Related:   
Tucson Mountains Tour:  Golden Gate Mountain, Bobcat Ridge, and Little Cat Mountain
​Elephant Head Peak - Santa Rita Mountains, Southern Arizona
Desert Plants

We started on the Yetman Trailhead, not far from Golden Gate Mountain, instead of the Sarasota Trailhead which is closer to Cat Mountain so we could spend as much time as possible walking through this beautiful Tucson Mountain Park encompassing much of an ancient caldera, and weave around thorny saguaros and jumping chollas.  We had also started at the Yetman trail a few days before, when we hiked three high points in this park:  Golden Gate Mountain, Little Cat Mountain and Bobcat Ridge.  All four peaks could be summited in one long day.

Reach the saddle between Golden Gate Mountain and Bren Peak at 0.4  miles from Yetman trailhead, an excellent place to get a perspective on three high points:  Bobcat Ridge, Little Cat Mountain and Cat Mountain.  A textured green carpet sweeps down valley and up the slopes of these brooding, rugged mountains.  The only thing that distracts from this scene is the housing development in the valley to the west.  

​This pleasant view makes it difficult to imagine the sudden event of a magma chamber spewing the searing ash that formed this ancient caldera landscape.  Tucson Mountain Chaos is the term given by geologists to the valley rocks that underlie the Cat Mountain Tuff, the compacted ash that forms these peaks.  There is no definite answer to the thousands-feet thickness of this Cretaceous-age tuff.  Were these rocks below the Cat Mountain Tuff rafted from deeper levels by the rising magma?  Or, was this rock caused by a landslide in a caldera that had accumulated the tuff?  To make the geologic puzzle even more complicated, spreading of the Earth during Basin and Range faulting makes the geologist's task of identifying the age relationship of the rocks more difficult.

Cat Mountain from Explorer Trail on its north side.  We went up low saddle to the left of the summit block to gain lower ridge.

From our vantage point on the Explorer trail, we could see the gentler rise of Cat Mountain's east ridge. The three-trail intersection (Starr Pass, Explorer and Sarasota) is well-marked as are other intersections in this well-cared-for park.  We continued on the Explorer trail for 0.6 miles until we saw a manageable route to the ridge, leaving it earlier than the standard cairned route (1.0 miles past 3-way junction), making our own path.  A sea of detached teddy bear cholla branches, those little mobile yellow ovals armored with extremely sharp spines made us pick our footsteps carefully.  However, I wasn't careful enough; one jumped up and stuck my pant leg to my calf.  I remembered a hike many years ago when we used a metal comb to remove a cholla piece from a dog's leg.  Scott and Fred somehow got the prickly thing off me and we resumed our cross-country hike with no serious injury except for a few red spots on my skin.

​The day grew colder and cloudier.  The broken dark red and tan rocks deposited on the slopes from the tuff cliffs above crunched under our boots.  The occasional cactus spine scraped against our packs and in some cases grabbed on.  

After getting off Explorer, we looked for the best way up.  Rocks formed a natural staircase.  Four or five Coues Whitetail deer perched far above on steep cliffs stopped to watch us, curious at three humans stumbling through the cacti.   The ridge walk was straightforward and it felt good to follow its natural route and rhythm, using hands when needed.  We came upon cairns marking the final ascent to the summit and a complete change of view of the open sky and the sprawl of Tucson far below us.  There's just one Class 3 crack with mild exposure to navigate, with just enough ledges to place feet and hands.  Frequent rock cairns mark an obvious path.

Every ridge scramble, every summit has its own unique personality.  The scramble up Cat Mountain's east ridge is challenging yet not scary, exposed but safe, with the right amount of rocks and cactus gardens making it aesthetically friendly.  You're never bored with looking at saguaros and chollas because with each one, there is a different size or form.  This summit has one very unusual feature - a plastic white boulder that houses a radio repeater.  Looking at Cat Mountain from Tucson area, you would not suspect the spacious flat areas on its summit.  A steady cold  wind cut short our time lounging on the top, but we got a good look at Golden Gate Mountain to the northwest and the steep drop-off to the south.

