Ruth Caldwell It was a beautiful day for the inaugural hiking combo—a tour of the historic Colossal Cave in Vail, Ariz., and a hike in Colossal Cave Mountain Park and the Arizona Trail. Colossal Cave’s human history reaches back as far as the Hohokam, circa 900-1300 AD, then rediscovered by new residents of the Wild…
Diana Smith Elisabeth Wheeler is a “giver.” She has given love, devotion, and patience to her own children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. She has given her professional expertise and empathy to the countless children she has interacted with over her long career as a school counselor. She has given her support and compassion to the many…
Ruth Caldwell If you are new to hiking in Arizona or have not hiked recently, you may want to learn about hiking in the Sonoran Desert from experienced SaddleBrooke Hiking Club guides. If so, you are invited to attend a Hiking Orientation presentation on Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024, from 2 to 4 p.m. in the…
Jeff Love Have you ever driven past the Texas Canyon Rest Area along I-10 between Benson and Wilcox and wondered what it would be like to hike through the interesting rock formations? Last April, the SaddleBrooke Hiking Club was invited to explore the newly developed hiking trails at the Amerind Museum. This location is roughly…
Seth Basker On May 11 five hikers undertook the climb from the top of the Madera Canyon road to Josephine Saddle, a climb of over 1,600 feet at a relatively high altitude of 5,450 feet. Seth Basker led the group up Old Baldy Trail to the saddle where they rested before descending the Super Trail.…
Ruth Caldwell Eight SaddleBrooke Hiking Club members headed up to Mount Lemmon on May 3 to seek the crisp, clear air. What came as a big surprise to most hikers was the number of downed trees across the trail on the Marshall Gulch/Aspen Loop. The heavy snowfall this past winter, coupled with the 2020 damage…
Diana Smith Rob Simms grew up in Grand Rapids, Mich., in a self-described “blue-collar” family. He received his undergraduate degree in accounting and an MBA from Michigan State University and served four years in the United States Air Force. He has been married to Myrna, whom he met while working at MSU, for 35 years.…
Lynda Green Down a dirt road about three-quarters of the way up Mount Lemmon, five SaddleBrooke hikers parked by the Palisades trailhead and proceeded down a long path to a secluded lunch stop. On May 22 summer heat was building in the Valley, but here, the group found cooling breezes for most of the 5.5-mile…
Ruth Caldwell The board of SaddleBrooke Hiking Club hosted a Volunteer Appreciation Event this past April 20—the first held since the onset of COVID in 2020. They and the members all know that their club is only possible due to the many volunteers—the guides, all the various committee members, and the tech support. The “behind…
Linda Nagy On March 10 a group of 17 Hiking Club members enjoyed a guided walking and history tour with Kathryn Madore of the Barrio Viejo. Tucson’s Barrio is the largest 19th century collection of adobe buildings and the best-preserved “Spanish Neighborhood” in the United States. The group met first at the historic St. Augustine…