starts, I was not going to spit the bit again. I reached....  ....the trailhead at the top of Sarasota Road and began. The trail goes through a pass that separates Little Cat from Big Cat Mountain. I got on the Explorer Trail and began hiking clockwise around the Cat. Yes, there is a route that begins in the pass and I have poked around in there but was discouraged by a wall.  So green but the state is in a moderate drought and the monsoon so far, just like last year, has been mostly dormant.  About 2 miles into my hike, I reach the cairn that indicates it is time to begin the off trail climb that eventually reaches the above ridge. Just looking at what was before me I guessed the route would cut right below a rock band but wrong again. The climb to the ridge is about .7 miles with an average grade of 26% so pretty steep.  The route has numerous cairns and is not much of a challenge to follow other then I was taking it very slow partly for rattlers and partly because each time I reached a cairn I'd have to pause and locate the next and the next and on and on. Lots of barrel cactus in the area.  Approaching the aforementioned rather deep, rock band, I was surprised when the route cut to the left but there was a nice staircase that eventually came to a ridge, far to the left of the peak. I did not realize it at the time but I still had almost .5 miles to go but what an awesome time!  It begins with a wall that has enough foot and hand holds that I was able to clamber up. A fall here would not be good! Then, there are a series of....  ....false summits as each slope would result in a view of another and another. The ridge is kind of narrow in a few places but always there were boulders jutting from the ground to hop across but again, don't trip.  At last, I reached the peak where someone had painted some messages. More significant was....  ....a transponder that PIMA County installed. Their effort at camouflaging it was not so good. In the distance, Golden Gate Mountain.  Greeaaatt views from the peak.  The option exists to continue ahead and descend the northwest side as mentioned earlier. I walked a little down and checked it out. Given the rising temp, if I got down there and became cliffed out or lost the route, I didn't have enough fluids to retrace my route so instead.....  .....I headed back the way I came, finishing with 5.4 miles and 1350' of climbing. A fun hike. Back at the car, with the temperature at 100, I removed my shirt and could wring sweat from it. It was soaked, so too most of my shorts. Hot hiking these days with humidity.
 Another hot one so another early start as the sun rises over the still closed, Catalina Mountains.
 Some butt hiking caused an opening in a pair of shorts. Not wishing to dispose of the "seasoned" pair, I was ironing a patch over the opening while failing to realize the back of the iron was resting on the freaking shorts! For gosh sakes you idiot!!! My so far fruitless search for an alternate way to the peak of Cat Mountain was finally solved today. This is about my 4th attempt at finding "the way" and not sure why. Chalk it up to lack of due diligence. I once again park at the top of Sarasota Road, go through the pass between Big and Little Cat mountains as shown above. I've poked around on the slope at the base of Cat a couple of times and know there is a route but looks kind of sketchy so I....  .....get on the Explorer Trail which winds clockwise around Cat. It's early and the views are fantastic as the sun rises. After about 4 miles, I spot a cairn indicating the start of the route to the peak. I start up it for a hundred yards and find it is easy to follow with lots of cairns if not an actual trail, to follow. It's getting a bit late and I'd rather do it next week with more fluids now that I know exactly how to ascend.  I head back and spot Starr Pass Resort in the distance. Going to visit that in a couple of weeks for a staycation. Finished with a little over 4 miles for this day.
