Friends Hiking with Friends

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Carol Patterson
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1 Friends Hiking with Friends Hikes planned for March 2013 DISCLAIMER: Dove Mountain Hikers is a group of friends who hike together. There are no hiking leaders and all those who participate are responsible for determining that they are adequately prepared to engage in such activities and that they do so solely at their own risk. *Unless otherwise noted, all hikes, which use the TORTOLITA trails emanating from the Wild Burro Trailhead, will meet there; all other hikes/events will meet at the Dove Mountain Park near the tennis courts. Please RSVP the hike contact early for any hikes you have interest in... Tuesday, February 26th Bridal Wreath Falls in the Rincon Mountains Level: C 5.6 miles RT with about 800' elevation gain Hike Contact: Bob Brullo pastamonger@gmail.com Depart: 8:00 am - Return: 4:00 pm This hike will first have us driving to the far east end of Speedway and then hike up the Douglas Spring Trail. This area has several trails looping around and we will mostly curve slightly to the left as we go. While in the past our timing has included some wonderful wildflowers, this year we may be a little early. Much like hiking in the Tortolitas, hiking only a short way can lead to the feeling of great distance from Tucson and "civilization. Eventually we will take a right turn for a short distance on a side trail leading to the falls. They may be just a trickle or greater flow, depending on recent rains. We will enjoy lunch at the falls location (see pictures in the album below... then retrace our steps back to the trailhead. Bring water, snacks and lunch. Carpool fee is $5.

2 Tuesday night February 26 at 7:00 pm in the Highlands Ballroom Hiking in the Grand Canyon Open to the Dove Mountain Hikers We are fortunate to have an informative and entertaining presentation, some great scenery photos, as well as an adventure story based on hiking in the Grand Canyon. Several hiking club members have seen the presentation at the Western Parks Association, and felt we had to bring it here for our community to see. There is no cost to attend. Tom McDonald, the docent instructor at Tohono Chul Park, will present Life, Death and Redemption in the Grand Canyon, a harrowing tale of personal adventure and misadventure. In 2008 McDonald hiked the Lava Falls route to the bottom of the Grand Canyon. This route, the steepest and most remote in the canyon, has claimed at least four lives in the past two years. After reaching the bottom and exploring along the Colorado River, he was unable to find his way back to the rim and spent two days stranded at the bottom, finally flagging down a passing raft and then convincing a private helicopter pilot to fly him back to his truck on the rim. The talk will include background on the geology of the Grand Canyon, its flora and fauna, and some spectacular views of regions of the canyon that most people will never visit. Along with working at Tohono Chul, McDonald is an adjunct instructor in physiology at Pima Community College and a retired professor of neuroscience. Saturday, March 2 nd - Town of Marana Parks and Recreation Hike 8:00 am at the trailhead near the Ritz-Carlton Call for more information or go to marana.com, click on the recreation icon and follow instructions. Tuesday, March 5 - Bug Spring Trail Hike Level C+, 5 miles, feet (northbound); 400 +/- feet (southbound) Hike Contact: Joel Tormoen joeltormoen@gmail.com Depart DM Park 8:00am, Return 4:00pm The Bug Spring Trail connects the Upper Bear Canyon Picnic Area on the Mount Lemmon Highway, with the abandoned Prison Camp. This trail is a real beauty, with great views of the surrounding area. While this route (northbound) includes some elevation gain, it is spread over the whole route, so very few high step climbs... mostly just smooth trail that steadily heads up, sometimes with easy switchbacks. Also, there are at least three geocaches in the vicinity. Depending on the number of people who sign up, we can either do a key swap, or stash a car at one end, so the hike is a one-way. Bring water, lunch and snacks. Carpool fee $4.00