As we walked down, the clouds closed again, the temperature dropped, and the wind chilled.  We hiked back via Sarasota Trail at the three-way intersection.  We added another summit to our "three friends who like to hike" resume', and more stories for reminiscing.  This will go down in the books as one of our more mellow hikes together.  Never stop climbing mountains!

This elevation is too high and cool for saguaros to grow.  This hike travels through the transition between desert grassland and oak grassland biomes of Arizona's Sky Island region.  The ocotillo "forests" are remarkable and so are the mature Santa Rita Prickly Pears; they tolerate the cooler winters. Their pads can turn purple during the winter.

​So many things make this a repeat-hike in the future:  solitude, desert wilderness, route-finding, fun Class 2-3 climbing, and views.  Plans:  Elephant Head Peak plus Little Elephant Head (Peak 5,149').

References
An Archipelago in a Cordilleran Gap - The Sky Islands of Arizona and Sonora.  Brusca, R., Moore, W.                                     
https://www.rickbrusca.com/http___www.rickbrusca.com_index.html/The_Sky_Islands.html

Ganesha:  Hindu Diety.  Doniger, W.  Encyclopaedia Britannica.  https://www.britannica.com/topic/Ganesha

Geologic Map of the Mt. Wrightson Quadrangle.  https://ngmdb.usgs.gov/Prodesc/proddesc_9405.htm

Mesozoic Stratigraphy of the Santa Rita Mountains, Southeast of Tucson, Arizona.  Drewes, H. 1971.  https://pubs.usgs.gov/pp/0658c/report.pdf

​​Plutonic Rocks of the Santa Rita Mountains, Southeast of Tucson, Arizona.  Drewes, H.  1976.  Geological Survey Professional Paper 915.  https://pubs.usgs.gov/pp/0915/report.pdf

Quantrell Mine Trail.  Coronado National Forest.  U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Forest Service.  
https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/coronado/recreation/recarea/?recid=25770&actid=50

Golden Gate Mountain
At the Yetman trailhead, we set out to discover a new area with hike directions from Earthline.  At the saddle between Golden Gate Mountain and Bren's Benchmark, 0.4 miles from the trailhead, we oriented ourselves and looked southeast to mountain summits, not yet knowing which ones we would be climbing.  We took a right 0.1 miles past the saddle at the cairned trail that gains the Golden Gate through a break between cliffs, and began our climb to Golden Gate Mountain, our highest summit at 4,288 feet (see photo below).

The golden color of the rocks perhaps gave this peak its name.  Cat Mountain Tuff, a thick layer of consolidated ash, makes up the bulk of these peaks.
​
Tucson Mountain Chaos is the term given by geologists to the rocks that underlie the Cat Mountain Tuff, seen in the valleys.  There is no definite answer to the thousands-feet thickness of this Cretaceous-age tuff.  Were these rocks below the Cat Mountain Tuff rafted from deeper levels by the rising magma?  Or, was this rock caused by a landslide in a caldera that had accumulated the tuff?  Of course, when you throw in the geometry of faulting that occurred later when Basin and Range was spreading, it makes the geologist's task of identifying the age relationship of the rocks more difficult.

Dodging teddy bear chollas and barrel cactus spines, we marveled at a rare cristate saguaro thrusting up from a steep, south-facing slope under orange cliffs.  Theories for the abnormal crest growth range from genetic mutations to lightning strikes.  The trail threads between welded tuff towers and tops out, weaves to the left following cairns to the summit.  Tucson spreads below, mountain ranges surround on the horizon.  Below us, a white cloud moved across the valley and swept over us, briefly covering the peak with fog that created a rare, softly illuminated desert scene.  Light rain produced vivid oranges, yellows and greens.  Return to Yetman Trail via the same path.

