Off On A Leisurely Stroll

I do love to hike, carrying my extremely heavy camera along for ballast.  Sometimes that gets me in trouble.  This amazing sunRISE set the tone for the day.

Let me first say however, hiking alone is never a good idea no matter where you are.  Maybe if you are a guy and you know karate, but there are lots of things out there that can get you if you are not VERY careful.

My backpack was on the heavy side as I filled it up with two bottles of water, five snack bars, my little bag of tricks (knives, tape, etc) and my camera.  I took more precautions than probably necessary because I've never hiked this area before.  Maps are available online, but that doesn't mean you will have an internet signal for your phone.

Meet Gabe Zimmerman, a local hiker who spent lots of hours on these trails.  He lost his life in the tragic shooting of Representative Gabrielle Giffords here in Tucson.  

From this point you can go either of two ways.  To the right takes you directly to the freeway on the Arizona Trail, a straight out and back, or you can continue down to the border.  I'm a little leery of that area, so the other way towards Cienega Creek Natural Preserve sounded good to me.  

I could see the big train trestle from the top and hoped to get some pictures of it.  One other vehicle pulled in behind me, but they knew less about the trails than I did.  

I would always prefer to hike UPHILL first.  Unfortunately, this trail went DOWN, meaning it's a long hike back up when you are tired.  Watch out for bicycles since in some sections you have to share the trail.

I spent most of the time looking for critters and wildflowers.  This was about as flowery as it got.  I guess it's still just a tad bit cold.

On down into the river bed I went, actually jogging part way.  There's a thing about old runners ... you never get over the thought that you can do it just a little bit FASTER.  

Wasn't I surprised to find a little creek with actual running water.  About this point, the "trail" completely disappeared.  No markers, no nothing to keep you on the straight and narrow.  I tried to follow footprints but the 8 inch deep sand didn't offer up any hints, it just made me go MUCH slower.  

I parked on the side waiting for mother nature to walk by, something I could photograph.  This was it, a gorgeous butterfly having a drink.

I finally made it to the trestle.  I was surprised to see so much graffiti painted everywhere.  I mean really, why would someone hike all the way down here just to deface the beauty?

As I looked up ahead, what should I see but ANOTHER big train trestle and a highway bridge.  That was unexpected.  Of course that meant I wanted pictures of THAT one.

About that time a single hiker came along behind me ... one that made me very nervous.  The hackles went up on my neck.  I instantly put my camera away, shielding it from view, threw my backpack on and gave him a very wide berth as I trucked back to the stream, staying on hard ground as much as possible. 

This guy looked very Richard Ramirez-ish with a hoodie pulled up over this head, tied tight at the neck.  Black sunglasses covering most of his face.  He had a backpack and walking sticks, but wasn't using them.  It was noon and 75 degrees ...... a hoodie?

I hotfooted it back to the bottom of the steep trail, keeping an ear out for footsteps behind me.  He could have been just an innocent hiker, or maybe an illegal following the Arizona Trail into town.  Who knows, but as a single female hiker, I wasn't taking any chances.  

There was one small incident on the way back, which just goes to show you can always be surprised by a small stream in the desert.  I'm keeping that for tomorrow.  The good news is I made it back safe and sound!!!