Elisabeth Wheeler “AZT in a Day” is a 24-hour statewide challenge to cover almost 800 miles of the Arizona National Scenic Trail in one day. Regrettably, this year, some burned sections of the trail were inaccessible. Six SaddleBrooke hikers joined other hikers, bike riders, and equestrian riders in this annual quest. Ray Peale, Susan Hollis,…
Ruth Caldwell The heat continued into October! Our go-to spot to escape the heat has always been Mt. Lemmon which is still off limits after the Big Horn Fire. So, on Oct. 6, eight hikers from SaddleBrooke Hiking Club drove down to Madera Canyon in the Santa Rita range where they enjoyed the beautiful nature…
Marie Bienkowski You enjoy looking at the mountains around SaddleBrooke, but have you tried seeing them up close? Hiking into the mountains reveals that what looks like one uniform set of vegetation from your house or the golf course is really a wonderfully diverse desert flora. SaddleBrooke’s Hiking Club has trails up to Dome Rock…
Elisabeth Wheeler Hiking guide Ruth Caldwell led a hike from Golder Ranch Road into the Coronado National Forest in early May. Participants were pleasantly surprised by the interesting terrain with diverse views of the desert and the Santa Catalinas. Just as the sun rose over the mountains, Ruth guided the group to a low mound.…
Karen Gray On June 18, four SaddleBrooke hikers—Carol Burke, Elissa Cochran, Yvette Sibulsky, and hiking guide Karen Gray—set out for Honey Bee Canyon to hike the south trail, a path they had never before hiked. The scheduled hike for this day was to be the Nature, Canyon, and Birding loops in Catalina State Park. Unfortunately,…
Elisabeth Wheeler Hiking adventurers from SaddleBrooke trekked into the foothills of the Coronado State Forest. These hikes can lead to interesting discoveries. Brian Hand led several hikers to this prominent flag planted high above SaddleBrooke homes. It even has a solar element to keep it lighted at night. Who placed it here? It’s another mystery to…
Mary Kopp A much-needed surprise came on Sunday, May 17, just when hiking club members had grown weary of being stuck indoors. Over the previous week, SaddleBrooke had begun gradually opening services and club activities. To that end, nothing was more welcome than an email from the Hiking Club of SaddleBrooke. Yes! The time had…
Elisabeth Wheeler Seana Kobak and Beth Jones are unstoppable in their quest to complete the 800+ mile Arizona National Scenic Trail. Linda Eglin and I were privileged to join them in backpacking the Alamo Canyon and Gila River Canyon passages, which begin at Picket Post Mountain Trail and end thirty-eight miles to the southeast in Kearny. I…
Elisabeth Wheeler Blackett’s Ridge Trail, which climbs a prominent ridge that cuts between Sabino and Bear Canyons, is a short, but challengingly steep hike in the Sabino Canyon Recreation Area. Hikers who top the ridge win spectacular views for their efforts. Sights include the Rincon and Santa Rita Mountains to the south, the Tucson Mountains…
Bruce Hale The SaddleBrooke Hiking Club welcomes Dr. James “Jim” Smith, a seven-year club member, as the featured speaker at its monthly meeting and program on March 18, 2020. Dr. Smith’s presentation is titled “A Hiker’s Guide to Birding: SaddleBrooke, SE Arizona, and Beyond.” Alongside wildflower viewing, birding is an easy way for hikers to immerse…