Tuesday, February 14 – We had hiking on our minds when we rolled out of bed this morning at Justin's Diamond J RV Park, in Tucson, AZ. Even though the sky was overcast, we knew it was the perfect weather for a hike.
We headed a very short distance to the Tucson Mountain Park, and the trail head for Brown Mountain Trail. Our friends, Pam and John, Oh The Places They Go, suggested hiking this trail in a counter-clockwise direction getting the difficult climb out of the way early. We are glad we did and suggest that to others hiking this trail. By the way, we parked at Juan Santa Cruz picnic area to begin the hike.
We began our hike climbing into the nearby mountains using a series of switchbacks. We climbed about 767 feet according to our iPhone app “Map your Hike.” We then followed the trail along the ridge of three mountains. This required several descents into the saddle areas between the mountains and then re-climbing to the top of the next mountain. There really isn't any casual level walking on this hike.
This is not a trail for flip flops!
Lots of switchbacks.
We stopped after about 2 miles, thinking we were about half way through the hike for a mid-morning snack.
The trail was listed as 4.2 miles, but we actually covered 5.5 miles when finished. We should have put off that break for another mile! After our snack, we started the decent down the last of three mountains. This is a pretty rugged part of the trail and we were glad to have good hiking boots and hiking poles.
Pretty rugged trail. Wear your boots and have your poles ready.
Once we reached the top, we looked on both sides of the mountain. One side was flat and the other lead to more mountains.
Signs that Spring is just around the corner.
Once down, we followed along the foothills of the mountains to return to the trail head. Of course, we got confused at one area where several trails crossed and we roamed around the area for awhile trying to find the right trail. Eventually, we got straightened out and returned to the trail head.
We were way up there.
We really enjoyed this hike. It was strenuous at times for Paul with his heart condition but nothing outside his limits. Just huffing and puffing, and the need for occasional breaks, especially on the uphill portions of the trail. We covered 5.5 miles in a little over 4 hours. We took 14,878 steps. We agree with the trail rating of moderate....especially for “old farts” like Paul. lol
We finished Valentine's Day with a “date night” at the nearby casino. Casino Del Sol is less than 10 miles down the road from our RV Park and is one of the best casinos we have ever been to, including big time Las Vegas. We both even came home with some winnings, although added together it totaled less than a dollar.
Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see y'all back real soon. Have a great day!
Looks like a wonderful hike, but I would not do it alone and Suzie os not a hiker. so I can enjoy it through your eyes. Thanks for the tour.
ReplyDeleteBrown Mountain is a tough hike. That is awesome that Paul was able to make that loop. Great job, Paul! Good to know he is mending nicely:) Yes, good boots and poles are a must in a lot of these area with all the loose rock. Fun day:)
ReplyDeleteWell, this sounds like a trail for us too. Thanks for the heads up we will find a day to tackle Brown Mountain and follow it as Pam suggested.
ReplyDeleteI don't appreciate you calling Paul an Old Fart since I am older than he is. :)
ReplyDeleteI tease Dave about his age, too. I remember when he turned 25 and I teased him about being a quarter of a century old. He is 6 months older than I am. :)
Looks like a great hike. I will check out the app you mentioned.
ReplyDeleteSince I'm reading your blog backwards (timewise), I think it's probably time you two took a rest!
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