Panther and Sombrero Peaks West of Tucson — HDR Image Taken from Wasson Peak Trail by kenne
Panther Peak sits in the northernmost reaches of the western unit of Saguaro National Park in the Tucson Mountains northeast of Tucson, Arizona. Sitting just west of Safford Peak (locally known as “Sombrero Peak”), Panther Peak is a rustic little desert mountain providing views of the northeastern Tucson suburbs and mountains beyond. — Source: Summitpost.org
Sombrero And Panther Pears West Of Tucson — Image by kenne
West of Tucson — Panorama Image by kenne
The trail is dusty
Stirred only by our steps,
A soft breeze unable to lift
The dust above our boots
Often coming together as strangers
Sharing a love of the wild
And a desire to hear sounds
In nature’s best.
Nature walks are fine
Surrounded by experts
Who share their knowledge
Born with a feel for the moment
An eye for beauty and form
Nature speaking to the senses
Where nothing is perfect
And everything Is perfect.
— kenne
Panther Peak and Sombrero Peak, Saguaro National Park – West in the Tucson Mountains northeast of Tucson, Arizona. —
View from the Sendero Esperanza Trail Hiking To Wasson Peak Images by kenne (March 14, 2014)
Cholla Forest Below Panther Peak — Panorama Image by kenne
— from The Timeless Myths, by Alexander Eliot
We have been gone from Tucson (in Houston and New Orleans) since December 23rd and only one day of sun, Christmas Day. Now delayed by icy west Texas roads, we are leaving this morning. Here’s a link to photos of a rare snow fall in Tucson yesterday. http://tucson.com/gallery/news/photos-snowfall-in-tucson-arizona-california/collection_39b2a35e-9131-11e4-abc1-3307652d29f8.html#0
kenne
Panther Peak and Sombrero Peak, Saguaro National Park – West in the Tucson Mountains northeast of Tucson, Arizona. —
View from the Sendero Esperanza Trail Hiking To Wasson Peak Images by kenne (March 14, 2014)
Cholla Forest at the Base of Panther Peak in the Tucson Mountains — Panorama Image by kenne
Sonoran Desert
by Tara Trewinnard-Boyle
How lucky am I? I have found my home!
In the place of dust and rock where the lizards run,
Where hot winds whip and the sun sears through a lapis colored sky.
Where Saguaros march uninhibited across the arid land.
Miles and miles of emptiness: freedom.
This is the place where Mother Nature still shows her true beauty.
Wild and uncompromising, she cuts me down to my rightful size.
Teaching me to live without; demand less; appreciate more.
Silently reminding me that the race is of my own making.
I can be free.
I have found my home. Not the home I was born to but where I belong.
The ache of leaving weighs heavy in my heart.
But today I can carry with me a gift, humbly offered to all who seek.
The desert is more than a place; it is a state of mind.
It is life and death, land and sky, struggle and freedom.
Slow! Your frantic pace does not matter here.
Breathe and be grounded in your humanness.
Be still and find your small place in this vast world.
You belong, just as you are. In the silence you can find peace.
This is the gift of the desert; for which I am eternally grateful.
L-R: Panther Peak and Sombrero Peak as Viewed from the Cam-Boh Trail — Images by kenne
Paul and Jim On The Cam-Boa Trail Headed Toward Panther Peak — Image by kenne
We left the Cam-Boh Picnic Area , located off Picture Rocks Road, on the Cam-Boa trail at the western edge of the Tucson Mountain District of the Saguaro National Park – West. Part of this trail in the Panther Peak Wash, however we cut across the wash headed toward the draw or gully between Panther Peak and Sombrero Peak to the east. This time of year the floor of the desert is showing a lot of green from the early growth of desert wild-flowers.
My hiking partners, Jim and Paul, shared time leading as we tried to pick the best route up through the draw, trying to spot an occasional cairn. Stopping along the way, I took several photos, some meant to form panorama images of the surrounding mountains.
Precarious Boulder — Image by kenne
It is not as unusual as it may seen to see a large boulder resting on another large boulder, they are naturally occurring geological formations. However, when your trail leads right next to one like in the above photo, you step carefully — even more so when a closer inspection shows a crack at the point of balance. I have always been told not to be concerned since they only seem to be balancing, but are in fact firmly connected to a base boulder by a pedestal or stem. That’s by story and I’m sticking to it, not withstanding thoughts of “127 Hours” flashing through my head!
kenne
Becoming is Superior to Being 