Phoneline to Blackett's Ridge and Saddleback

Finally made it out to Sabino Canyon and my favorite "training" hike, Blackett's Ridge: short (6 miles), steep (1,700 feet of gain, mostly over 1.7 miles), and sweet (easily accessible, as it's in town). The goal with this hike, and why I liken it to a training hike, is that it is doable in roughly a couple hours (sans the 20 drive to and fro). It is a bit of an ass kicker, when hiked with gusto, but has lots of rewarding views. 

This holiday week, there were a lot of other bipeds out—as I've come to expect on weekends and holidays—leisurely gaggles of friends and families trying to burn off their over-indulgences.

Clear, calm (wind around 3 mph), and cool today, barely nudging 60º by hike's end. Perfect hiking weather.

This AllTrails 3D hike preview is a new feature. Testing to see if it's worthy.

The first ¾ mile or so is flat dirt trail, and then trolley road.

Saddleback is the actual destination, after traversing first the Phoneline trail, and then the Blackett's Ridge trail.

This hike is known for its plethora of false summits, five or six in all. And even the terminus is a false summit as there is no summit on this hike—just a small saddle.

 

Joe's Canyon to Miller Peak

Beautiful day for hiking just prior to a massive rain front moving in tomorrow, rendering the upper elevations less hike-able. 

Because of the front moving in that will dump copious amounts of snow at elevation, I decided to revisit my beloved Huachucas Range near Sierra Vista to introduce my hiking partner to a couple of favorite hikes: Joe's Canyon and Miller Peak. Temps around 70º at the base of the range, around 50º at Miller summit. 

This hike really kicked my butt today, perhaps because I haven't yet acclimated to the elevation, but also perhaps due to the distance (17 miles) coupled with the elevation gain and rockiness of the Crest Trail. However, my times were not too far off from my previous visit nearly four years ago.

This mountainous U.S.-Mexican border area, remote and challenging to traverse, has always been a favorite place for desperate people crossing into the U.S. Unfortunately, the neo-fascist Maga Republicans have begun their eco-destruction of the once-pristine landscape by building new roads and walls to placate their racist supporters. What was once a porous barbed wire fence that allowed for the necessary movement of people and wildlife, has been replaced by a steel fence that is killing other animals in search of food and water, and forcing immigrants to cross the border in even more inhospitable and dangerous places, often perishing in the effort. As early as 2015, my pal Ira and I used to hike right down to the border on the Yaqui Trail spur off Joe's Canyon Trail, cross over the border into Mexico for lunch, and hike back out all without worry. In 2017, I even led a Muleteam hike down for lunch in Mexico during the first year of the orange one's reign, on a day his head of Homeland Security visited and flew over the area in a Border Patrol helicopter. Now this terminus of the 800-mile Arizona Trail has been rendered unwelcoming to the peoples of both countries.

Unnecessary new sign erected by the fascist and racist Trump administration.

Joe's Canyon.

Grassy ridge leading to Montezuma Pass, from where we will start the Crest Trail to Miller Peak.

Saw a few mule deer today.

New road construction at the terminus of the Yaqui Trail segment of the Arizona Trail. Note the wall section popping up over the slope from the west. This wall is a replacement for a barbed wire fence. 

My friend Ira standing on the Mexican side of the fence, February, 2015. We often had lunch on the hill in the background.

This commemorative stele re-establishing the treaties and border with Mexico. This has now likely been removed.

Looking west from our Mexican lunch spot. This is the fence line marking the U.S.-mexican border as it once was.

The many mountains (cerro) of Mexico.

Misty.

One of the amazing walls on this trail, this at around 8,500 feet, probably built by the CCC during the 30s.

Halfway point and summit. Really not a bad speed considering how steep and rocky the Crest Trail is.

View fromMiller peak.

Panorama video from the summit.

One of many dead sentries from the massive fire from 15 years earlier.

Mount Wrightson Super Trail

Not sure a normal flatlander would choose a 15-mile hike up a 10,000-foot mountain for his second outing of the season, and the Mount Wrightson summit south of Tucson is usually snow-packed and icy this late in December; thanks to climate change, it wasn’t this year. On my previous trip up Wrightson, nearly five years ago, the final two miles to the summit were treacherous and I had to don my heavy micro spikes. Today there were only vestiges from the last snow a couple of weeks ago, and my spikes remained in my pack. The temp at the top was an amazing sixty degrees. 

Saw a few other bipeds on the way up, including some young 30-somethings who were in over their heads. These new GPS hiking apps allow the inexperienced hiker into areas they are otherwise ill-equipped to handle. One young man had all the symptoms of altitude sickness I used to see in students who hiked with me up the 12,000-foot Mount E’Mei in southwest China. And an Australian tourist was struggling with mild hyponatremia, (dilution of the blood caused by drinking too much water). The guy needed electrolytes. Hyponatremia is one of the leading causes of emergency evacuations from the Grand Canyon, and I saw many hikers suffering from it during my trip there last year.

Overall a beautiful day of hiking Last trip up, in January of 2019, we ascended the Old Baldy Trail and then joined the Supertrail at the Josephine Saddle; this year we hiked the Super Trail the whole way, for an additional 2 miles.

Today I broke in my retro, 70s-style, all-leather Danner hiking boots handmade in Portland, Oregon. This is my first move away from disposable hiking boots which, like running shoes, are unsustainable. These boots are 100% reconstructable, and I am hoping I can stop buying plastic hiking footwear every year or two. The Vasques I hiked in during the 2021 fall season, and backpacked the Grand Canyon in 2022 completely fell apart after 6 months.