Trip report
Backpacking the Santa Rita Crest
Backpacking DATE: 05/17/2019 - 05/19/2019
Trip/Event Location: Phoenix, AZ
US
Trip Leader(s): CJDGO
Max # People: 6
Trip Guiding / Event Fee: No, I will not be asking participants for money
Difficulty Level: Strenuous
Cool mountain sanctuaries in the middle of the sweltering desert, the Sky Islands are stepping stones to the tropics, allowing exotic creatures like elegant trogons and even jaguars to visit Arizona.
...We’ll meet at the Shea/SR-51 (Dreamy Draw) Park-and-Ride at 10418 N 33rd St at 7:00am (SHARP!) on Friday morning. Tucson-based hikers, please contact leader for alternate meetup.
Trip Report/Photos
It was a little surreal, hiking in the land of exotic creatures like the jaguar and the elegant trogon. Though we didn't see either one, we have no assurance they weren't watching us the whole time, from deep in the brush or high in a tree, which was kind of thrilling. The Santa Rita Mountains seemed so out of place -- a lush green island in the sky, in the middle of a vast desert -- it was like hiking in another country or even another continent.
The views from Mt. Wrightson were so spectacular, we couldn't resist climbing it twice -- once in the morning and again near sunset. Though we had to endure stiff winds at our mountaintop campsite, the 360-degree views made it all worthwhile.
There are 3 photos in Album (Note: Move mouse pointer over larger pic and click on NEXT for better viewing)
What Members Are Saying About This Trip/Event
- In pic #1, is there a building/observatory on the next mountain?? - BillyB1976
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