For those of you who are a bit familiar with the Catlinas (Dave!), note the Catalina Highway and also the Ventana Canyon trail, which I've highlighted:
Duane
Herb
The day was beautiful, but, since it was up at close to 9000 feet, it was cool -- perfect! One factor that made the hike interesting was the fire.
In June and July of 2003, there was a fire that burned 85,000 acres in the Catalina Mountains, destroying much of Summerhaven and devastating much of the forestland in the area. For more on the fire, see these dramatic photos.
I wasn't here for the fire, but on our hike, we did see some of the results of this fire -- huge trees burned. Many were still standing, but many more were down, lying across our trail. This necessitated climbing over, sliding under, or hiking around the magnificent trunks. We all had charcoal marks on our legs and pants.
Duane and I ate lunch on this magnificent rock. Herb took these photos:
After the hike, we went to the Cookie Cabin to indulge ourselves in some delicious big-as-your-head cookies. :)
And then last night, Eddie played acrobat, falling asleep on one of the high beams in the cottage:
Hi Sister Mine,
ReplyDeleteWhat beautiful pics you took on this hike. Some of them are good enough to use on a published calendar.
Sounds like those in your hiking group are starting to head home or to other parts of the country. I imagine you'll be heading out soon, too. Let us all know when you leave, and I'll try to track you as you go.
Love,
Me