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.