Left to right: Kathryn Madore, Jan Springer, Suzanne Bassett, Marv Rossof, Jim Smith, Karen Gray (guide) and Kay Clauson; photo by Barbara Wilder
Karen Gray
Eight hikers, watching a very cloudy sky, left the MountainView parking lot headed for Catalina State Park on December 29. We were all a bit worried about the rain coming in earlier than predicted. As the morning went on, the sky was still overcast but not threatening. The air temperature and the light overcast made for perfect hiking conditions. It was a great day for hiking and the visibility was quite good, so we had nice views of the mountains, saguaros and rock formations along the Sutherland Trail.
There were seven longtime members (including the guide) and one new club member, Kay Clauson. We enjoyed our snacks at the beautiful large rock just the other side of the gate and, after talking about birds and rocks and getting acquainted, we started back after about a half hour. It was hard to break up some of the conversations as everyone was enjoying their time with some new hiking friends. We saw some birds, including a red-tailed hawk – all being identified by expert bird-watcher Jim Smith. He also showed us some interesting bird nests. It was a wonderful day and we had no need to worry about the weather.