Two Old Farts on Brown Mountain

 

I first met my great friend Ira Yedlin in January of 2015. It was a Saturday morning and following my sister Trish’s suggestion, I ambled down to the nearby Bisbee Courthouse where a local hiking club, The Mule Team, met every Saturday morning at nine. I resolved to start out the new year hitting the trails after an epic hike the previous Monday guided by friend Britt Hanson. 

The Mule Team gets its name from the Mule Mountains surrounding Bisbee, where many of their hikes happen. That day’s hike—a decade ago!—was eight miles out-and-back to Mural Hill in the Mulies as the locals refer to them. There were twelve hikers gathered around the big circular fountain in front of the courthouse, many having just had breakfast at the High Desert Market across the parking lot, as they often did. One fit-looking gent stood out with his laughing and garrulous banter tinged with a Brooklyn accent (stubbornly held onto despite living in Seattle for the prior 30-some years).  I knew immediately I was going to like the guy, and indeed, we became fast friends and well-matched hiking partners. 

Ira is visiting from his current city, Cincinnati. He thought he would escape the single digit temperatures for a little 10-day respite in the desert. Of course, we vowed to get in a few hikes for old time's sake and I have been scouting out several since we came down in November. Ira is recovering from a hip replacement and a couple other things that have recently kept him off the trails, so this is a chance to get him back in the saddle so to speak, and Brown Mountain has a nice one between its two peaks.

Ira led the hike today and he was no slouch, setting a pretty decent pace despite not being acclimated to the elevation. He handled the rocky ascent with aplomb, and also the descent, although he missed the poles he left back at the house. Met a few other bipeds on this popular hike in the amazing Tucson Mountain Park. Great weather with clear skies and a high near 70º.

Ira,  looking much younger than his 68 years then (and my 68 years today).  This pic was taken pre-iPhone on my old Canon G12 on a hike up Mount Ballard and Fissure Peak, just outside Bisbee. That was our fifth hike together and it was almost exactly ten years ago on January 17, 2015. 

Golden Gate Mountain, home of Gate's Pass.

Ira setting our average pace of 2.4 mph. Not too shabby.

The view looking south from Brown Mountain.

Looking west at Brown Mountain peak #2, across the saddle from Brown Mountain peak #1.

Esperero, Cathedral Rock, West Fork, and Sabino Canyon Trails

 

Each season recently, we always get in one or more hikes over 20 miles. Today’s fit the bill at nearly 22 miles. This lovely loop also includes about 5,000 feet of elevation gain mostly packed into a five mile stretch of the first third of the hike. Pretty challenging but beautiful. 

The Esperero Trail especially suffered during the horrific June, 2020 Bighorn fire that burned 120,000 acres of the Catalinas, and it still needs a lot of trail work up top; the Cathedral Rock Trail apparently suffered as well as this is the first time I have hiked it and it still looks it hasn't recovered, with lots of erosion, and very overgrown to boot. Except for the Cathedral Rock trail, we have previously hiked all of these trails in one form or another. Last year we did a similar hike to this in terms of where we ended up, but this year's was even more demanding, especially considering how eroded the upper Esperero was. And that erosion really slowed us down.

The day started out cold, about 30 degrees at the trailhead at 7:45. We saw half a dozen hikers and birdwatchers milling about at the start, but after that, not a single solitary person did we encounter, which is pretty astonishing. While the temps did warm up throughout the day, it was a constant donning and doffing of layers as we went from shade to sun to shade. Very little wind except at the ridges. Because of our late start, we just got back to the car as the sun was setting.

Starting out at 8:00, late for such a long hike.

Unusual armless older Saguaro.

After we climb nearly 5,000 feet, we will skirt around Cathedral Rock on the Cathedral Rock Trail as we make our way over and down to to the West Fork Trail.

Normally there would be water here...

..and here.

The falls might as well be frozen considering how little water there is.

(Photo by Misty Atkins)

I saw this sign previously coming off Ventana to Esperero, 

but never hiked the Cathedral Rock Trail.

An inch or so of snow at the top near Cathedral Rock, on the north side of the range, but nothing requiring the one pound of micro spikes I lugged up.

 

This shot is actually from last year, but I loved it as it really captures the West Fork Trail.

