In Tucson: a hike in Soldier’s Canyon

January 22, 2020

Ever since we started planning this tour, we’ve envisioned biking up Mount Lemmon again - a climb that ranks high on our list of our most enjoyable climbs. Over 15 miles it climbs 4,000’, topping out at around 7,000. Maintaining a fairly steady grade, it’s a pure delight as it lifts you up and through one vegetation zone after another. You begin the climb surrounded by saguaro cacti and end up in a dense pine forest. Along the way, you’re surrounded by wonderful views of the mountain and across the broad basin, with Tucson splayed out far below. Since you won’t be seeing it here, you might stop now and look at our first climb of Mount Lemmon to see why you might want to come down here and give it a try yourself.

Yesterday we saw rain, and Rachael felt the beginning symptoms of a cold. Developments are moving in our favor on both fronts today, but not so far that it feels wise to take a strenuous bike ride. It’s overcast and cool but dry, and Rachael is feeling better than last night but still congested. No sense pushing ourselves and pushing her into a full-blown cold.

Instead, we decide on a hiking day. We return the Whale to its owners tomorrow, and we’d need it to drive to the base of Mount Lemmon unless we feel up to a really long ride; so it’s feeling like we might not be climbing the mountain this year after all. While we have the car with us though, we can at least drive up there and see a bit of it on a hike. We find a website listing numerous hikes on the mountain, and choose one that looks suitable: Sycamore Canyon. Starting at 4,500’, it’s at a fairly low elevation and shouldn’t be too cold; and it looks like a reasonable distance and difficulty for her health and my knees.

The plan for today: we’ll hike a few miles of the 800 mile long Arizona Trail, as far as Sycamore Canyon, and then turn back.

The 800 mile Arizona Trail is open to mountain bikers! Rachael, let’s get those Surley Trolls we’ve been talking about and add this to our dream list!

When we arrive at the trailhead though, we walk only a few hundred yards before coming to a fast moving creek with no obvious spot to cross it. Maybe someone surer footed and longer legged than us could rock hop across, but it’s not for us. Instead, we’ll hike the Soldiers Trail, which begins right here as well. It starts by paralleling the creek and then climbing away from it as the creek disappears around a bend and into a deep canyon. Our trail continues on up the ridge, and soon we’re rewarded with views down to Tucson and the basin.

It’s a rolling hike and a bit of a scramble here and there, but very enjoyable. Less than two miles into it though, it drops down to creek level again, and this trail crosses Soldiers Creek also. another hiker happens by at the same time, one of those younger, agiler, longer legged types. He ends up on the opposite bank, calls across that the trail continues over there, and says he just hopped across on a large rock.

We’re not convinced though, and turn back. Partway back to the car we squat on a rock for lunch, making quick work of it - it’s cold and breezy, and doesn’t encourage a leisurely break. Not long afterwards we’re back in the car, and Rachael is looking sadly at her GPS moaning that we only hiked three and a half miles. It’s fine with me, really - my knees are cantankerous today for some reason, and scrambling up and down the slopes was getting to be a pain by the time we got back to the car.

Looks like a change of plans is in order. Our route guide didn’t mention that we’d have to cross Soldier’s Creek. This might have been fine two days ago, before the rains.

We’ll walk the Soldiers Trail instead, which starts at the same point.

It’s probably a prettier trail at this point anyway - it’s working up to the top of a ridge, rather than burying us down in a canyon.

Yup. Views! That’s Tucson, splayed across the basin. Look at that cloud bank!

Many of the rocks here are faced with a green lichen.

Much different than the multicolored lichens we saw down by Roosevelt Lake. It must tolerate higher elevations? I really should read up on lichens a bit one of these days.

As we walk, the visability down in the basin gradually improves a bit and we can see the mountains on the far side.

The only flower we see blooming up here.

For a few minutes the sun breaks through the clouds, barely, and brightens the hills behind us. It lasts for about two minutes.

We’re in a bit of transition zone here, and as we drop we start seeing prickly pear and cholla. Mount Lemmon is incredible for that - you start in a saguaro forest and end in dense pine woods if you keep climbing far enough.

It’s Soldiers Creek again! We forgot our waders and aren’t very bold rock hoppers, so it looks like we’re turning back here.

Rachael shows a little leg, and wishes this one didn’t have a thorn embedded in it.

On the way back, we stop at a high point for a quick lunch. Rachael sits on her black sweater to insulate herself a bit from our cold stone bench.

A look back toward Tucson as we walk back to the car.

A Polynesian yucca, with its characteristic grass skirt spayed out. An unusual sighting up here so far from the sea.

Back near the car, we come to Soldiers Creek again. The Arizona Trail crosses the creek just beyond this small wier.

We’re barely moving, not even out of the parking lot, when Rachael realizes her black sweater is missing. We stop, conduct thorough search, and conclude that she’s right. She must have forgotten she was sitting on it, and just stood up and walked off without it.

We’ve come close, but it’s been a long time since we’ve had a genuine adversity. This doesn’t seem like the best time to lose a layer and we hate to break a long adversity-free day streak, so we Park the Whale again and head back up Soldiers Trail. I take my time while Rachael zips ahead up the slope, stopping to admire a small flock of red-backed juncos hopping through the dust picking up seeds. The light is too poor and the silly birds won’t stay still long enough for a decent shot; but I’ve never seen a red-backed junco before so I might as well include one to remind myself.

Shortly, I see Rachael coming back at me on the trail ahead, shouting cheerily that she found her sweater. Another hiker must have seen it too, because it was spread out wide for better visibility with a rock on top so it wouldn’t blow away.

So that makes her very happy. Even better, when she checks her GPS back in the car, she announces she’s up to 4.5 miles now. Good enough to merit a good meal tonight!

It was a short hike anyway, so we’re happy to walk back to our lunch spot to retrieve Rachael’s sweater. It gives us one last time to enjoy the still clearing basin view.

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