Little Cat Mountain
From Peak 3,380, continue southeast on Bobcat Ridge Trail 0.7 miles to intersection with Explorer Trail; total mileage = 5.0 miles.  Turn left (southeast) to climb to saddle in a short distance.  At top of saddle, at arrow sign for Explorer Trail, hike up to saddle of Little Cat Mountain to the right (south).  Fewer cairns than those of Golden Gate mark this off-trail approach which climbs a quick 400' to the summit, passing a relatively flat grassy area once the trail tops the saddle.  From this summit, look to your left;  an outrageous view of dark orange and black volcanic Cat Mountain appears as you stand on a cliff overlooking Tucson.  The lowering sun and long shadows made this scene even more dramatic.  

We returned via our ascent to Explorer trail (signs with pink arrow), then made a loop around base of Bobcat Ridge by following Sarasota Trail (signs with maroon arrow), then finally on Yetman Trail to trailhead.  Total distance:  9.25 miles.  We vowed to climb Cat Mountain, then returned to its summit a few days later with our friend Scott, to celebrate the New Year and plan for hikes together in the beautiful southwestern deserts.

References:
Lipman, P.W.  1994.  Tucson Mountains Caldera:  A Cretaceous Ash Flow Caldera in Southern Arizona.  USGS Research on Mineral Resources 1994:  Part B, Guidebook for Field Trips.  U.S. Geological Survey.

​Tucson Mountains Geology:  Complex and Controversial.

Lipman, P.W.  Geologic Map of the Tucson Mountains Caldera, Southern Arizona.

Tucson Mountain Chaos.  Arizona State Geology: Blog of the State Geologist of Arizona.  Retrieved from internet. ​http://arizonageology.blogspot.com/2009/04/tucson-mountain-chaos.html

Related: 
Thimble Peak - Pusch Ridge Wilderness, Tucson
Breakfast Ridge out of Sabino Canyon, Tucson

Definition
Biome - "A large community of plants and animals that occupies a distinct region.  A complex biotic community characterized by distinctive plant and animal species and  maintained under the climatic conditions of the region."
-  Dictionary.com

If I had to pick only one word that best describes the essence of the hike to Tanque Verde Peak in the Saguaro Wilderness, I would choose "diversity".  This nine-mile portion of the Tanque Verde Ridge Trail that begins at the Javelina trailhead in Saguaro National Park east of Tucson and ends 4,000 feet higher at Tanque Verde's summit treks through four biotic communities, each containing its characteristic plant and animal species.  These "life zones" -Sonoran desertscrub, semi-desert grassland, Madrean evergreen woodland, and temperate forest overlap, so that prickly pear cactus grows alongside bunch grasses in transition zones. 

An evening of April thunderstorms and light rain the previous night had created a chill and freshness to the morning air.  Fred and I had hiked this trail 6.9 miles to Juniper Basin the year before.  This year, we were determined to hike the full nine miles to the peak.

The trail, initially hard and rocky, winds through stately saguaros, barrel cactus and prickly pear cacti filled to the brim with new flower buds (in April), straightens and gains elevation through tall bunchgrasses, bear grass, and finally oak trees.  Leaving the desert scrub behind, the trail rises and falls through an ever-increasing amount of oaks.  It goes through lovely Juniper Flat,  through the cool shade of Ponderosa and Pinyon pines along with Alligator juniper toward the summit of Tanque Verde Peak where the tread is soft with accumulated pine needles.   Grasping the rough and weathered granite on the last few feet of the summit block, you hoist yourself up a huge boulder to see the dark, immense summit of Rincon Mountain on the south ridge and the breathtaking view of southern Arizona's mountain ranges.

The only bad part is the sore feet after this 18-mile hike; however, a small price to pay for this unique experience.

Tanque Verde, or "green tank" refers to the green algae present in a large tank of water used for stock in the 1800's.  It is now the name given to the valley east of Tucson that is bordered by the Santa Catalina Mountains to the north and the Rincon Mountains to the east.  The Pima Indians lived there in the 1600's, and Tanque Verde Ranch was established in the 1800's.

Semi-desert grassland
As the trail climbs just past 4,000 feet, a noticeable change in vegetation occurs:  saguaros become scarce as the ridge is dominated by ever-increasing fields of bunchgrasses, oak and juniper.  Calming, muted and soft neutral grey/greens replace bright primary colors of the lively, unrestrained desertscrub.  Sotol, creosote and agave mix with a diverse array of grasses.  As the trail gradually climbs, junipers become more prevalent.  Tanque Verde Peak is still six miles away and not visible.  The manzanita and oak species are prevalent in the oak savannah community as the trail ascends, transitioning into pine/oak woodland.

