One way to make hikes a little more exciting is to introduce some uncertainty or even a little danger to sharpen the senses and the mind. Not like the scariest hike I've been on, the infamous 24-mile hike from 2019 that we finished six hours and six miles over budget, but more like today...by simply going off route for a few miles, without a proper map. But it wasn't all that bad, and actually felt more like an accomplishment than a stupid stunt.
Today, I struck out on the Ram's Canyon Trail in Oro Valley, as opposed to the one in Catalina State Park, that is really the same canyon and same trail, but not fully marked as such. I simply extended my hike a few miles past the water tanks I hiked to last time, and continued on to the Walter's Cascade Trail which I hiked to a couple of weeks ago starting in Catalina State Park. This extension made for a nice little 6.5 miler, with modest elevation gain, and a water feature as a destination. This is a hike well worth repeating, with the added bonus that it's close to the house.
Saw three people on the trail, a solo hiker on her way to Walter's Cascade, from Catalina SP, and a young couple just starting out from Oro Valley as I was finishing up. Temps we unseasonably warm, topping out at 78º with no wind and clear skies. I waqs a little perturbed to see poppies in bloom as well as ocotillo.
