Sacred Spaces Travel: Santa Rita Mountains / Madera Canyon / Mt. Wrightson

Day 1: Madera Canyon: This was quite an adventure filled 3 day trip in an area known for its wildlife, particularly birds. My first day there was setting up camp and just some general sightseeing and locating trails. The sunset the first night was nice and I went up to the end of the road where I could observe the last light warming the mountains with its red glow. That night the winds whipped up something fierce and I thought I would wake and find I was no longer in Arizona, like in “The Wizard of Oz.” I got very little rest which was disturbing considering the next day was my big trip up the mountain. I was almost ready to pack it in the next morning but breakfast seemed to revive me and I felt ready for the trek ahead.

Day 2: Mt. Wrightson Hike: I began early expecting that by taking the Super Trail to the top (a more gradual climb) and then the Old Baldy trail on the way back (a more steep descent) would give me about 13.5 miles of hiking for the day, most of it uphill. The hike climbs through a lot of forest with many great views along its course. There were still many areas of beautiful wildflowers despite being late in the season. Deer, birds, and copious lizards made up the wildlife I spotted on this trip. The interesting birds on this hike included some sort of Oriole (I think) and a hawk. I guess I needed mom with me to figure out what they were. The elevation didn’t really nail me until my final ascent to the summit which goes from about 8700 to 9453 in under a mile. I’m not sure I’ve ever hiked to this height before but the views along the way and at the peak made it worth it. You could see for miles in all directions up there without anything obstructing your view. No wonder back in the day there was an observation building to spot wildfires erected there. (Its remains are visible in my pic above) You even look down on the Smithsonian’s Whipple Observatory from the summit. I spent a while at the top enjoying the view (and celebrating my achievement, thanking God and everyone else like I'd won an Olympic medal or something) and a hardy snack before beginning my descent, which if timed right would have me finishing my hike as the sun was setting, providing some more nice photos of Mt. Wrightson with that late day light I love. It was a wonderful, cool descent with different views and even a few trees with golden leaves on this side of the mountain. The Baldy trail is quite steep and I was glad I had chosen it only for my return trip. It was hard to put the camera away as there were so many great overlooks along the way back. I timed the trip perfectly and was hiking most of the final couple miles of the trek under the setting sun. Then it was back to camp and dinner! This nights excitement I’ll call “Skunk Fest.” It started while sitting on the tailgate of my truck eating dinner. Hearing a noise I looked down to discover a skunk sniffing the ground below me (only inches from my dangling feet); it wandered around my truck and looked at me several times before heading off. Later I spotted an all white skunk, and then another. I spent most of my time in the truck that evening as I really didn’t want to get sprayed. I crept carefully to my tent that night, fortunately without any unpleasant encounters.

Day 3: Madera Creek Trails: This morning I awoke to wild turkeys making their way through camp. There’s certainly plenty of action around this place! Today would be easy hikes along the (mostly dry) creek, about 7 miles total, doing each trail segment out and back. This is the area birders flock to (pun intended) during the spring. I saw quite a number of birds on my hikes but really had little to identify them. There was a woodpecker, nuthatch, a jay, a blackbird with white patches on the top of its wings, some sort of finch, and a tanager among what I spotted and recognized. My mom would really enjoy this area. The trails along the creek are easy and even paved in places with many benches for bird watching. They are also easy to access with the road being nearby allowing me to do small chunks of the trail and then return to my truck for food and to move on to the next section. Even this time of year there were places the creek had water and the wildlife was plentiful in those stretches. Besides many birds, I also encountered deer and squirrels and such while hiking. After a relaxing day of animal watching it was back to Tucson. Definitely worth coming back in the spring during birding season.