I am a lone raven high above the canyon wall circling up, then down as hikers make their way on the old mule trail up to a series of switch-backs opening into a meadow where many options prevail going east, going west before turning back north to the mountain called Lemmon.
I am a lone raven blessed to fly above other mortals circling up, then down but still, I work hard to fly seeing images of life below inspiration of an alien being a curious extrovert, I call out taken as a signal by some just a lot of noise by others still unnoticed by others neutral touches interwoven.
Phoneline Trail runs along the eastern slope of Sabino Canyon. Created to carry supplies up to Summerhaven on Mt. Lemmon. Later, the first phone line from Tucson to Mt. Lemmon ran along the trail. If you look carefully at the higher elevations, you can find broken lines and insulators on the ground.
He wasn’t sure he was going to do this SCVN Friday Hike. It had been two years since he last hiked to Hutch’s Pool,
a combined eight miles up and back.
This eight-mile hike usually starts at Stop 9 on the Shuttle route, So hiking would provide his first opportunity to ride the new all-electric Suttle.
Here the Sabino Canyon Trail intersects with the Phoneline Trail.
The Sabino Canyon Trail winds along the east canyon ridge before
Opening into beautiful views of the upper canyon.
Although it was a great day for a hike to Hutch’s Pool, he began to fall behind the hiking group.
Frustrated by reoccurring joint issues, he decided to turn his back on the upper canyon,
starting the hike back to Shuttle Stop 9, then walking the remaining four miles on the Shuttle Road back to the Visitors Center.
In the end, he still did a combined hike/walk over eight miles on a beautiful sunny day in the Santa Catalina Mountains.
“Life Goes On” — Image by kenne (Note Small Saguaro Next to the Dead Saguaro)
A young saguaro cactus usually starts life under the protection of a mesquite or palo verde tree, call a nurse tree. When this two-foot saguaro next to the dead saguaro began life, at least 15 years ago, it was next to a stately saguaro along the Phoneline Trail in Sabino Canyon. Last year the elder saguaro died, leaving behind the young saguaro having provided a well-protected beginning to life.