 We drove up Mount Hopkins Road, made a left on a forest service dirt road and followed it for 2.5 miles. Actually drove past the trail head so turned around and found the small parking area. Off the three of us went, first following a trail that rises and falls a couple of times prior to dropping onto an old mining road. Pretty overgrown, much more so then when last I was here in 2016.  At some point, we catch a glimpse of our destination, Elephant Head. It's a fun hike/scramble to the top of that. We continue to ascend via the road and soon pass....  .....an abandoned mine having appropriate warning sign about the dangers lurking beyond the entrance.  The road bends clockwise around a mountain and then....  .....we got a really good look at the objective. We got a late start to our adventure, 7:50am on a day with a forecast high of 109. Just past the 2 mile point of our hike, we noted a cairn on the left side of the road and began the very steep and sketchy descent. We would lose about 500' prior to....  ....finding the bottom of Chino Canyon. Nice spot with shade and running water. We paused briefly before beginning the climb.....  ....the canyon to the saddle below Elephant Head. The climb out of Chino Canyon gains about 700' but is not nearly as steep as the other side.  Looking to the south we see Little Elephant Head. Been there once but don't remember much about it. We found the trail that breaks left off the saddle, followed a faint trail over a couple of protrusions before coming to.....  ....the base of the neck of Elephant Head. It's an awesome sight as we ditch our hiking poles and begin the ascent.  My companions, Amy and Tracy, had a great time as we slowly worked our way, bypassing the steepest sections on the right while enjoying some modest scrambling up the nape of the neck. Finally....  ...we reach the top. Unfortunately, the peak was swarming with some kind of flying ant, the presence of which made it too annoying to stay. We quickly signed the register and departed.  I took a few quick images and led....  ....the ladies down. There is surprisingly not a lot of exposure but I think for some hikers, there are a few places where there is enough they may be freaked out. There definitely are many spots where a fall would cause serious injury, perhaps death so be careful. We reach the saddle, find the trail into the canyon where.....  ....arriving first, I cool my feet and douse my head. I underestimated my fluid needs so ran out soon after climbing out of the canyon and reaching the road. Tracy had extra so with that, I scooted ahead to reach the SUV where there was more water waiting. The hike was 6.8 miles with 2500' of climbing yet it took us 5 hours to finish. I really underestimated the time and that got me in a bit of trouble as I walked the final mile with empty bottles.
 Began the day driving through for a breakfast sandwich as a hawk dined on another bird, nearby. Headed to the west side of the Tucson Mountains, arriving at a trailhead at the top of Sarasota Road. We were headed for the pass between Big and Little Cat Mountains. Reaching a signed junction, we go left and visited....  ....the famous buried vehicle. Continued counterclockwise around Little Cat, staying on trail until it topped out.....  .....at a ridge and then went off trail to our left and began a fairly steep ascent.  Ugh, evil looking things that are plentiful in the area. The dreaded Jumping Cholla.  It's not a long hike to the top of Little Cat but once up there, it's a beautiful view. It's fun to top along the ridge line with a several hundred foot drop to the west.  In the distance is Big Cat Mountain. I've not climbed that yet but pretty sure it's on my schedule for next week.  We were going to return the way we came, as I once did before but as we descended the ridge, hopping among the boulders, we spotted an opening that appeared to allow a descent down the west side. What the heck, if we get cliffed out we'll just climb back but while the descent was very steep, we made it. I became rather cautious when we passed the skin of a rattlesnake. Below is....  ....the route we took. Finished with only 2.5 miles but a very fun hike.
 The 119,000 acre, Bighorn fire is out. In anticipation of runoff, the washes are being cleared. This one is across the street from me in Oro Valley. Typically, it is packed with trees and brush but....  ....looking across to the mountains, rain has come and the forecast is for a bunch of it.  The work crew is working their way down stream but have a couple of miles yet to clear.  The runoff is black from the ash but the majority of the rain hit the south side of the Catalinas where many roads were closed but on my side, not so much. Well, many days left in monsoon season so we shall see if it is a "Nonsoon" or a "Monsoon".
