If I were to go back and check our notes from last year I suspect I would discover that the weather was considerably colder and the skies wholly overcast. Today the high was predicted to be 72F and the skies were free of any clouds. We arrived at the Golden gate Pass parking lot at 09:00 and I expect the temperature was alredy well over 40F. By the time I checked my thermometer, generally basking in the sun, it was registering 74F around 11:00.
This hike starts off with an ascent to the pass. You gain a couple hundred feet over 0.4 miles. It’s a gentle ascent with few annoying big steps or loose stones to contend with. Just a few hundred feet above the desert floor and we noticed that the flora seemed to be more leafy. Cactus were plentiful but other plants seemed to be present too. After reaching the pass you turn towards Golden Gate Mountain and begin a mile-long descent along its flank on a stony trail with occassional big steps down to the desert floor. It was during this part of the hike we could hear voices of people. Sometimes close and sometimes farther away. Voices carry well. Of course, some voices are just plain loud. Two gentlemen caught up to us and one of them was expounding loudly about something-or-other political. I don’t mind if people talk while hiking but “inside voices” is fine more more than just when inside.
Once you reach the desert floor you have several choices. In the past we have had to pay careful attention to our notes and any maps our guidebook had. Sometime during the past year the folks who run Tucson Mountain Park put up numerous signs including map signs. They have done a very good job too and I am wiling to bet everyone who uses the trail appreciates the effort. We confirmed what we thought was so and decided to take a different route than we usually do. The main reason: to avoid hearing the loud voices. We marched out on to the desert floor under the baking sun along the Chaparral Trail. Usually we return via this trail. It is a flat, perhaps gently - very gently - descending trail that seems to run pretty straight across the desert floor towards South Kinney Road. It is an asy walk. Now and then a bird would serenade us, the roar of a motorcycle engine or other vehicle would impinge on our ears, and accompanying it all a seemingly constant beat of booms of gunfire from a gun range somewhere in the distance. It is, even so, remarkably tranquil. It must be remarkably hot in the summer.
We were happy to snag a bit of shade for lunch just before reaching the connector (new) trail that would take us to Golden Gate Trail. In the shade it is noticeably cooler. The dirt and gravel ground is actually a bit cold. But if you feel cool just shift a few feet into the sun and you will warm up in no time.
Our return walk along the Golden Gate Trail was a bit different. While the outbound desert floor hike was notable for its ease our trek back seemed a bit more stony and full of undulations that trended upward. It wasn’t hard, just different. When we reached the start of the loop once more Dad decided to head up a wash to walk along the road to the car. Mom and I would retrace our route back up the side of Golden Gate Mountain and back down to the parking lot. Our walk would be about 1 mile longer with perhaps an extra 200 feet of ascent and descent. Slow and steady climbing saw us to the pass within 30 minutes; 15 or so more minutes more saw us back at the car where Dad had been for perhaps 20 minutes. Everyone has had a good day
Photos
Mom and Dad at the western end of Golden Gate Trail. The Pallo Verde and tiny Saguaro Cactus keep them company.
--January 05, 2020 at 11:36:51. Tucson, AZ, United States
--January 05, 2020 at 11:47:11. Tucson, AZ, United States
Stats
Total Time: 4 hours 34 minutes with 41 minutes in breaks
Total Distance: 5.9 miles with 750 feet of ascent and 750 feet of descnet. The bulk of the climbing takes place at the start of end of the hike with the ascent to and from Golden Gate Pass from the parking lot and the desert floor.You spend about 2.6 miles on the desert floor; the remainder of the climbs (up and down) to the pass.
No comments:
Post a Comment