One of the best things about being in this area is the opportunities for hiking and to see new sights. So its about time we went on another hike with our hiking friends John and Elaine. If you recall from a previous post that they are hiking machines but this time they promised to at least keep us in sight. Sabino Canyon is just northeast of Tucson and is part of the Santa Catalina Mountains. This is the same mountain range that Mount Lemmon (which we visited earlier) is the highest peak. 
The trip to the jumping off point of our hike is a few miles up the canyon and we travel there by luxurious air conditioned coach (an open air shuttle bus). The valley of the canyon has a lovely stream whose water comes all the way from the snow melt on Mount Lemmon. There were lots of families enjoying the day by having a dip in the stream.
This unique rock formation along the canyon wall looks just like Snoopy laying on the roof of his dog house. Can't see it? Where's your imagination; your childhood innocence? Thats OK, I couldn't see it either. Look dead centre at the skyline. That pointy bit above the shadow is his nose, then the round bulge to the right is his belly and then the next upward bit are his toes. If you still can't see it, I tried! 
This is trails end for our ride and now we're starting our hike up the side of the mountain. If you can see the steep cliff way off in the distance, thats where we'll be hiking as we head back to the start. About 4.5 miles of switchbacks, sheer cliffs, and crumbling narrow trails. Of course they didn't tell us that until we got here.
Although the morning was cool, it didn't take us long to start doffing our jackets and drinking our water bottles. It was a beautiful day; sunny with a light breeze and so quiet you could hear our bones creak.
On one of our frequent breaks we stand and admire the hillside. The sheer cliff behind us is not a worry as long as we have a boulder to lean on. Notice the walking sticks? On one other hike I complained that they were the reason that John and Elaine could walk so fast. So they loaned us some. Although they are great for hiking in rough terrain, they did little to help us keep up. I need a new excuse.
At the visitor centre, on the tram ride, and on numerous signs we were warned about the dangerous wildlife such as rattlesnakes, gila monsters, cougars and bears. The only dangerous wildlife we saw was this hummingbird. Fortunately it was perched a distance away and never made any threatening gestures in our direction. The price of safety is constant vigilance.
After our recent fright we all decided that a lunch break was a good way to settle the nerves. The nice thing about eating 2 sandwiches, 2 oranges, a couple of energy bars and 2 bottles of water? The back pack is a lot lighter. Of course finding a place to relieve the water pressure half way up a cliff isn't easy. Not to mention anyone in the valley below with binoculars will know all about you. Plus, water on a side hill usually returns to you.
I do like to climb up rocks and this seemed like a good photo op. For some reason no one wanted to join me. Did they know something I didn't?
This is trails end for our ride and now we're starting our hike up the side of the mountain. If you can see the steep cliff way off in the distance, thats where we'll be hiking as we head back to the start. About 4.5 miles of switchbacks, sheer cliffs, and crumbling narrow trails. Of course they didn't tell us that until we got here.
Although the morning was cool, it didn't take us long to start doffing our jackets and drinking our water bottles. It was a beautiful day; sunny with a light breeze and so quiet you could hear our bones creak.
On one of our frequent breaks we stand and admire the hillside. The sheer cliff behind us is not a worry as long as we have a boulder to lean on. Notice the walking sticks? On one other hike I complained that they were the reason that John and Elaine could walk so fast. So they loaned us some. Although they are great for hiking in rough terrain, they did little to help us keep up. I need a new excuse.
At the visitor centre, on the tram ride, and on numerous signs we were warned about the dangerous wildlife such as rattlesnakes, gila monsters, cougars and bears. The only dangerous wildlife we saw was this hummingbird. Fortunately it was perched a distance away and never made any threatening gestures in our direction. The price of safety is constant vigilance.
After our recent fright we all decided that a lunch break was a good way to settle the nerves. The nice thing about eating 2 sandwiches, 2 oranges, a couple of energy bars and 2 bottles of water? The back pack is a lot lighter. Of course finding a place to relieve the water pressure half way up a cliff isn't easy. Not to mention anyone in the valley below with binoculars will know all about you. Plus, water on a side hill usually returns to you.
I do like to climb up rocks and this seemed like a good photo op. For some reason no one wanted to join me. Did they know something I didn't?
Its been a great hike! The weather was perfect, the scenery was breathtaking and they did stop and wait for me as promised. Altogether a very enjoyable day. 
After hiking for over 5 hours through some of the most ruggest wilderness Arizona has to offer our best wildlife sighting was this quail in the parking lot at the visitors centre. Its the first one I've seen here and was the highlight of the day (well, almost).
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