Mount Wrightson - Santa Rita Mountains

At 6:52 AM, I began my hike up to the 9,456-foot summit of Mount Wrightson. This was my 4th time, and on this hike I was taking the Super Trail up and down. The trail begins at 5,400 feet elevation. It was 8:30 AM, when I reached Josephine Saddle. It had taken me 1 hour and 38 minutes to get there, and it was 3.7 miles from the trailhead. The elevation was 7,103 feet. From here the trail got much steeper, and it took me 91 minutes to reach the Baldy Saddle at 8,768 feet. Baldy Saddle was 2 miles from Josephine Saddle. After a short break, I began hiking again at 10:28 AM. Fifty-one minutes later I was on the summit, and it was 11:19 AM. From Baldy Saddle it was 0.9 miles to the top. At 11:50 AM, I headed back down. I arrived at Josephine Saddle at 1:24 PM, and followed the Super Trail back to my car. I got back to the parking lot at 3:01 PM. It had taken me 97 minutes from Josephine Saddle. My hike was 13.3 miles round-trip, and it took me 8 hours and 9 minutes.

 

Caving in the Chiricahua Mountains, Arizona

This cave is known for its rare quartz crystals that are deep in the cave. We explored the Crystal Maze. The cave has 2.38 miles of total passage. There are twisting tunnels and narrow passages that extend in all directions: vertically and horizontally. No access to the cave is permitted April 15th to October 15th, while a maternity colony of Townsend's big-eared bats is using the cave to raise their young.

Silver Peak - Coronado National Forest

At 7am I began my hike up to the summit lookout at 8,008 feet elevation. The elevation gain is about 3,000 feet, and was 10 miles round-trip. It took me 6.5 hours.

An old outhouse.

The summit lookout.

The summit lookout.