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Jailhouse Rock Climbing
After winding through a wide meadow that once housed a prison camp, we follow Soldier Creek until it suddenly disappears into a slot too narrow to squeeze through. The trail finds an alternate route into the rocky canyon, and leads us to a nice slab with some blocky roofs for a little climbing. We chat…
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Blackett’s Ridge Hike
We almost don’t make it out today, arguing about whether it’s too late, whether we should have a map, whether we should have headlamps. Starting anyway, we soon hit intersections without being sure which way to go, then a river. Fumbling through, things feel better as we start to climb, and we’re smiling again when…
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Windy Point Windy, Hairpin Turn Tight
It’s time to venture further up towards Mount Lemmon, we decide. We make it as far as Windy Point, where a frigid wind does indeed blow. There are a couple of campgrounds on the way that are $10 a night, which we take note of for future reference. Having accomplished this, we promptly head all…
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Hunting Buffelgrass
Ann and I are both trying something new today. Ann has been hired on as a temp for the big yearly sale at Summit Hut, the local gear store, and I have volunteered to pull Buffelgrass in Saguaro National Park. We both bike to our jobs for the day. My ride is blissfully quiet on…
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Bridal Wreath Falls Hike
We actually have to cross flowing water on the road to get to the trailhead Ann scouted out for an “after work” hike in Saguaro National Park. This and the cold wind are a little unusual we’re told, but the completely clear sky is standard Tucson. The trails in the park are so nice that…
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Human Power to Maiden Pools
Already we’ve become total pansies about the “cold”. This applies to an overnight low below 40°F, which sends us scurrying to the heater in the morning and complaining loudly that it’s freeeeeeeeezing. But any local will concur, and tell you it’s not just the air temperature, “it’s the wind chill.” To stay warm today I…
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Bike to Sabino Canyon
Still wanting to find human-powered routes to local trailheads, we set out once more with rain clouds building overhead. The trailhead looks great, if popular. The ranger warns us of high water in the canyons at the moment, while the temperature drops, the wind whips, and the sky grows dark outside. We’re happy just to…
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Desert Rains
We chuckle at the morning forecast for “100% chance of precipitation”, looking outside at blue skies. By the time we’re ready for a bike ride, there are some clouds, so we bring our rain jackets. We don’t know what to expect here, but it seems like we’ll get little bouts of sprinkles. We ride around…
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A little climbing at the Hairpin Turn
We’re getting confused trying to plan some gentle exploration of the expansive climbing near Tucson. We’ve looked online and in two different books, and none of them seem to agree. Ratings, climb names, even area names are often different in each source. At last I give up and just hike in to the very closest…
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Loma Verde Loop in Saguaro National Park
We make our first trip to the park in the evening for a quick introduction. The cactus here grow nearly into a canopy. There is an area called the “cactus forest”, but that’s what it all looks like to me. We do a quick loop over Pink Hill on very friendly trails. The warm, silky…