 As many know, I live at the base of the Catalinas but they are off limits, perhaps until early November because of the fire. Also off the board is the Superstition Mountains. There is a mountain range to the southwest called the Sierittas. Never visited but did some research and discovered there is a way to Keystone Peak, the high point. Following directions, I eventually get on McGee Road and park at this water tank.  Don't block this entry nor go through it in your vehicle. The McGee family allows access to hikers so park (probably 4 vehicles max could fit) and begin your hike.  Soon, you pass the family cemetery on the right. I counted at least 25 grave sites. You will pass several intersections so it's a good idea to have a gps route to follow to avoid the confusion of guessing which direction to go.  The entirety of the route follows a wonderfully groomed, dirt road. In place, it is quite steep.  Eventually, I reached a turn that gave me a view of the peak, except it was not, just a hill that aligned perfectly with a more distant peak.  I passed an old mining camp. This being only about 20 miles from the Mexican border, I wasn't overly curious to look inside. This area is remote so I'd recommend having a hiking buddy for the effort.  Looking back, the road is very easy to follow and so after about 4.3 miles I.....  ....reach the peak on which there are several....  ....antennas and similar structures. I read a hike report where someone claimed he met a member of the McGee family up here and he said it was ok to climb "their" antenna to the platform for an even better view. I looked at that and decided....no.  What's that?!?!? A cloudburst in the distance, slightly right of center. Would rather not get caught in that so....  ....headed down. To reiterate, there are several places where the way to go is kind of confusing so download the track of the internet, via the Hikearizona site.  Some cows watch me as I pass, finishing with 8.7 miles and 1560' of climbing.
 The day prior to this hike, I read it was only 1.3 miles (actually 1.5) so I filled a water bottle about 3/4 full and arrived at the parking lot. Hmmm,.......  ....I could see people climbing steep sections and thought, "Damn, I don't have enough water for this!" We began....  .....while passing the signpost for the "Easy Breezy Trail" and I thought that would probably be better but we stayed on the cathedral Rock Trail.  Check out the cairns which dotted the route. So much of it is over slickrock, without the cairns it would be a navigating challenge although for today, there were lots of people too.  Of course it doesn't look like it but this was very steep.  Fresh, the views were abundant for the entirety of the climb and so too were....  ....more steep sections as Amy surmounted them all. Note the parking lot in the distance. The average grade for the climb is 38% and that includes a few flat sections. Where there is climbing, it is steep.  We pass an alcove that had a couple of trees growing from inside. Soon thereafter we reach....  ....the end of the trail, marked as such too.  Off to the right was a ledge so I walked out there and posed. Looking back across the gorge....  ....wow, what a great scene as a dozen or so people gather to enjoy.  We began the descent.  Here is one of the flat sections prior to another....  ....steep section. This type of "hiking" is so much fun. Note, no one wore a mask and you are sharing many hand holds so we applied the hand sanitizer upon returning to the car. I'm a bit of a skeptic about mask use. I have a cousin who worked at the CDC for 3 years, sequencing viruses and developing DNA vaccines. at a BSL3 lab. Yes, washing your hands is good, maintaining distance is good, don't stick your fingers in your orifices is good but the cloth masks are worthless. In his words, "you may as well wrap your head with pantyhose". I never delve into politics, here and won't ever but in this day and age, I trust my cousin and his experience far more than any health agency. Well, on to another hike!
 Following the hike to Humphrey's, we took a day off to take 89A from Flagstaff to Sedona. I'd not driven this route so enjoyed the winding descent followed by a pleasant drive along a stream in which lots of people were playing.  We drove through Sedona, going on to Cottonwood and then driving half way up Mingus Mountain to visit.....  ....the small town of Jerome. Interesting history of this long time, mining town with many unique shops and good restaurants.  Following lunch, we headed back to Sedona, paused at Red Rock Park where a ranger advised me keep going to get the best view in the valley of Cathedral Rock so off we went....  ....but paused in front of a beautiful home built into a rock formation accessible only by the home owner's tram. Just then, a guy driving his truck in the other direction stopped and gave us the story, "He is an engineer and his mama gave him a bunch of money!" We got a good laugh then drove and found.....  ...the spot from which to take the great image of Cathedral Rock.  A closer look and the next day, we climbed that.  We drove back and note the serpentine climb out of the valley.
