Mark's Cycling & Hiking Blog
  • Home
  • Mark's Cycling Blog
  • Contact Us
  • Boulder Canyon Posts
  • Cycling Event Meet-Ups
  • Home
  • Mark's Cycling Blog
  • Contact Us
  • Boulder Canyon Posts
  • Cycling Event Meet-Ups

The Window & a Rescue

1/23/2022

0 Comments

 
Picture
The day prior to our Saturday hike, I considered canceling due to a 20% chance of rain.  OK, in the midwest, a 20% rain chance means there is a 100% certainty it will rain.  Out here, 20% is 20% but the closer one is to the mountains, the chances increase.  And so it would be true today. Amy and I drive to the trailhead where the rising sun illuminates peaks. Our destination on the left and In that mass of rock is the Window.
Picture
Our group of 10 arrives, gears up and starts a little late, entirely my fault as I mispositioned the "map pin".  on the hiking site I use to announce hikes. We begin our hike on the Ventana Canyon trail which requires several stream crossings as we make our way up canyon.
Picture
Then the climb steepens, significantly.  We eventually reach a saddle, drop down a bit and pass the Maiden Pools.  This 2.5 mile distance to the pools is a popular destination so the trail is well worn.  The trail above the pools....
Picture
....was surprisingly easy to follow given the Bighorn Fire and heavy monsoon of last summer that inspired thick new growth of vegetation.  While the Maiden Pools is the most popular spot, there are many other waterfalls and pools that would be fun to visit....on a warmer day.  Today's high in the valley would "only" be 64 while higher up, where we were headed, the temperature would be much cooler.
Picture
At about mile 4.2, we get a good look at the Window!  Looks kind of small but the opening is huge when once inside.
Picture
I had told the group that once we are even with the top of a spire (shown above), we are almost at the top of Ventana Canyon.  And so we were which had....
Picture
....lots of examples of the remains of the fire of 2020.  
Picture
In the distance, it appeared it was snowing around Mount Lemmon.  Clouds had gathered, thickly, around us too, so it was only a matter of time before we would become wet from snow or rain.
Picture
Reaching the saddle, even with the cloud cover, we had grand views as we are now on the Esperero Trail, following a ridge toward a rock formation that houses the Window.  The "nose" of rock, pointing right, slightly right of center in the above image, is just above the Window.  So, a little more climbing required.
Picture
So many trees blackened and dead from the fire.  Mount Kimball in the distance.  At last....
Picture
....we reach the Window.  The wind was blowing, the temperature was in the low 30's or upper 20's so many of us retreated to seek shelter behind a wall.  The exception was Marc G., on the right, who is impervious to the cold as the rest of us wore gloves, hats, jackets, etc...
Picture
Through the opening I could see Window Peak but none of us had the appetite to continue on to that as a secondary destination.  I've been there only once and it is kind of tricky navigating to the top.
Picture
Marc took the above image of me.  I ventured as far from the opening as I thought was safe. The exposure is not as bad as it appears although I like the fact that it appears "scary".  Maybe I should send this image to my mother. 
Picture
I sat, legs extended, enjoying one of those, "it's good to be alive" moments.  For most of us, it was too cold to enjoy the opening of the Window so we did not linger for long and began....
Picture
....the descent which included passing a few patches of snow. The elevation of the Window is about 7000' which is almost 3000' below Mount Lemmon where there is much more snow and 4-6" forecast for today and tonight.
Picture
To the south, we could see precipitation approaching and wondered, would it be snow or rain....
Picture
....the wind roared through the pass as it brought in snow.  Later, Amy and Katherine dubbed it the "Blizzard of 2022"!  We were glad it was snow rather than rain.  Once we got off the ridge, the wind abated as we....
Picture
....continued down canyon with the rock formation we had left, barely visible through the snow.  So, there we are, descending when we begin to hear screams.  I was skeptical, attributing it to kids climbing on the other side of the canyon but in fact, it was a hiker in distress.  He was yelling, "Help me!" over and over and even after we shouted our replies, he continued to scream.  Given his distance and surroundings, it was difficult to see where he was so we repeatedly asked him to stand and wave. Marc immediately descended to the bottom of the ravine, well up canyon of the hiker and then traversed the slope toward the him.  I descended via the trail until I was below the hiker, found a crossing and headed up.
Picture
Members of our group asked if the hiker was hurt and he replied "a little".  Marc reached him first and found the hiker, uninjured, just, well, terrified may not be an overstatement.  It's a story too long for this format to tell about why he was, where he was but we led him down to the bottom of the ravine and then up to the trail where our hiking buddies were waiting.  We had called 911 and before his cell phone died, the hiker had texted his mother stating he was lost and she too had called.  As we hiked back with the hiker, his parents arrived and soon thereafter, a team of 3 from SAR, then a team of 5 then a team of 2 more.  He was well cared for so....
Picture
....we resumed our merry descent.  Above is our track to and from the Window, shown in red.  The longer blue line is how I think the lost hiker reached where we found him.  He had gotten off trail and kept hiking but at least stayed to the left of a ridge and within sight of the bottom of Ventana Canyon.
Picture
Another hike, another adventure.  We finished with a little over 13 miles and 4000'+ of climbing. Tough hike.
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    Mark is a long-time cyclist, hiker, golfer and plays some table tennis...ok, it's ping pong.

    Categories

    All
    April
    California Riding
    Grand Canyon Backpacking
    March
    The Characters

    Archives

    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010
    October 2010
    September 2010
    August 2010
    July 2010
    June 2010
    May 2010
    April 2010
    March 2010
    February 2010
    January 2010
    December 2009
    November 2009
    October 2009
    September 2009
    August 2009
    July 2009
    June 2009
    May 2009
    April 2009
    March 2009
    February 2009

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.