3/25/05 – Wasson Peak – King Canyon Trail

March 24 – Baboquivari Peak – 9.0 miles, 4210'
March 25 – Wasson Peak – 8.0, 2100'
March 26 – Mount Wrightson & Mount Ian – 13.3 miles, 4570'
TOTAL – 30.3 miles, 10,880'


On Friday, after our success on spectacular Baboquivari, we were planning on taking a rest day. Several ideas floated around, including a visit to Tucson's Desert Museum, but the group's interest in Wasson Peak, highpoint of the Tucson Mountains, was reignited when Bob Gergen suggested we head that way to take in the sights of springtime in the Sonoran desert. I remembered from my research after Erin's and my trip to Tucson in December that Wasson is a 2K' prominence peak to go along with its status as the highpoint of the Tucson Mountains. Kirk and I were immediately game for the peak, due to geek factor alone, but Wasson and its environs would inspire us all with its beauty and serenity. Teresa, her goal of reaching Babo already achieved, would be spending the rest of the weekend with her parents.

We started at the Gould Hill Mine-King Canyon Trailhead, which is directly across Kinney Road from the crowded Sonoran Desert Museum. We got a late start after a nice breakfast at an Italian coffeehouse in east Tucson, but it would be a short hike, so we weren't really concerned about it. This section of the Tucson Mountains is in the west unit of Saguaro National Park (the east unit features the Rincon Mountains on the other side of town), but surprisingly, this was the one hike of our trip for which we didn't have to cover some sort of entrance fee. We were immediately struck by the delights of the desert. This past winter had been one of Tucson's wettest, so we were witnessing the desert at its greenest. Grasses were actually growing from the desert floor in between cactii, ocatillos, and chollas of all varieties, and the wildflowers – in hues of blue, yellow, pink and orange – were worth savoring, especially since we won't be seeing many wildflowers in Colorado for a good few months. Kirk and I were lagging becuase we were shooting so many pics!

We continued up the trail with Wasson ahead of us. The local newscasts had been warning about rattlesnakes coming out of their hibernation, and sure enough, we found a Western diamondback near the trail about halfway up. We couldn't help but warily watch this beautiful creature for a spell as it rattled a warning and issued a few hisses.

At the saddle we had a great view across Altar Valley to Baboquivari and all four of us relished in yesterday's accomplishment. This perspective on Babo was almost the same as the one from Gates Pass that had captivated Erin and I three months ago. We were all having difficulty keeping the appropriate amount of layers on. The air was warm, but the winds kept us changing in and out of that last layer. We spoke with a couple who were descending from the peak, and they said that they had seen a rattler, as well, so we knew to keep our eyes peeled! The excellent trail helped us ascend Wasson quickly, and the hazardous vegetation at its borders reminded us frequently that we should be very thankful we're not bushwhacking! Erin took a quick break to stretch her back and legs at one of the switchbacks, and a couple of haughty women coming down the trail, apparently thinking we were too tired to keep hiking, decided to tell us that we "might make it". Morons... Kurt and I cracked jokes about the fact that they shouldn't make such comments when we could trundle rocks onto them from overhead. While that was all in jest, they really did rub me wrong because I'm so proud of Erin for recovering from her back injury so quickly.

After a number of switchbacks, the trail traverses east to Wasson's summit. As we rested on the top, I took the chance to inspect the beautiful rhyolite rock of the Tucson Mountains in detail. A theory on the range's origins is a very interesting one. Some geologists believe that the Tucson Mountains were once the top of a huge volcano and that the Santa Catalina Mountains (east of Tucson) were that volcano's base. After the volcano blew its top, it left a caldera. The top of this caldera, they believe, eventually slid downhill 20 miles to its current position to become the Tucson Mountains. The part of the caldera that was left behind eroded into the Catalinas and the Rincons. This theory is popular because it might explain why the upper heights of the Catalinas are composed of granite while its lower ramparts are made of the metamorphic rock gneiss, which could have been formed due to the pressure of the Tucsons sliding along the detachment fault.

We four were chatting and laughing heartily. Another hiker arrived at the summit just as Kurt was shouting an expletive. She said, "Oh, that's okay, I heard you were obnoxious!" Very funny! Our group had considered making a loop hike out of our day, but we decided against it because of our schedule that evening. During our unexpectedly windy summit stay, we enjoyed some pleasant views of Safford Peak, the Tucson Mountains, and of the surrounding mountain ranges cutting the horizon on all sides.

On the way back we saw one of the old copper mines that Bob had mentioned to us the night before. While Erin stretched her back, Kurt decided to poke around past the sign that read "Peligro – Excavación" (strangely, there was no accompanying sign in English). The metal gate that barred entrance to the mine had been bent open, so Kurt decided to crawl in. After Kurt got through the gate, Kirk offered his headlamp. In doing so, he might have spared Kurt from considerable injury. Not three feet from where Kurt was standing was a deep pit, invisible without the lamp! The pit was much closer to the entrance than you'd expect, and Kurt vows he'll never even think about impromptu spelunking without a light again!

With that adventure behind us, we resumed the descent. The best part of the return trip was when we left the trail to hike down the wash, another of Bob's suggestions. It's amazing to me that the little water the area receives still has enough erosive power to cut small cliffs and ledges. The sandy wash floor felt great on our feet, and we even had to do some very light scrambling to come down some of the larger ledges. Meanwhile we were continually surrounded by the desert's beauty, with the sentinel saguaro all around us. Truly a magical place! We crossed paths with a Park volunteer who was leading a group of seniors up the wash. It's great that they were getting out and seeing the sights, and I was impressed that they had climbed up some of the more difficult ledges! He told us about saguaro growth rates, and said that most of the taller ones are around 150 years old.

After getting back to the trailhead, we hopped over to the Desert Museum for a quick tour, courtesy of some free passes that the Gergens had given us. We managed to see a few of the highlights, like the mountain lions, before we had to leave for the drive back to the casita in east Tucson. As we rotated turns in the shower, I sat back with a cold beer and enjoyed the views of the Catalinas. Kirk and Kurt were joining the Gergens for a salmon dinner that evening, while Erin and I were meeting my grandparents for some Chinese food. After that, we retired early so we'd be fresh for a completely different Arizona experience in the Santa Rita Mountains.