Temperate Forest
A unique characteristic of the Sonoran temperate forest biome, officially beginning at around 6,000 feet elevation, is the cohabitation of lower-elevation desert plants, such as the yucca with spruces, pines, firs and maples.  Species diversity reigns, although seemingly not to the degree of the desertscrub biome.  Temperate forests are very cold-hardy and confined to cooler sites above the Madrean evergreen woodland.

We catch glimpses of Tanque Verde Peak as we climb on a well-traveled path through the shade, scent and rough texture of this forest.   Emerging out of the dense forest into an open wide ridge, Tanque Verde's many columnar rocks and crevices comes into sharp view at about 6,500 feet.  The trail weaves around large boulders and manzanita:  the metal summit sign is seen to the east at about 8.7 miles.  Reach an old signed intersection that points the way to Cow Head Saddle which is  another 2.5 miles on the ridge; continue straight ahead to Tanque Verde.  Somehow I forget my tired legs when we reach the summit, where the spectacular scene doesn't reveal itself until you scale a looming boulder that stands in your way, a short climb that feels like the final test for this summit conquer. 

The view is spectacular.  It takes a few seconds to fully comprehend how high this peak rises above the surrounding desert floor and the layers of mountain ranges visible.  Mexico is to the south,  the Santa Rita and Galiuro Mountain ranges to the southeast.  The Santa Catalina Mountains thrust up rocky prominences to the northwest.  Rincon Peak is just across the valley to the east, its massive hulk in the shadow of clouds.

We relish the view and accomplishment and the wonder and beauty that the Sonoran desert brings.  The wind is brisk and cool, but by the time we get down to the desertscrub and walk through the saguaro stands, seven miles away, it will be warmer, even with the sun setting.  There are about four or five hills to climb on the long walk out, scaled with a bit more determination than on the way in.   Glad we are getting back at sunset, for above the golden Tanque Verde Ridge slowly becoming covered by shadows, a nearly full moon is rising.

References:
Buckley, Steve, ed.  2011.  Common Plants of Saguaro National Park

Levengood, Betty.  Tucson Hiking Guide.  2012.  West Wind Press, Portland, Oregon.

Natural Resources Monitoring at Saguaro National Park. https://www.nps.gov/im/sodn/sagu.htm

Sonoran Desert Network Ecosystems. https://www.nps.gov/im/sodn/ecosystems.htm#CP_JUMP_5423053

USGS - Southwest Biological Science Center. 2006.   Vascular Plant and Vertebrate Inventory of Saguaro National Park, Rincon Mountain District  rincon_vegetation.pdf.

​​Tanque Verde Ranch website, ​https://www.tanqueverderanch.com/

U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Saguaro.  Geology of the Rincon Mountains.  https://www.nps.gov/sagu/planyourvisit/upload/Geology%20of%20the%20Rincon%20Mountains.pdf.

"Lush" and Tucson don't normally go together in the same sentence, but as I stood at four different high-points overlooking the Tucson basin a few weeks ago, a carpet of forest green spread below.  Tucson received above average rainfall this past winter and spring, and now the wildflowers were robust and plentiful, bursting with buds and flowers.  All of the space atop each prickly pear cactus leaf pad was filled to maximum capacity with new flower buds.  This ramble through juniper and oak was colored with the purples, pinks, reds, and oranges of penstemon, globe mallow, thistle, and pink fairy duster.

 
​From the Gordon Hirabayashi Trailhead we hiked west and quickly came to our first intersection with Soldier Canyon Trail #53 and the remains of the Tucson Federal Prison Camp that housed Japanese Americans during WWII that built the Catalina Highway (Sky Island Scenic Byway).  In the next few miles, we saw the remains of structures:  foundations and rock towers in Sycamore Canyon that may have been used to hoist pipes for the water supply to the camp from Sycamore Reservoir below.