 Amy and I continue our trek into the thin air above Flagstaff. The trees are becoming scarce and not much higher, we climb above the tree line.  We reach a saddle and in this exposed area, the wind is howling. We seek shelter behind a rock wall while....  ....admiring the view. This is looking, I think to the northeast. As we sat and looked....  ....at what was left to climb. The trail ascends the other side and you can't see the summit, just a series of false summits but I know what is coming and advise Amy not to be discouraged as we access false peaks and discover that is not THE peak.  A series of posts guide the way. Not needed now but when snow is present, no way to follow the trail without these useful items. The wind is ferocious from my left and I was always on guard when lifting one foot off the ground. A few times I was thrown off balance but lots of boulders to steady myself.  At last, we reach the final slope, a stark moonscape. I was very excited when Amy reached the peak, a goal of course, having fought through the altitude complications. An opening in one of the rock walls to protect against the wind opened so...  ....she gladly laid for a few minutes to recover.  Note the small patches of snow on the north facing slope.  A guy uses binoculars. Beyond him is the Little Colorado River flowing into the Grand Canyon.  My previous two visits, I was swarmed with buts but not today. Maybe that is because the wind was 30+mph on this day. 12,633" at this peak.  If you look closely, I am almost always wearing an Ohio State item. It is rare for someone not to yell "OH" or "Go Buckeyes". We are loved all over except maybe in the state of Michigan:). After about 15 minutes, we put our backpacks back on and begin the long descent.  At the aforementioned saddle, we run into a woman with a dog carrying some supplies. Dropping below the saddle, the wind thankfully diminished as we retraced our route. Note the descent is really time consuming and requires patience to pick through all the tree roots and boulders. Finished with 10.5 miles and 3400' of climbing. That doesn't seem that difficult but couple that with the wind and elevation, quite the worthy hike!
 We make the 4 hour drive to Flagstaff with a plan to climb Humphrey's Peak, the high point in the state at 12,600'. The timing of the trip was not random, had to choose a time when there is 0 chance of rain because up there, above the tree line, in a storm....yikes.  Of course, while Flagstaff is at 7000' elevation, the start of our hike is at the Snow Bowl at 9000', despite being just a few miles out of the city limits. Temperature is a consideration so we wait until about 8:30am to begin where it is in the low 60s here and by the time we reach the peak, in the low 50s. Lots of Aspen mixed in the pine forest.  We arrive at the large parking area and I take a pic of the moon. We gear up and walk to the.....  ....trail head. Round trip, the hike is 10.5 miles from where we parked.  Such a benign start to our adventure. Many wild flowers blooming as we cross the ski slope and head to the.....  ....forest. This area receives an average of 260" of snow so plenty of water to support the giant trees. The trail is not smooth. Between the roots and boulders, it is a head down kind of hike. The average grade is 12% so not as steep as Mount Wrightson in my neck of the woods. But, where it is steep, it is really steep.  Early, all we see are tree trunks and a canopy that keeps us in the shade. Eventually, we reach a point in the trail, maybe at mile 2ish, where the views open.  We reach a broad swatch of rock fall. Above this point, a WWII era plane crashed and you can visit the site and see relics.  Another of the peaks in the San Francisco Peaks area is seen across a valley. We continue to climb but Amy lets me know she is starting to feel the effects of the altitude. That is normal for most people and I hope that.....  ....with another 1000' of elevation gain to go, the condition does not worsen. Amy pauses at a prominent sign and as always, smiling despite some dizziness. My first visit, the altitude was a problem for me but on my 2nd visit, I did not notice it. I assumed I too would have an issue since I've not done much higher elevation hiking with the fire forced closure of Mount Lemmon. We shall see in the next installment.
