Lynda Green On Sept. 11, hiking guide Michael Hovan led a group of trekkers on an evening trip to Oracle Park to witness the near-full moon rising over the Galiuro Mountains. Hovan, a recent addition to the Hiking Club’s stable of accomplished guides, has added several moonlit ventures as well as his popular dog-friendly hikes since…
Sandra Sowell The weather was cool and overcast as SaddleBrooke hikers drove down to the trailhead at the end of Madera Canyon in the Santa Rita Mountains. On the way, drivers had to negotiate through three separate highway construction sites. But, finally, they reached the trailhead and began the trek up Old Baldy Trail to…
Lynda Green The morning of March 9, seven hikers ventured up Mt. Lemmon to enjoy the trails surrounding Summerhaven. This hike commenced in the town center, travelled up Turkey Run Road, passing some of the homes built since the 2003 fire, until the roadbed gave way to dirt. The Aspen Draw trail begins here and…
The Linda Vista Loop is a shaded hike in the foothills of Pusch Peak. Six SaddleBrooke Hiking Club hikers braved the chilly morning (34 degrees) in December to hike the three-mile loop. Hikers enjoyed learning the history of the Pusch Family for whom Pusch Peak is named. Desert Zinnia, some Brittle Bush and Paper Flower…
Michael Caryl On Wednesday, February 20, 2019, Tim Butler, a hike leader from the SaddleBrooke Hiking Club, will present a program to help club members identify the wildflowers they see while hiking in the Catalinas. He will focus on how to hike and enjoy wildflowers as well as locating them on the trails and specifically…
Martha, age 86, not only leads morning fitness walks five days a week for the SaddleBrooke Hiking Club, she was the oldest hiker in the Arizona Trail in a Day event on October 6. Martha is a role model for staying active through walking and hiking.
Michael Caryl On Wednesday, November 21 Byron Cotter, a noted local photographer, will present “Photographing Nature on a Hike.” The talk will focus on opportunities and techniques for photography on a hike. Topics will include options for equipment, some basics of camera use and what elements to consider when composing shots. The talk will also…
Myrna Simms On Wednesday, October 17, 2018, a docent from Tohono Chul Botanical Garden will speak to us about plant diversity in the Sonoran Desert. While the cactus is the most visible plant we see at first glance, there is a lot more going on in our desert than these spined succulents. Using basic botany,…
Karen Gray On June 28 nine SaddleBrooke hikers left for the cool environment of Mt. Lemmon to hike the Marshall Gulch/Aspen Loop trail. We left at 7:00 a.m. with a temperature of 80 degrees and arrived at the trail head almost two hours later to a cool 71 degrees. It was a beautiful, sunny day…
Elisabeth Wheeler and Larry Allen Dramatic viewpoints highlight the eight-mile Rim Trail from Grand Canyon Village to Hermit’s Rest. Forty SaddleBrooke hikers in four groups hiked through pinyon pine and Utah juniper along the South Rim to explore these famous views. Trail Overlook provided the best view of the precipitous Bright Angel Trail which plummets…