Hugh Norris Trail to Wasson Peak 26

Today, we hiked the 10-mile Hugh Norris Trail to Wasson Peak, which also has around 2,400 feet of elevation gain. 

I hiked extra hard today to rinse my mind of the rancid offal oozing out of Dear Leader's diseased brain and becoming policy. But I digress...

We find ourselves at the end of yet another hiking season—my twelfth here in Arizona. How do I know it's the final hike? Because it's March and it's Wasson Peak, and for some reason, it is now a tradition to start and end the season with some hike or other up Wasson. 

The Hugh Norris approach to Wasson is a bit like spending an hour on a stair-stepping machine, at least for the first two-plus miles, where it settles down into something more like a trail. While I do appreciate the trail builders skill in constructing these incredible trails, the stairs are right up there with sand as two of my least favorite trail beds on which to hike. But I also know that these stairs are a great way to control erosion on such a well-trafficked trail, and so I abide them, and obviously, return each year.

We ran into a fellow hiker today, Kurt, who said the steps were a relatively new addition to these much older trails. He's been hiking here for 40 years after wending his way down from Minnesota and lacking the desire to give it up and leave. He also lives close by and hikes the Hugh Norris regularly as a training hike up to the saddle, where other trails converge for the ascent to the summit. The saddle is about 5.5 miles round trip from the Hugh Norris Trailhead, and we would leave him at the saddle while we continued on up to the peak for another 2 miles.

I was originally going to hike this tomorrow, but weather changes meant it would be warmer and clearer today and it was. Around 60º at the start at 9:30 or so, rising to 75º by hike's end three+ hours later. Lots of other hikers taking various routes to the peak, or just to the saddle. 

Kurt. He said he always stops by these three Saguaros

on his hikes up the Hugh Norris, and refers to them as 

his amigos. The sun was in a blinding spot, so I took the

pic from the other side, somewhat obscuring Martin Short.

Kurt's Three Amigos, more visible on the return.

Clockwise from the rear: Chevy, Steve, and Martin.

Misty setting a great pace.

I think the summit is, well, less than overwhelming, so I didn't take any photos this trip. This one is from a couple visits ago, in 2024. #truthinadvertising