From the intersection, the sandy and wide trail to Shreve Saddle is pleasant with a subtle beauty, with just the right mix of bunch grasses, oaks, yucca, manzanita and juniper - the Upper Sonoran Life Zone that includes oak woodland and chaparral.

The top of Shreve Saddle seems to hang on the horizon; as the trail reaches it, an expansive view westward of beautiful Sycamore Canyon and ridges and peaks of the Sabino Canyon area opens up.  A sign for Sycamore Reservoir Trail #39 indicates the trail descends Sycamore Canyon on the left (south) side.  At this point the trail enters the Pusch Ridge Wilderness; it feels like wilderness except for a few prisoner-constructed cemented rock towers.  Further down the trail, a bedrock grinding mortar sits on a high, smooth boulder next to the trail, evidence of ancient peoples' production of mesquite and palo verde seed pods and other plants.  These represent an important food resource for prehistoric people, and also sites for social interaction.

​The descent from Shreve Saddle to Sycamore Reservoir is one mile through a perfect balance of views, beautiful chaparral vegetation, and occasional sparks of color from wildflowers as it gently lulls you to Sycamore Creek.  It's great to descend, but the knowledge that you will have to make up for this pleasure on the way back– in this case, a 600- foot climb out of the canyon after a summit hike is an added challenge.  Luckily, we had drifting clouds that created an ever-changing landscape of shadows and light on the mountains ahead. 

From here, the trail climbs steadily, another 0.6 miles to meet up with the popular Bear Canyon Tail through pretty country of oak and Manzanita and tall stands of fuschia and purple penstemon (in April).   A huge green racer skimmed across the trail in front of me and slithered its way up a tree.  From the flanks of a an eroded hill,  Fred pointed across the arroyo to a huge stand of purple penstemon, looking more like a shrub than a perennial forb.  At the "t" intersection, turn left (south) onto Bear Canyon Trail.  

Did we make it to the top?
Once at the base, walk 70 or so feet to the right (west) to the easily-recognizable cleft with a large boulder imbedded close to the bottom on the north side of Thimble.  This is the route to the highest point that includes a Class 4 pitch, according to sources I read.  Scott climbed the lower spires of Thimble, its cleft route to the left (east) of the main Thimble approach.  He looked across to the highest point and saw the chain ladder that was placed there recently.   I found the main rock chute too intimidating from the start; was able to start climbing the second chute, but I didn’t top out.  What I would have seen had I made it to the top is, "the full-circle, ridgetop view from Thimble is spectacular...Pusch Ridge, the Santa Catalina Mountains, Tucson, endless sky islands. They are all about. It is heart-rattling to look west, right down the remarkable (and ultra familiar) ridgeline over which Thimble Peak presides: Saddleback, Blacketts, the desert floor,“ according to the blog post from Earthline:  The American West.  Still, this hike was worth seeing the dramatic perspective of canyons and peaks and the Tucson basin even if I didn't get to the very top.  Impressive Rattlesnake Peak which lies to the west is another goal that will have to wait until our next Tucson visit.  So, no one in our party made it to the highest part of the summit - but that's o.k.

We hadn't forgotten about the Jamestown Kind Rock painted with a white cat wearing a pink bow.  Scott placed it carefully on a rock shelf under a protective overhang, tilting it up so the next Thimble climber would see it.  Not only is it a gesture to remind us how important "kindness" is, it also represents the enduring friendship that we three hikers - Scott, Fred and I have.  We had found it together four months earlier on Pinto Mountain in Joshua Tree, now together we were placing it on another mountain in hopes that the next discoverer(s) would do the same.  I wonder where it is now!

References:
Bezy, John.  2004.  A Guide to the Geology of Sabino Canyon and the Catalina Highway.  Arizona Geological Survey.  http://repository.azgs.az.gov/sites/default/files/dlio/files/nid1526/dte-17_sabino_canyon-red.pdf

​Dickinson, William R.  1992.  Geologic Map of Catalina Core Complex and San Pedro Trough.  Arizona Geological Survey, Contributed Map CM-92-C.

