Mt. Lemmon Turkey Run Cabin — Photo-Artistry by kenne
Cabin
There’s always an injury when we compare one thing to something else, the tepid moon to its jealous sister, the viscous fog to seven years of silence. And any word can be a knife when thrown with care. We sacrifice our hearts for the quietness of books. A loaf of bread cooling on the counter is a wild act of love. Even as I dislodge every spider web in the cabin, we will still find something caught and dying in the morning, eyes glistening like dew in the back of the fireplace where newspapers and forests become opportunities for longing.
I was originally scheduled to lead the SCVN Turkey Run Trail hike tomorrow. However, because of some nagging leg problems, I had to bow out. Instead, I did hike Turkey Run with two friends (Tom and John) last Friday. Usually, by this time of year, there are plenty of wildflowers, but not this year. The gallery contains cow parsnip, New Mexico Locust, and silverpuff.
While hiking the very dusty Aspen Draw Trail on Mount Lemmon I saw my first columbine flower of the summer. It was one of the few wildflowers currently blooming on the mountain. It is very dry in the Santa Catalinas. Much of the trail has a top layer of gray power dust. The summer rains are needed to help bring on the wildflowers. The few that have appeared are short in height and the blooms aren’t lasting very long.
Last summer this blog probably had too many columbine images because they are so irresistible. I hope I will soon be able to post a beautiful fresh-looking columbine.
Gathering outside the Mount Lemmon Community Center for a hike up Turkey Run & other roads on Mount Lemmon — Image by kenne
An article in Saturday’s Arizona Daily Star began, “Hikers — barred from their favorite high mountain trails because of extreme fire danger — are not about to pull off their boots and backpacks and stay home.”
It’s all about finding alternatives, which is exactly what the groups I hike with have done. Twice a week, we carpool the 25-plus miles to Summerhaven on Mount Lemmon to hike/walk the non-national forest roads on the mountaintop. Although not as secluded and adventurous as the trails, there’s still plenty to see with the help of experienced hikers and naturalist in our groups.
Yesterday we hiked up Turkey Run, starting at the intersection of Turkey Run and Sabino Canyon Park, to other roads nearing the top of the ski-lift area. The following video is of still shots I took. You can also see the individual photos by clicking here.
Summerhaven, Mt. Lemmon — Computer Painting by kenne
Images by kenne
