Shantz - Cholla - Squeeze - Wildhorse Loop

I meant to hike this yesterday, but the temps were in the 80s and I hate having to carry so much water for an otherwise easy 11 mile hike, so I waited until today and it still managed 77º despite it being slightly overcast. 

This hike was a walk in the park, literally and figuratively: the entirety of the route is in Saguaro National Park. Unfortunately, the Fascists currently destroying the country want to sell our national treasure of a park system to the highest bidder. Screw them. But I digress once again.

The route is actually composed of seven trails: Shantz, Cholla, Cactus Forest, Carillo, Three Tank, and Wild horse.  Only about 900 feet of gain, mostly in one spot about 6 miles in, but the trails were well maintained and easy on the feet. The first three miles were sand, not my favorite trail surface, but I was still able to maintain a decent pace. This is a horsey trail as well as a hiker/biker trail. Saw a few other hikers doing short in-and-outs, and two groups of folks on horses. Also some kids working on trail building, no doubt ruing their decision to major in Forestry.

Could have actually used more water because of the heat. But managed to stay upright, one of my main goals these days.

AllTrails sent me this notice today, reminding me of my

ill-fated hike a year ago. Thanks, AllTrails.

Sandy start to the hike.

So many flowers because of the spring-like weather.

The Rincons in the distance. I have hiked that entire ridge in the past.

The Garwood Dam.

One of the tanks on Three Tanks Trail.

The last mile -and-a-half was also sand, kind of like the inside of my mouth at that point.

Wild Burro, Wild Mustang, and Upper Javalina Loop

Once again warmer than normal temps (a high of 77º today) and lots of plants flowering like it's spring. This winter's weather is a warning shot for anyone not a climate-denier like old Presidementia Been-a-Dick Arnold. The Klutzy Klepto Klansman is trying to open up to oil drilling the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, home of over 200 endangered species, just so he can reward his billionaire pals pawning off the previous century's energy to further destabilize our climate. What a dangerous moron. But I digress. 

This solo hike (my hiking partner is out for a couple-three weeks maybe) sends me to the Tortolita's, which is about as safe an area to hike as there is around Tucson (it's relatively well-trafficked), if one wants anything other than a bunny hill to climb. 

This is the first time I've hiked this particular route. I have certainly hike parts of this loop on my previous hikes, most of which were longer by 5-8 miles, including the Tortolita Superloop—one of my favorites—which I hiked in December (also solo). Misty and I also participated in the M.O.V.E. trail event in 2024, an annual event that benefits the parks and rec. departments of Marana and Oro Valley, two Tucson burbs. That hike included 13 miles in the Tortolitas followed by 7 miles in Catalina State Park. A worthwhile event, but probably a one-off for me; not a big fan of crowds while I hike and bike. I no longer ride RAGBRAI either.

Saw a few other hikers, mostly close to the trailheads, and three mountain bikes coming off the Alamo Spring trail. Pretty calm and mostly clear. This loop starts off with a rocky 1,500 foot climb up the Upper Javalina and Wild Mustang trails, then settles in to a smoother ridge hike before descending back down the Wild Burro Trail to the trailhead. I was actually surprised by my pace considering I am still a little overly cautious on the rocky downhills. I hiked the loop clockwise and would do so again.

This ain't bloomin normal. Yikes; it's only just February.

This view shows how the trail flattens out a bit after the initial steep climb.

The Wild Burro Trail includes a lot of the actual wash which it criss-crosses.

The remains of an old well/water tank.

Pumphouse or other structure adjacent to the water tank.

Cañada del Oro Trail to Santa Cruz River Park

We traded in our hiking kit today for bikes as Misty was really jonesin' for a ride. I am still working my way up to longer rides after the RTSA (reverse total shoulder arthroplasty) surgery in May. I have done many short rides without much discomfort, but leaning on handlebars, even for a short ride like today, can cause some achy discomfort. My previous ride here, a mere 18 miles, caused some minor discomfort, and this short 20 miler had about the same level of achiness. So my plan is to increase the distance on these rides perhaps 5 miles each time just to test the limits, if there are any, of what I can do. I need to get back to riding my and my friend Carl's birthday (he's 8 years older than I am so we ride his birthday) since I had to scotch it last November. We shall see.

Beautiful day, a little on the warm side at 77º, but Misty said it's so much cooler on a bike than hiking down here, because it's so dry. And it wasn't bad. 

Saw a few riders, macho gear mashers on their corporate lunch breaks at the beginning, during lunch hour, and way fewer on the way back. All-in-all, a nice outing. Thanks for the suggestion, Misty.

Yes, one hand on the bars, one on the camera so I could shoot these pics. Dumb.

The original loop trail around Tucson, with later auxiliary routes out to the burbs, all now part of The Loop.