Seven Falls, Bear Canyon, East Fork, Sabino Canyon Loop

Finally got to do our longer hike today, just shy of 18 miles, and we did it in a wicked fast pace compared to prior hikes. Aren't you supposed to slow down when you age? Glad for the catharsis hiking brings during these trying times, when every day some stupid Nazi incel from the Shitler administration does something incredibly cruel to a person of color, or murders a protester, or destroys our relationships with our allies and cozies up to dictators.

But enough about those MAGA ass hats. 

We hit the trail around seven in the AM, fully an hour and forty minutes before I usually arise, or so my watch tells me. Beautiful day for a hike. Under 50º at the start, but mid 70s on the return mid afternoon. Luckily we got an early start and saw only two other hikers before Seven Falls. Most people don't go beyond them, and today we saw no one until lunch, on the other side of the loop.

Love the mountain silhouettes in the early morning.

 

Bear Canyon is oriented toward the north, so morning sun takes a while to hit anything but the upepr reaches.

Saw only two hikers on Bear Canyon on the way to Seven Falls, a very popular destination. Glad we started early.

This little guy thought he would hitch a ride...

...and he is a family member of this Teddy Bear Cholla, cute but the quills, tiny as they are, are not something you want to attempt extracting from your skin.

Seven Falls, not flowing so well now that the rains have ended.

Seven Falls.             （Photo by Misty Atkins）

Seven Falls.

Happy to turn the corner on this sliver of Tucson sprawl and out into simulated wilderness. And after we left the Falls, we saw no other hiker until the intersection of the East Fork and West Fork trails on the north side of the loop.

From whence we came: Rather reminds me of the switchbacks on the South Kaibab Trail in the Crand Canyon.

(Photo by Misty Atkins)

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                                                                                    (Photo by Misty Atkins)

The apogee of this hike is about none miles in, and

almost precisely where the Bear Canyon, East Fork, and

Sycamore trails coincide.

 

Our lunch spot where the East Fork, West Fork, and Sabino Canyon trails meet. The West Fork takes you up to Romero Pass and other trails, as well as Hutch's Pool, a favorite destination; also a longer hike and one we might do next week.