Archive for the ‘Pusch Ridge WIlderness’ Tag
Fountain Grass in the Santa Catalina Mountains — Image by kenne
Fountain grass is commonly used desert landscape in Tucson. Yes, it’s attractive, but it produces lots of seeds that spread rapidly from cultivation into nearby disturbed areas, and eventually into natural habitats. It typically forms dense stands, aggressively competes with native species, especially perennial grasses, and seasonal annuals, for space, water, and nutrients. The above photograph was taken in the Pusch Ridge Wilderness area in the Santa Catalina Mountains several miles from where it may have been part of someone’s landscape.
Forest Fires are common in the mountains of southern Arizona, and fountain grass provides lots of fuel and is well adapted to fire therefore is a serious threat to the native species.
— kenne
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Kenne enjoying one of his favorite places in the Santa Catalina Mountains, Hutch’s Pool
I love the eight-plus mile hike to Hutch’s Pool in the Pusch Ridge Wilderness area in the Santa Catalina Mountains, but because of a shoulder injury, I will not be a part of this Fall’s hike — Bummer!
— kenne
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Pusch Ridge Wilderness — Image by kenne
Time of The Heart
High above the city
stands the fool on the hill
Watching thin clouds move in
while chanting the reflection –
“Use me while you can,
for if you but blink,
I will be gone
no more on this watch.”
— kenne
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Sycamore Canyon Panorama — Image by kenne
Sycamore Canyon Trail — Computer Painting by kenne
Yesterday’s (April 28, 2017) hike from the Gordon Hirabayashi Campgrounds (4,880′ elevation) to the Sycamore Reservoir was the last SCVN Friday hike on our Spring schedule. Eleven people, including three guides, took #39 trail out of the campgrounds to the Sycamore Reservoir, a somewhat out of the way riparian area in the Sycamore Canyon in the Pusch Ridge Wilderness. The trail is 3.25 miles one way with an accumulated gain of 821 feet. The trail is also a segment of the Arizona Trail, providing majestic views, including Thimble Pear and Cathedral Rock.
This is one of my favorite hikes at the mid-level elevation of the Santa Catalina Mountains, so I was pleased to be the lead guide for the eleven hikers, which included three women from Germany.
The SCVN guided hikes will start again in June on Mt. Lemmon.
kenne
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Pusch Ridge Wilderness — Image by kenne
BAD DAY ON LEMMON ROCK
The wilderness area of the Santa Catalina Mountains
provides many beautiful vistas, massive majestic
rock formations and several challenging hiking trails.
For the start of the fall hiking season,
the naturalists scheduled a hike starting
at the highest point atop Mount Lemmon.
In a prologue to frost and early fall colors,
we arranged a shuttle car at Marshall Gulch
so not to double back the six and a half-mile hike.
Having led this hike two months ago,
it combines four trails leading down into and out
of the Pusch Ridge Wilderness to Marshall Gulch.
Beginning on the Mount Lemmon trail,
we follow a forest service road through
upper mountain meadows to the Lemmon Rock trail.
The two rocky trails provide a steep 1,800-foot drop
through tall pines on rocky slopes lined with thorny shrubs
with an occasional cairn marking the many switchbacks.
However, cairns are of little help if I misread
a marker and attempts to create my own trail
down an even steeper rocky slope.
Taking a wrong turn at a trail marker,
which was about an hour into the hike,
was the beginning of my bad day on Lemmon Rock.
It quickly became apparent my pace was too fast
for the rocky slope, I was proceeding down, planting
my right foot, so to begin a slide, only to twist my ankle.
The pain told me this was not a slight twist of the ankle —
Oh, SHIT! SHIT! SHIT! Holding back additional profanity,
I quickly started getting up, checking out the damage.
Anyone who hikes with me knows I usually
have my four-pound camera/lens on
the left shoulder, which I balance with the left hand.
Not this time, since I was wearing
a center-body camera harness —
for the first time, not focusing on saving my camera.
In pain, I did a four-point crawl up to the trail
after answering some ankle movement questions
from a fellow hiker, a retired foot doctor.
Continuing to walk on the rocky trail was difficult —
generating expressions of concern from everyone,
some checking their backpacks for an ankle wraps.
Someone had a velcro Ace bandage,
without which I would not have been able
to continue the remaining five miles to the gulch.
The ankle wrap was a blessing, but having now
given the experience, more thought, although a steep climb,
the shorted hike would have been back up to the top.
We live and learn, or do we?
Would I hike five miles again on a sprained ankle?
I hope I never have to face the question.
How here I sit with my wrapped
black and blue swollen ankle iced down —
I guess I won’t be hiking again soon.
— kenne “Wrong-turn” Turner
Sprained Ankle — Image by Jeff
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Parish Larkspur (Delphinium parishii) — Image by kenne
This deep blue wildflower was near the Hutch’s Pool trail at about 3,900 ft. in the Pusch Ridge Wilderness above the Sabino Basin. I needed help in identifying this beautiful deep blue wildflower, which I received from fellow SCVN members. This one is a much deeper blue than the one pictured in Frank Rose’s “Mountain Wildflowers of Southern Arizona.” The conditions have been very dry in the Catalina Mountains this Spring, producing fewer than normal wildflowers. This larkspur was all alone.
kenne
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Hutch’s Pool — Image by kenne
Blogging in 2013 was a busy year for Becoming Is Superior To Being. There were 726 new posts and the busiest day of the year was February 4th with 868 views. The most popular post that day was Hiking To Hutch’s Pool — One Of My Favorite Hikes. Hutch’s Pool is in the Pusch Ridge Wilderness of the Santa Catalina Mountains.
I enjoying blogging and I hope you keep coming back — Have a great 2014!
kenne
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Images by Bill Kaufman
Desert bighorn sheep had been documented in the Santa Catalina Mountains north of Tucson for over a hundred years before disappearing in the late 1990’s. Now the Desert Bighorn Sheep Society is working with the Arizona Game and Fish Department to reintroduce the bighorn sheep in a multi-year project. Thirty bighorn sheep were released November 18, 2013 in the Pusch Ridge Wilderness area of the Santa Catalina Mountains; an additional 30 next year, and 30 more the following year. As part of the restoration process, each sheep has been fitted with a GPS satellite collar for monitoring.
One of our Sabino Canyon Volunteer Naturalist, Bill Kaufman, was invited to be at the release this past Monday and graciously provided the photos in this posting.
Click here to listen to an NPR story done on Monday’s release.
kenne
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