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…
Elisabeth Wheeler Sixteen hikers from the SaddleBrooke Hiking Club strolled along 5.2 miles of well-developed trails in the Maeveen Behan Desert Sanctuary, a part of the Arthur Pack Regional Park west of Thornydale Road. Their efforts proved how much fun it is to discover and explore an easy hiking trail where one can view many…
Elisabeth Wheeler Four-wheel drive vehicles provided fun rides for SaddleBrooke volunteers participating in the Arizona Trail Work Session on Jan. 15th at Oracle State Park. Gary Faulkenberry, Steve Meyers, Joe Maurizzi, Terry McCarthy, and Zach MacDonald transported workers down Kannally Wash to the Windmill area. Twenty-five volunteers split into three work crews to remove catclaw bushes and…
Hiking, Backpacking, and Photographing Western Wilderness Areas Bruce Hale Bob Shea will be our featured speaker at the Wednesday, Feb. 19th SaddleBrooke Hiking Club meeting and program. Bob has been an active member of the club for 13 years since he and his wife, Peggy, moved to SaddleBrooke. Bob is also an active member of…
Bob Simpson Art Priestly and his wife, Carole, moved to SaddleBrooke in 1994. Having taken up hiking in 1977, Art was already a seasoned hiker when he and two other local residents soon began making annual trips to Colorado to climb high mountain peaks. By 1995, Priestly (age 63) had already bagged 27 mountains, Bob…
Elisabeth Wheeler Cool temperatures and rain-soaked soils create optimal conditions for digging out catcall on the Arizona Trail. Thirteen SaddleBrooke hikers cleared a mile of trail on Dec. 4. The camaraderie continued over baked goodies and coffee afterward. Thanks to Chris Jeffries, Rick Rupp, and Seana Kobak for providing the treats. The next Arizona Trail work…
Michael Caryl The SaddleBrooke Hiking Club’s monthly program, scheduled for Wednesday, Jan. 15, is entitled Hiking in the Dolomites of Italy. Three of the club’s most prominent and experienced guides, Roy Carter, Tim Butler, and Cheryl Werstler, will present this interesting program. Each of these three veteran hikers have made multiple trips to the Dolomite…
If you are new to hiking in Arizona, or have not hiked recently, and you want to learn about hiking in the Sonoran Desert from experienced SaddleBrooke Hiking Club guides, you are invited to attend a Hiking Orientation Program from 2-4 p.m., Feb. 12, 2020, in the MountainView West Ballroom. Among the topics to be…
Seana Kobak Zach MacDonald, Assistant Trail Director for the Arizona Trail Association (AZT) , had big plans for the work session on Wednesday, Nov. 20. He was finally going to replace the rickety wire fence at the culvert where the AZT crosses under Oracle (Route 77) at Tyger Mine Road. Zach told our SaddleBrooke crew, “I’ve…