Posts Tagged With: Mt. Lemmon

Lemmon Pools Fire Escapade Part II

2024-09-11 into 12

Part I took us backpacking up Marshall Gulch and down into the Wilderness of Rocks on The Arizona Trail.

We made camp and are in the middle of a casual leisurely morning in paradise. Here is Part 1, if you need to catch up:

…There is a disappointing discovery. DF confesses a tragic mistake. She has forgotten the chocolate! Alarm, disbelief, the signs of grief engulfs our mood, “No! Not the chocolate!”

Our traditional savory dessert, snack, treat, will be missed. Everything is better nude and the same may be true of dark chocolate, but since the damage is done, we will just accept that. There are plenty of other blessings. The moment is simply and completely, lovely. I’m tempted to shout out, “tar-rad-ged-dee,” but my tongue is stuck hard in my cheek.

We have a chore before breakfast, to filter water. I didn’t check the water filter before we left, and discover that it is clogged. This is a very serious threatening issue! We can only boil water and there is but one small fuel canister. Clean pure water is quite a hassle when boiled with a campfire, when our only pot is a small titanium vessel. For us to have assuredly safe water for our return hike, this old school method just will have to be utilized…but, not now, later.

Continue reading

Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Lemmon Pool’s Fire Escapade Part I

Back packing into the Wilderness of Rocks

2024-09-10 into 11

The article “Ultralight Path, which I published here on November 8th, 2024, was first published in “N” magazine, a couple of months previous. As we sat reading and browsing through the magazine’s pages, we saw the images of ourselves as sort of the poster children for naturist backpacking. A revelation then hit hard; we realized that we hadn’t been actually out backpacking in a couple of years! We felt a bit hypocritical. We have been four wheeling into day hiking situations and luxuriating at the hot springs mostly. Taking in our own sales pitch, we realized that we were missing something, too.

When our planned trip into the Blue River region got delayed, an apparent solution presented itself to us. On our hiking bucket list, was the re-exploration of the Lemon Pools on Mt. Lemon. Our last visit ended the day before the entire mountain went up in flames, back in 2020. We have been reluctant to go back because of the chance of having our hearts broken by the sight of the destruction.

Last year, looking down from above and into that valley, it had looked mostly untouched. It has been about four years and we figured that the dense brush should have had a chance to return…

…The first ten minutes are a steeper slope up at around 8700 feet through Marshall Gulch. I’m feeling that I have a challenge in front of me. We’re in thin air and haven’t had this size of a bulk to carry in a while. I’m beginning to feel out of breath. When I inquire about DF, she mentions that she is feeling a bit “wobbly” with her pack.

Continue reading

Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Naked Lunch in Stealth

2021-08-27

We were last up on Mt. Lemmon in the spring of 2020. We hiked down to Lemmon pools and explored on through the Wilderness of Rocks. It was early in the Covid lockdown and we got surprised by around 35 other hikers on a trail that rarely saw anyone else. We just had to grin and bare it, having brought no clothing along with us.

The next day, a bolt of lightning hit the mountain range and burned with little control for over a month.  Every day, we watched heart broken, looking up to the flames above, from Tucson below, tasting and smelling the smoke. The Forest Service maps reported that a huge area, something like 120,000 acres went up in smoke. Our favorite spots were hit, one by one.

We finally got the gut fortitude to return and assess the damage, as it applies to us on August 27th of 2021.  We found there, that the historic extra wet monsoon rains have left the entire region is in hews of green. Trails are getting overgrown. After a year and a half long drought, it is stunning.

We expect much of our forests to be gone, but from the look of things, the desolate aftermath of a forest fire has been replaced by a mass of bush, grass and shrubs. We have heard reports of abundant flowing water!

The hiking trailheads along the road have been closed to hiking, due to the extra year of drought that led to the fire’s fuel.

 

We begin the 21 mile drive up the Catalina Highway, from 2500 ft. to 9200ft.The saguaro studded lower hills are great, as if nothing had ever happened. I remark that maybe nothing did happen here.

Continue reading

Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Mira Vista

2018-07-14

I still owed DF a day at Mira Vista Resort for her birthday, a present from a couple of months earlier. We set the date and took our chances with the weather. The monsoon should be appearing, which could mean rain, or clouds.

This is a free range website, where we advocate roaming most everywhere in a nude lifestyle. So, you may ask, what are we doing talking about a penned in resort? Well, could you even imagine us going to a clothed resort? Simply, there IS a time and place for a resort and this one doesn’t require that we dress.

Mira Vista is very pleasant and relaxed. There are social conditions there. There are facilities, amenities, people to interact with, fellowship and events to participate in. In many of its aspects, there is a taste of what life should be ideally.

Continue reading

Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Maverick Spring: Part II

2018-05-12

We are visiting Maverick Springs by way of Green Mounting Trail in the Catalina Range.

Part I is here:

Maverick Spring: Part I

 

THE NEXT DAY:

 

It is pleasant to awaken under a canopy of trees with a sky blue background and the warmth of the sun on my face. I have been comfortably wrapped up in our camping quilt and a down jacket with its hood. Now, I am realizing the warmth and peeling off layers accordingly.

I stretch on the air-mattress, realizing that the tent is just long enough. I am also aware that my calves got a workout yesterday walking downhill with that extra weight. The new style five-finger shoes without the heel strap only created slippage. My ankles had to compensate on the rough extremely uneven surfaces. I’ll be doing stretches more this morning.

Continue reading

Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Maverick Spring: Part I

2018-05-11

We have had the Green Mountain Trail on the bucket list for several years. Our destination is an off shoot of the Green Mountain Trail called Maverick Springs Trail. My internet research has shown me that there is a concrete cistern there with water “always.” We can’t be certain according to the Forest Service representative on the phone. She has never been there.

Rugged

Continue reading

Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Blog at WordPress.com.