Friday, Jan 31st 2025, 0640-1710
Romero Canyon pools, Section 1A mm 3.75 to Catalina SP fee station, then some jockying around to get back to the El Camino del Cerro trailhead, then hike through SNP.
14 miles.
I’ve never done a thru-hike where I “officially” started the hike in some fashion 3 days in a row. It had been kind of exciting each day but I was also starting to feel like I was stuck in a holding pattern around Tucson. Today was the day I finally broke free, making forward progress west.
First I needed to finish the last few miles down Romero canyon. I got packed so early that it was still quite dark, so I had a hard time finding the trail on the other side of the creek. There was another crossing half a mile later where I saw somebody else struggling to find the trail. They still had their headlamp on, which is how I spotted them. I assumed it was somebody out for an early trail run. Later, I passed 5 day hikers, plus numerous people at the trailhead.
It was a steep descent, so my legs were shaking by the bottom. I took it slow, enjoying the very scenic and rugged canyon. I was so glad I camped further up because once I made it to the valley floor, the temperature dropped 10 degrees, well into the 30s. All the cold air seemed to get trapped in this area. I made it to the ranger station just as it opened, grabbing my food bag. An uber driver just happened to be dropping some people off at the time, so I quickly scheduled a trip and got picked up in minutes. What timing!
I have a confession…in all the years I’ve been thru-hiking, I’ve never once taken an Uber. Well, Woody and I did in Canada, but he scheduled it. This was my first time using the app in over 10 years. But it worked out perfectly! I got dropped off at a grocery store so that I could get some additional items. First I did some reordering and taking stock of items in the parking lot, which prompted a father with his daughter in tow to ask if I wanted some food. He held up a large ziplock with items that looked like they were meant to be his daughter’s packed lunch. I realized he thought I was homeless and was being so kind that he’d give away his daughter’s lunch. I’d had such awkward moments before but was still taken aback. I gave him a polite ‘thank you but I’m ok’. I was actually talking on the phone with my partner at the time, using my new Bluetooth headphones that were worth over $100…I certainly didn’t need or deserve such charity.
I had a vegetarian pesto sandwich made to order at the deli…the guy absolutely stacked it and I was so excited to save it for dinner. I used the bathroom and found a chair and outlet nearby, which drew me in for hours. Finally, well after noon, I decided it was time to hit the trail. I called for another Uber and this time the driver asked if I was hiking the Arizona Trail. Good guess! It turns out, he lived in Patagonia and knew all about hikers. He also worked as a volunteer for the AZT trail crews, helping to build a brand new section that eliminated a road walk into town. I had yet to hike that new trail segment, so it was a good excuse to go back. And I would be sure to look up Bob Grant, my Uber driver.
I officially started the route at 1 pm, right in the heat of the day. It had been near freezing earlier, but now the sun felt so hot as I climbed for hours. The trail went all the way to the top of Wasson peak, highest point in Saguaro National Park…4688′. Technically I didn’t have to hike the short spur to the peak, but of course I did. This still wasn’t as high as I’d been the day before…6k’ at the pass. There were a number of people at the top but as I hiked the ridgeline away from the peak, I only saw one other hiker. For a national park, it was very quiet.
The ridgeline was very scenic and fun, but I had to hurry to get through the park by sunset. Thankfully the perfectly manicured trails meant fast hiking. Once off the ridge, there was a short cross country piece to negotiate, which I worried might slow me down. But it was actually a lot easier bushwhacking through the desert forest than I expected…light years easier than bushwhacking in the Pacific Northwest! Sure there are lots of prickly things to avoid and every tree has thorns, but there’s generally ample space between the plants. One just has to do a lot of weaving around. Cholla balls are the thing to be avoided the most. They like to jump up and imbed in your calf.
I made it to the park road via a nice wash at the end, then followed it a mile to the visitor center. I’d just been there the year before, so I didn’t need to stop for long. I left the park via a pipeline swath and found a creative campsite a few miles down the road. The traffic noise was present all night but so too were nice sounds like the coyotes and great horned owls. The sunset was lovely, as usual. What a great start…all 3 days!
