Aylor's Arch, Palomino Mt., Superstition Wilderness

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.