 I'm climbing via the Aqua Caliente trail. Decided to get in one more hike before the drive to Flagstaff. Beautiful view of the Catalinas.  Great trail but I dislike climbing, then yielding that effort to drop into a ravine, climb again, drop into another ravine. I prefer a constant climb.  After about 3 miles, I reach a saddle where there are good views of the eastern end of the Catalinas.  There is an odd shaped cloud in the distance.  Do I want to climb all the way to the peak? I sit on a rock and think about it. Damn, it is going to be really hot soon, even at this modestly higher elevation....  ....I remove a bottle of Gatorade that I had removed from the freezer earlier today. Sip off some of the ice cold fluid, add water, a wonderful cocktail. I'll have a cold drink all the way to the parking lot, which I decided would be where I go now.  During the return, I pause to peer into a canyon. Finish with just under 6 miles and 1500' of elevation gain. OK, now on to Flagstaff.
 The story begins in Iowa....ok, kidding. This is in Marana where the plains are spotted with a variety of crops. Soon.....  ....I am on Silverbell Road, dirt, where I pass a couple of cows undisturbed by my passing. Smart cows as they seek the shade on this hot day.  Following directions from the "hikearizona.com" website, I find a turnoff and follow it a short distance until I decide my car ought not go farther. I park and begin the trek toward Ragged Top in the Silverbell Mountains. I've done this hike once but a long time ago.  Reaching this obvious point, I head into the thicket, following a gps route that I also downloaded from the AZ site.  I look back from where I started to make a mental note of where I should return, just in case I lose cell phone power. The function that enables me to follow the route is a battery eater. I know, just heading toward the distant mountain I'll eventually reach Silverbell Road and could probably figure out how to get to the car. Today's high is 105, a very dry heat of course but still...105....yikes.  Round trip, the hike is only 4 miles from where I started but it is all bushwhacking. Fortunately, the hiking is not too encumbered by brush but it was a good idea to wear long pants.  I'm headed toward a saddle, just over the above ridge. I pause and ask myself a question I am forced to ask, too many times; "What the heck are you doing out here?" You're supposed to do this hike in the late fall or winter but before lambing season. In July??? It's freaking hot already and I am going through fluid bottles like crazy. Then I think, just out of the blue, "Turn around you idiot!" So the "Good Mark" who sits on my right shoulder wins the day and I turn around. The "Bad Mark" merely stews but will have his say, another day. Headed to Flagstaff for cooler hiking.
 I'm anxious to check out the burn area below Bighorn Mountain but also to see if I can access the ridge between Bighorn and Table. I approached it from the Pima Canyon side and stood at the ridge, looking down and it appeared I could get through if not for the dense brush. I also think it would be really neat to find the lightning strike. A fire fighter told me it had been located from where the fire began.  I park in front of the park in Ram's Canyon Pass and head up via the dirt road.  Beautiful as always, prior to reaching the burn area but at a fence.....  .....I am stopped by a strongly worded notice. Jail time and/or a serious fine for going beyond this point. I don't think anyone will remember to come out and remove the sign so I'll wait, as the notice stated, for the "Incident Command Center" to be dismantled. There was also a phone number that I tried to call a couple of times because the Catalina State Park based fire folks have all moved to the east side. Maybe that triggers the expiration of the notice? Probably not.  In the distance, some lingering smoke in this early morning. Back, I hope, soon.