The lower reaches of Hutch's Pools as it would normally look in January.

This same general area this year, sere as the Kalahari.

Normally, this tram road would have water gushing over it. Today, not even a damp spot to be seen.

(Photo my Misty Atkins)

Arriving back at the parking lot just before having to get out the head lamps.

Saguaro, Black Rock, Homestead, and Oxbow Trails

Today I scouted a short 7.3 mile nice and easy and flat trail for upcoming visitors who might like such a hike, with no major obstacles or general rockiness. I also have an epic 22 mile hike on Monday, so I really wanted something that didn't punish my body. 

This Sweetwater Preserve hike is also a mountain bike route and that also somewhat accounts for its nice packed-down surface. Saw a few bikers, but they were mostly polite and, with one exception, understood and granted me my hiker's right-of-way.

I was warned by a friend whose opinion I highly respect that this hike, at least the Black Rock Trail segment, was quite boring, and that is often true of flat trails. But overall, lots of nice views on the rolling, saguaro-dotted hills the many trails mostly wended around and not over. 

My AllTrails app paused for a 0.6 mile section (see the trail recording below), so my mileage is listed as 6.7 miles. A 3.6 mph pace and the short distance puts this trail squarely in the easy category according to my metrics although it is rated as moderate.

Cool temps today, around mid-fifties, but the sun made up for it. Saw a few other hikers, several with dogs, and the afore-mentioned bikers.

Finger Rock Trail to Linda Vista Saddle

 

Today I needed a hike with lots of elevation gain that can be done in three hours or less, which means a  fairly short hike, in this case, six miles. I have a substantial and very challenging hike next Monday that I am sort of training for. More at, I am just making sure I can still handle steep and long assents in a reasonable amount of time; not a fan of spending more that 7 or 8 hours on any hike. This hike certainly fits the bill today. Most of its 2,500 feet of elevation gain is crammed into the final two miles, and the trail is quite rocky with a lot of scrambling over boulders. My goal today was to at least match my previous time from December of 2022, and in that, I was successful.

My hiking partner Misty and I are tackling our first 20+ miler of the season in less than a week, and I want to be ready. That hike is a loop starting and ending in Sabino Canyon. It has some impressive stats: 22 miles long, and 5,300 feet of gain, most of which comes in the beginning 6 miles. We will start out on the steep and usually sketchy Esperero Trail, switch to the Cathedral Rock Trail near the ridge around 7,000 feet, then gradually descend on the West Fork and Phoneline trails. This is vaguely similar to a hike we did last year where we hiked from Catalina State Park up and over Romero Pass and back on the same three trails as this one.

Great weather today, albeit much cooler, with 65º temps at the trailhead, and 50s up top. Saw very few other hikers except at the lower reaches.

The Finger this trail refers to, while not a destination itself, 

is a beacon of sorts, and a constant reminder you are on a 

very challenging hike.

.

The Linda Vista Saddle, which resides between whatever that hill on the right is called, and Gorp Peak, out of sight on the left.

A not-so-linda view of Tucson sprawl from the saddle.

Interesting sign found at trail's end.

Gorp Peak, which might well be considered a linda vista.

Phoneline to Blackett's Ridge Trail and Saddleback ('25)

 

Today I was lucky to share one of my favorite hikes with one of my favorite people—my grand niece Parker. Parker is an athlete par excellence so I knew she would have no problems on this short yet challenging hike, despite not being acclimated to the altitude. She arrived fresh from Des Moines with her 900-foot Iowa lungs. Good thing today's elevation gain, while substantial at over 1,700 feet, rises to only about 4,500 feet.

This hike is notable for its six false summits that screw with your motivation, but really, there is no summit, just a majestic saddle overlooking the ugly sprawl of Tucson on one side, and the beauty of the Santa Catalinas on  the other. Saw quite a few other primates on the trails today as is expected on a holiday week. Other mammals included the many ground squirrels inhabiting the trail's end. Lot's of ground squirrel deserderata courtesy of the many hikers having lunch there.

Great weather today, with temps between 60º and 75º. Clear azure skies.

(photo by Parker Bosch)

(photo by Parker Bosch)

(photo by Parker Bosch)

(photo by Parker Bosch)

(photo by a kind stranger)

(photo by Parker Bosch)