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.
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Starting out at 8:00, late for such a long hike.
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Unusual armless older Saguaro.
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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.
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Normally there would be water here...
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..and here.
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The falls might as well be frozen considering how little water there is.
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(Photo by Misty Atkins)
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I saw this sign previously coming off Ventana to Esperero, but never hiked the Cathedral Rock Trail.
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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. |
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This shot is actually from last year, but I loved it as it really captures the West Fork Trail.
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The lower reaches of Hutch's Pools as it would normally look in January.
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This same general area this year, sere as the Kalahari.
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Normally, this tram road would have water gushing over it. Today, not even a damp spot to be seen.
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(Photo my Misty Atkins) Arriving back at the parking lot just before having to get out the head lamps. |
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