3 Thursday, March 7 th Suprise Hike Off Trail Adventure Hike to some great peaks Level: A / Adventure Hike, 7+ miles, Hike Contact: Gary Borax gcborax@yahoo.com Depart: 7:00am - Return: 4:00pm This is a tough one that you will never forget The three peaks are bucket list peaks and you will be talking, taking pictures and remembering them for years to come. I ve done one of the peaks and the other two are on my bucket list. The hike is mostly off-trail, but I don t expect the vegetation to be too thick> You might consider long pants, long sleeved shirt and hiking poles. Bring water, snacks and lunch. Carpool fee is $3.00. Saturday, March 9 - MOVE ACROSS 2 RANGES Towns of Marana and Oro Valley sponsored The Town of Oro Valley and Town of Marana will once again partner to host the second annual Move Across 2 Ranges hiking challenge on Saturday, March 9, Move Across 2 Ranges gives outdoor enthusiasts of all ages and abilities the opportunity to hike, stroll or trail run two beautiful mountain ranges in the Marana and Oro Valley area: the Tortolitas and Santa Catalinas. Participants can choose one of four hiking challenges: * Mighty Move - 5 miles * Major Move - 10 miles * Mega Move - 15 miles * Massive Move miles Registration fee includes participation in the hiking challenge, t-shirt and an invitation to the "Managed the Move" after-party from 3 to 6 p.m. at the Keg Steakhouse and Bar, where hors d'oeuvres, prizes and live music will be provided. Additional party tickets are $10; extra t-shirts are $15. For complete details on the hikes and registration, please see the attached flyer or visit and click on the green "Events & Projects" tab. You may also call (520) The Town of Marana is SEEKING VOLUNTEERS to assist with the event and assure participants of a fun and safe adventure. This year, our course in the Tortolitas will be out and back along the Wild Burro, Upper Javelina, Wild Mustang Route. Volunteers will be spaced along a 4.25 mile trail section, depending on the specific hiking challenge distance turn around (1.25 mile point, 2.25 mile point, and 4.25 mile point). Additional volunteers will be spaced or be

4 rovers between the points). All volunteers will receive an event t-shirt and invitation to the after challenge party at The Keg at Oro Valley Market Place. There's nothing better than spending the morning in our beautiful Tortolitas and being an ambassador to fellow hikers. We expect a large turnout from the Phoenix area hiking community. If you are interested in volunteering or know someone that might be, please contact Jen Ward, Marana Parks and Recreation Outdoor Recreation Coordinator at (520) or jward@marana.com<mailto:jward@marana.com> Friday, March 15 Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge Guided Arch Hike in Brown Canyon - Level C, 3.8 mi. Hike Contact: Julie Harrod julesetjimtucson@comcast.net Depart from DM Park 7:15 am. - Est. Return 4:00 pm NOTE: In an effort to lessen the impact to wildlife and plant species, reserving a paid guide is the only way to access this canyon. A maximum of 12 hikers will be able to join this hike a waiting list will be created if more than 12 respond. This outing requires that we carpool in vehicles with high clearance. If you have such a vehicle and can drive, please let me know when you RSVP. There is a $40 private group fee that will be paid to our guide. It will be divided among the hikers attending. Brown Canyon (elev ), in the Baboquivari Mountains, is a beautiful sycamore-shaded canyon of extraordinary diversity, a protected pristine example of the sky island ecosystem. From the 200 million year-old volcanic rocks to the rich distinctive variety of plants and animals, this protected enclave of high Sonoran desert is a treasured part of the Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge. The arch hike is a gentle hike that follows a sycamore- lined creek bed flanked by the oak clad foothills of the Baboquivari Mountains. Our top elevation will be We will stop and have our lunch under the shade of a beautiful natural rock arch. Bring water, snacks & lunch. You may also want to bring a camera and binoculars. Carpool fee is $ Saturday, March 16 th Ironwood Forest National Monument Hike the Monument Hike Contact: Gary Borax gcborax@yahoo.com and Lahsha Brown of Ironwood Forest The Friends of Ironwood Forest will offer three guided intermediate level hikes in the Ironwood Forest National Monument. More information to Follow