 OK, forget about the snake story, mentioned below. The hike was not that interesting so I'll move on. We park outside a gated community after driving on Snyder and a left on Avenida de Suzena. We walk on a road that is sometimes paved and sometimes dirt. They have extended the road to accommodate more lots so it's a little different from a recent visit. Walking up a steep but short hill, we drop into a canyon and ......  .....ascend the Milagrosa trail. Easy to follow as we hike while sometimes peering into....  ....the canyon. My partner.....  ....Amy's first visit so she takes a few pictures as I watch for a cairn at mile 2.5 (from the car park). Finding it, we leave the trail but what follows is also easy to follow.  We drop into Aqua Caliente Canyon, follow it down canyon for about 300 yards while watching for a trail departing from the left. We begin climbing again and pass a faint trail going right but it has rocks across it so ignore. At some point, the trail jogs back to the east which has a nice....  ....view of Aqua Caliente Peak. We reach an intersection having a large cairn and break right. Going straight takes one to Aqua Caliente Peak trail.  We pause to take in some more great views. The trail is descending now and we pass through....  ....a gate. Eventually we reach an opportunity to break right or continue straight but I suspect going straight leads to an overlook so we go right. The trail is very steep here as it drops into the canyon. We found.....  ....a key that was placed on a rock in the middle of the trail. Odd. Probably someone found it and placed it there, hoping the owner would retrieve it. This is a fun loop as we finished with 6.45 miles and 1500' of limbing. Seemed like more climbing then that to me.   We got off to a late start so it was already 90 degrees as we climb the Hunter trail, looking across I10 at the views as we march higher. With me.....  ....is Amy, her first visit to Picacho Peak. It was today that she told me she has a small issue with heights...uh, oh.  We reach the ridge. This image is from her iPhone. Bugs me that a phone takes better images than a camera I use.  The average grade on that front side is around 30% and the back side, no different. We encounter cables and successfully navigate those but then....  ....this section. This gave Amy pause but she overcame her fear, which was based more on what the descent would be rather then the ascent.  The last obstacle is kind of nasty but through it she went and then.....  ......made it to the top. Smoke can be seen coming from the Catalinas where the Bighorn fire has consumed over 100,000 acres but finally being brought under control.  We depart and the descent didn't present a problem after all. The round trip distance is only 3.3 miles but with almost 2000' of climbing. Always a fun time on Picacho.
 The hike begins but after ascending awhile I discover I left my hiking pole on the back of my car. That's annoying so I descend, grab the pole and restart.  I pass Old Baldy trail on the left, staying straight on the Carrie Nation trail. I'm arguing with myself...stay on CN to Aqua Caliente trail or hang a right on the wickedly steep, Vault Mine trail. I hate the latter trail but it is the most direct way to Aqua Caliente so.....  .....I turn right on this unsigned trail and begin what can only be described as a slog. Having an average grade for the .9 distance, the trail is one of the steepest in the region.  I pass an open mine warning not to venture inside. This also signals I am nearing the top of the trail. It takes me 30 minutes to go less than a mile.  Reaching Aqua Caliente trail, I make a left. The trail is gently rolling, taking one through a few rock falls and lots of.....  .....shade. I see movement just left of my foot and there is a small snake. How cute. Little whip snake or something but then, it rattles! Yikes!!! Most be in its first year. I bring forth my camera, zoom in and...damn, it disappears into a crevice. I also look around for a parent but see none.  The trail meanders in and out of drainages coming off Mount Hopkins, while headed toward Wrightson on the left, Josephine on the right and that must be Jack Mountain in the center.  On my right I pass the unsigned trail that takes one up to Mount Hopkins Road. Soon I find the point where the Carrie Nation trail emerges from my left. I  ....continue to enjoy the views while.....  ....looking for what appears to be a viable campsite about .4 from the CN trail. The vague campsite is on my left so turning, I see a very faint trail heading up.  I had read a hike report that describes great views at the top but the report was several years old and the holly and other plants grow vigorously so I shall see.  The trail to the top is relatively short at only about .15 miles and not worn in so stay alert.  At the top there is a couple of cairns and most of the view is blocked but I found this opening for Mount Hopkins, that's about it. I descend to the Aqua Caliente trail, make a left, find the Carrie Nation trail and....  ....descend that, passing another mine on my way to the parking lot. I finish with 6 miles and 2100' of climbing. The entire hike looked like this:   It's hot in the valley but cool in the Santa Ritas so I head to Madera Canyon and begin hiking on the Old Baldy Trail.  The parking lot was fairly full but I encounter few people as I climb higher, headed towards....  ....Josephine Saddle. It took me under an hour to climb the 2.5 mile, 13% grade segment and well short of my PR but that's ok as I was not pushing the pace. Usually, I continue on Baldy but this time, I jump on the Super Trail which goes counterclockwise around Mount Wrightson. It is longer and not as steep as Baldy, both converging on Baldy Saddle. I however....  ....am not going to Baldy Saddle, below Wrightson, but instead to Riley Saddle. I cross several rock falls.  The trail meanders in and out of drainages and I see no evidence of a saddle ahead but eventually, I round a corner and....  ....aha! That must be it. I pass beneath an outcropping of rock and looking back....  ....eerie. It looks like a person's skull protruding from the rock. Do you see that? Hiking alone, I was armed and prior to reaching this point, I had a round in the chamber. I had a sense of unease and passing below that rock, there was a cave. Ha,ha. I'm not going down without a fight. For my AZ followers, I never carry when in a group but if I hike alone in the wilderness, crazy not to.  The Super Trail could use some trail clearing. This too makes me nervous when I can't see where my feet are trekking. Not in the winter but summer?  I reach Riley Saddle. There is a notice from the Ranger District about not rebuilding a trail. I peer into the....  ....thicket. It is .9 miles from here to Josephine Peak but regrowth after a 2003ish fire is thick. I walk a bit farther and...  ...it appears after crawling or pushing through the brush, the balance of the bushwhacking wouldn't be so bad. In the morning, I read a couple of hiking reports and a group talked about encountering a cave with a bear in hibernation, another seeing 3 bears and in a rare case of common sense, decided to be patient and do it again with a hiking buddy.  Great views and....  ...this magnificent spread of a long dead tree was good to see.  I turned around and began the descent with Mount Hopkins in the background. Finished with 9 miles and 2600' of climbing. I'm making it a habit to store a bottle of fluid in the freezer the evening prior to these hikes. Gosh, does that cold fluid taste great on the return.
 I've not hiked to Wasson via Sandero Trail, which hooks up with the Hugh Norris and Kings Canyon trails, both of which I've done a few times. Wasson has become my go-to fitness hike. I've transitioned off Blackett's Ridge because the descent from that just kills my joints. Otherwise, that is a great hike.  Reaching the intersection with Hugh Norris, I now have good views to the south. The Norris trail is in great shape which contrasts with King Canyon which I don't favor at all. I decided to maintain a good pace with no stops so I could see how well I would do with time.  The tailings from an old mine is distinct in the slopes below.  There is a nice reprieve from the climbing for awhile as the trail is flat to slightly uphill. In the distance though is a final steep section that brings me to....  The intersection with King Canyon trail and the final ascent to the peak.  Reaching the peak, the Catalinas kind of look like a squat candle with a wick still burning. I have a nice chat with a couple from Taiwan who are living now in Tucson. Odd that on this Friday there is no one else up here.  I head back down. I think Sandero is the most direct of the 6 routes (actually there is a 7th, seldom hiked route) and starts from a higher elevation so I finish with only 8 miles and 1700' of climbing.  Being a Strava advocate, I couldn't wait to see how I did compared to unknown peers for the full climb to the peak.....  ....yeehaw got the KOM but there are only 74 people who have recorded the hike on Strava so not a lot compared to some climbs. Celebrated a birthday on Saturday, the 21st. Yes, my birthday is the longest day of the year. How bout that? Got in short hikes on Saturday (Hieroglyphic Cave in Tucson Mountains) and Sunday (Sanctuary Cove loop) but then a good one on Monday and more to come on that.
 The entrance to Catalina State Park has become a popular location for news crews to gather and give updates. I walked around their van and talked to the deputy standing to the side. Nice woman who chatted with me but nothing of magnitude to report.  The fire has burned up the southwest facing slopes of Samaniego Ridge.  At the Biosphere, a deputy redirects a hotshot crew who are unsure where to go. The area has many crews from all over the southwest, west and even Midwest.  The mountains smolder as now 37,000 acres have been consumed. Efforts have been successful at keeping the fire from communities with the town of Oracle next on the list, likely followed by Sam Manual. So many acres yet likely to be consumed.
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