Kreutz, Doug. 2011.  Ancient Grinding Holes Offer Hard Clues to Past.  Arizona Daily Star.  https://tucson.com/news/local/ancient-grinding-holes-offer-hard-clues-to-past/article_14cbc931-f23c-5aba-9101-779322043849.html

LocalWiki:  Tucson.  Catalina Federal Honor Camp.  Taken from internet 5/9/19.

Richard, S.M., Reynolds, S.J., Spencer, J.E., and Pearthree, P.A.  Geologic Map of Arizona.  2000.  Arizona Geologic Survey, Map 35.

Sabino Canyon:  Our Desert Oasis - Through Our Parents Eyes.  Taken from the internet 5/2019.

Takami, David.  2/17/99.  HistoryLink.org Essay 2070 - Hirabayashi, Gordon K. (1918-2012).  Taken from internet 5/9/19.

Related:
Thimble Peak, Pusch Ridge Wilderness, Tucson
​Desert Plant photos
​Cat Mountain - Tucson Mountain Park
​Tucson Mountains Tour:  Golden Gate Mountain, Peak 3,380', Little Cat Mountain 

Day 1:  Pima Canyon warm-up hike - 8 miles, 2,000 foot gain
Day 2:  Finger Rock Canyon Trail to Mt. Kimball - 10.2 miles, 4,138 foot gain
Day 3:  Tanque Verde Ridge Trail to Juniper Springs, Saguaro National Park, Rincon Mountain District - 14 miles, 3,000' gain
Day 4:  Pontatoc Canyon, 7.4 miles, 2,000 foot gain

Related:
Desert Plant photos
​Thimble Peak, Pusch Ridge Wilderness
Breakfast Ridge via Sabino Canyon

After the dust settled and Fred had recovered himself from skidding down the steep bank on the Finger Rock Canyon Trail, I found myself face to face with a coiled and ugly-looking rattlesnake, it's rattling causing me to stop dead in my tracks.  First on the trail down, Fred had jumped away from the snake's warnings which caused me to run forward, thinking Fred was falling off the trail.  But instead, he yelled, "Stop!".   My first thought was how clever this snake was, its coloring the very same as the vegetation it lived in.  Afraid that it might strike, I stood frozen, carefully getting my camera ready.  As we stood gawking, the rattlesnake was finally satisfied we were no longer a threat, so it slowly uncoiled and moved away.

What kind of rattlesnake was that?  When I consult the "Rattlesnake Poster" on the Arizona Game and Fish Department's website, it looks most like the Mohave Rattlesnake, "widely considered the most toxic rattlesnake in the U.S.".   Or, it could be the Western Diamond-backed Rattlesnake.  Anybody out there who knows which rattlesnake this is, let me know!

The rocky terrain of the Santa Catalina Mountains makes Tucson hikes tough and challenging.  A 4,000 foot climb in New Hampshire, for instance, takes less toll on my legs than the schist and gneiss steps of the Finger Rock Trail.  During the 4,000  foot climb up Finger Rock Canyon to Mt. Kimball, you will experience several life zones, starting at low desert zone with its brittle bush, saguaros and ocotillos.  Vegetation dramatically changes as you top off at Mt. Kimball with Pinyon pines, manzanita shrubs, alligator junipers, and oak being dominant.  The first mile of the trail is relatively flat, then switchbacks up to traverse along the east side of Finger Rock Canyon to Linda Vista saddle.  From there, the trail rises more steeply, and is especially demanding near the junction with Pima Canyon Trail #62.  There are a fair amount of people on the trail during the first 2 or 3 miles, but few make it all the way to the top.  We like to do a "warm-up" hike the day before in one of the other Pusch Ridge Wilderness canyons so we can get our legs ready for the climb.  A little bit of training beforehand and plenty of water makes this spectacular hike even more enjoyable.

Another advantage of Tucson hiking, besides the spectacular beauty of the Santa Catalina canyons, is the reward of a Frost gelato after a grueling hike.  I wonder if we could get a Frost Gelato Shoppe in Boise?