5 Tuesday, March 19 th - Cougar Canyon - east end of the Tortolitas Level: B-, about 6 miles, 700 ft. Hike Contact: Joel Tormoen joeltormoen@gmail.com Depart DM Park: 8:00 am, Return: 3:00pm NOTE: This is a great hike, and quite easy although it does have a few rock climbs as we proceed up the wash. Many of you have done this hike before. After a drive up La Cholla and then further on Como and Cougar Canyon Drive, we park (you wouldn t want to drive further anyway). After walking on a jeep road a little way into Saguaro Ranch property, we cut northeast along a wash. The wash includes the several rocky climbs which everyone manages to do, but they create a fun little challenge (don t let that scare you!) At a bend in the wash, we climb out. Along the way we pass several now dead and mostly gone crested saguaros. (If time permits, on the way out we will hike a short distance off the jeep road to an awesome crested saguaro.) After hiking east about 1 mile, we come to another very rocky wash, where we can view petroglyphs, look out over Rancho Vistoso, and have lunch. We then retrace our route back to the cars. Bring water, snack and a lunch... and camera if you are into photography. No carpool fee. Friday, March 22 nd Golden Gate Level A, about 3 miles but fairly steep Hike Contact: Al Marro tuc01@hotmail.com Depart DM Park: 8:00 am, Return: 3:00pm This is the peak you see right in front of you from the parking lot at Old Tucson. You have seen it many times in the movies shot there. We will, however, approach it from the other side. The hike has been done before by our group but the hike up then was on a different and more difficult route. This time we will park at the David Yetman trailhead parking area near Gates Pass and walk a few tenths of a mile to a marked trailhead to the top. Expect the total hike to be around only three miles but it is fairly steep. Bring water, lunch and snacks. Carpool fee $3.00

6 Thursday, March 28 - Wasson Peak, Level B, 8 miles, 1,700 elevation Hike Contact: Jim Phillips, jphil514@earthlink.net, Depart DM Park: 8:00am, Return 3:30pm We ll begin the hike on the Sendero Esperanza Trail (the trail of hope) in the Saguaro National Park. This will lead us to a ridge where we ll pick-up the Hugh Norris Trail. We ll follow Hugh Norris to the top of Wasson Peak where we ll have lunch. The peak provides great views of the Tucson valley. The elevation gain is gradual and the pace will be moderate. Bring water, snacks and lunch. The carpool fee is $3.00 Saturday, March 30th Ironwood National Monument Adventure Hike to Silverbell Peak Level: A / Adventure Hike, 5+ miles, Hike Contact: Gary Borax gcborax@yahoo.com Depart DM Park: 7:00am - Return: 4:00pm From Dove Mountain, when you look out to the Mountain Ranges to the west, three prominent Peaks in the Ironwood national Monument are clearly visible. From left to right are Waterman Peak, Silverbell Peak and Ragged Top. The DM Hikers have climbed two of them. The only one remaining to be concurred by the DM Hikers is Silverbell Peak. I want to cross it off from my Bucket list. This will be an adventure hike and most likely no one on our hike will have hiked up to the Peak. Although one of our hikers has been helicoptered up to a bighorn sheep guzzler located on a saddle just below Silverbell Peak. I never been up there and I don t know what to expect. I would guess the vegetation will be heavy at times so wearing long pants and a long sleeved shirt might be wise thing to do. For those of you who know me, you know I m not very bright as I will be in shorts and Tee shirt, although I will have hiking poles and gators. We have a guest hiker hiking with us, who should be of great assistance, as he is the one who has been choppered up to the Peak. Bring water, snacks and lunch. Carpool fee is $5.00 which includes a car wash. High clearance vehicles are required.

7 Volunteer Work Hikes & Events Wednesday March 6 th Ironwood Forest National Monument Work Hike Contact: Gary Borax gcborax@yahoo.com Depart DM Park at 7:00am - Return: 2:00pm We will be working with John Scheuring and BLM to remove a large patch of buffelgrass on the steep east slopes of the Waterman Mountains above the sheep guzzler that some of us are familiar with. We need high clearance vehicles to get to the area and the round trip hike to the buffelgrass will be less than 1 mile, but very steep. Geology picks will be provided. If BLM is there, work gloves will also be provided

Friends Hiking with Friends

Friends Hiking with Friends Hikes planned for December 2013 DISCLAIMER: Dove Mountain Hikers is a group of friends who hike together. There are no hiking leaders and all those who participate are responsible