Mount Wrightson - Santa Rita Mountains

Last Monday, I hiked up Mount Wrightson in the Santa Rita Mountains. It was 10.5 miles round trip. I started at 5,400 feet and hiked to the summit at 9,456 feet. It wasn't a difficult hike, it was just long, but the views were worth it. The mountain is nearly 7,000 feet higher than Tucson, and the surrounding savannas and deserts. The trailhead is located at located at the end of Madera Canyon Road about 30 miles south of Tucson.

On the summit

On the summit

Mount Wrightson

Mount Wrightson

Bog Springs Campground

The last two nights I camped at Bog Springs Campground in Madera Canyon. It's a beautiful oasis situated in the Santa Rita Mountains at 5,060 feet among the agaves, junipers, and oak trees. The summer temperatures are perfect for camping, and only 14 miles from Green Valley. There was only one other camper here on Sunday night, and on Monday I had the whole campground to myself. I like these cheap National Forest campgrounds on week days.

Yarrow's Spiny Lizard - Santa Rita Mountains

This lizard ranges across south-central, and southeastern Arizona at elevations ranging from 3,000 feet to about 6,000 feet. I found this lizard yesterday, while hiking up Mount Wrightson in the Santa Rita Mountains. This diurnal lizard is often spotted basking on trees and sometimes rocks in the morning.

 

Bark Scorpion - Saguaro National Park West

Last night, I went on a hike with a herpetologist, Lawrence L. C. Jones, MS, and a park ranger from Saguaro National Park West looking for scorpions. I sure did learn a lot, like where to find them, their behavior, and how to tell the different species apart. We saw Bark Scorpions, Desert Hairy Scorpions, Striped Tailed Scorpions, Bajada Dune Scorpions, and Yellow Ground Scorpions. We also found a Western Thread Snake. 

Scorpions play a very important role in nature.  They are predators that prey on large numbers of insects.  Thus, scorpions are a form of natural pest control and in wild areas, scorpions should not be killed just becasue they are scorpions. 

Bark Scorpion

Gilbert Ray Campground

Normally I don't camp in the Sonoran Desert in the summer. It was 102 degrees when I set up my tent yesterday. However, on Saturday, I am attending a lecture on Scorpions of the Tucson Mountains and Avra Valley by herpetologist and scorpion expert, Larry Jones, at Saguaro National Park West. The presentation is in the morning, followed by a hike at night with Jones, looking for scorpions and snakes.

Here I am in the desert eating spinach fried in olive oil and sprinkled with garlic salt and melted Parmesan cheese. It's so good I eat it almost every night.

Little Granite Mountain Loop Trail

Yesterday, I hiked the 6.7 mile Little Granite Mountain Loop Trail, located in the Granite Basin Recreation Area, near Prescott. The trail passes through open chaparral as it winds around the west flank of Little Granite Mountain. Outcrops of granite bedrock have weathered away into fantastic shapes that dominate the trail.

Lower Wolf Creek Campground

Today I decided to go a little lower in elevation.  I'm down to 5,948 feet in the Bradshaw Mountains from last night at Mingus Mountain at 7,627 feet. I wanted the night to be just a bit warmer, so I made an adjustment of dropping 1,679 feet and headed to Prescott. It's so nice to be able to choose different ecosystems, and different temperatures, without even having to drive far. It's located on the banks of Wolf Creek, among boulders, walnut, oak, and pine trees.

Mingus Mountain Campground

I decided to escape the heat of the Verde Valley, and set up camp on Mingus Mountain. This is the highest campground in the Black Hills at 7,627 feet elevation, and it's about 15 degrees cooler than the valley below. It was 97 degrees this afternoon in Cottonwood, so I went to the public pool for a swim, did some grocery shopping, and then decided to camp in the mixed Conifer Forest atop Mingus Mountain in the Prescott National Forest. Since it is June, I don't usually camp below 3,000 feet, and the perfect temperature is between 5,000 and 8,000 feet during the summer.

North Wilson Trail to Sterling Canyon Overlook

Wilson Mountain is a flat-topped mesa and the highest vista in the Red Rock - Secret Mountain Wilderness. Yesterday, at 7:30am, I started I hiking up Wilson Mountain for a second time, but this time I began my hike at the Encinoso Picnic Area, and my destination was the northern edge of the plateau. It was 9.4 miles round trip, and I encountered very few people on this beautiful trail. It's a strenuous hike with 2,200 feet of elevation gain, which is why there are so few people. This is the best hike in Sedona, and you will discover incredible views and solitude. I only passed about 6 other hikers in 7 hours, and I was the only one at the overlook.

Long hard hikes are the best thing for my OCD. The exercise and sunshine greatly diminishes the frequent nagging of OCD.  It's usually still there, but I am able to quickly push it away with very little effort and anxiety. Everyday, I'm thinking about my next hike, and that's a lot better than indulging in the twisted logic of OCD.

Wolverton-Quartz Loop Trail - Prescott National Forest

I hiked the Wolverton-Quartz Loop Trail. It's a 4.5 mile loop trail, but I took a few wrong turns, and my hike ended up 5.8 miles. It's a very confusing trail system that is not well marked. The trail goes up Wolverton Mountain and Quartz Mountain in the Prescott National Forest.

Quartz Mountain

Quartz Mountain

Quartz Mountain

Verde Valley Campsite - Cottonwood, Arizona

This is a beautiful place to camp between Cottonwood and Sedona. I have often camped here. It is quiet and the views are amazing.

Lower Wolf Creek Campground - Prescott National Forest

I'm enjoying a good Ray Bradbury novel called The Illustrated Man. I've read several of his books and short stories. They're always insightful, and often dystopian tales that get you thinking.  This campground is in the Prescott National Forest at an elevation of 5,960 feet so it is much cooler than the 112 degree heat in Phoenix. On beautiful nights like these in the mountains I forget I have OCD.

Bloody Basin Road - Exit 259, I-17

Tonights campsite is in Bloody Basin a few miles west of I-17. The evening is absolutely gorgeous. It's a very comfortable 75 degrees at 9:00pm. Nights in the high desert are perfect this time of year. This is the transition zone between the lower Sonoran Desert and the Colorado Plateau.

I have a cell phone signal here so I can post from my campsite. It's dark now, and the laptop screen is attracting night flying insects. When I am done I close the laptop for the night, but the next day when I open it again I always find bugs squished to the screen and keyboard.

North Mingus Mountain Loop Trail

This is a particularly attractive trail with many small pockets of aspen and other deciduous trees on the north face of Mingus Mountain. Most of the trail is above 7,000 feet, offering some nice views of Jerome and the Verde Valley. Yesterday, I hiked the 4.3 mile loop.

Mingus Mountain is a large Mesa south of Jerome in the Prescott National Forest, and is in a part of Arizona called the Transition Zone. This part of the State lies between the Sonoran low desert to the south and the higher Colorado Plateau to the north. Here, at an elevation of about 7,800 feet, cacti, yuccas, and agaves grow in an open forest of ponderosa pines.