Tortolita Mountain Trails

On January 18th, 2020. 
Site: Tortolita Mountains 

Travelers- Humans: Myself and Chad. 
                  Dogs: Mingus-German Shepherd raised by me 
                  Molybdenum aka Moly (Labrador) raised by Chad 

Chad the other human and I dated when we were 22 years old for a year or two. We were adorable so young and fit and full of ourselves.  On the date of this hike we had been back together for about 9 months. We are now in our 40's and thank goodness no longer idealistic youth (well at least no longer youth). 

Even though we have a preference for our own pups  we had begun to call the dogs "our dogs". 

On this date I lived in Tucson, Arizona and Chad lived in Prescott, AZ. For dating we were driving back and forth and exploring the local landscapes together. I enjoyed sharing  my love for the desert with him and he seemed to be more chill in the winter (literally and figuratively).

So on a beautiful day in January we packed up "our dogs" and headed out to hike some trails in The Tortolia Mountain range. This range was once the home of the Hohokam native people and though we did not see them on this date there are some historic sites here.

What I do know is that there has been some historical conflict between environmentalists and  developers for this land. Thank goodness to good humans the area we hiked on this date is protected land.

The hike we completed was about six miles with 1,250 feet of elevation change. The plants around us were the  Sonoran desert regulars: cholla, ocotillo, mesquite, yucca, and agave. The trail began with a short trek in a dry wash surrounded by mesquite tress.

A wash is a sandy place to walk, so when there are no monsoon rains it is just an empty river bed. During this part of the hike we had to stop occasionally to kick rock hitchhikers out of our shoes. I have sense bought some dirty girl gaiters. https://dirtygirlgaiters.com/ (not a paid ad I just love them) which help with rocks who want to ride in shoes. 

 In the wash under a twisted mesquite  tree that was offering shade we met a nice young couple and we chatted with them about dogs and hiking. Oh how I miss the days of standing close to strangers, this was of course before Covid. Meanwhile while we were chatting up some strangers Molly was  enjoying a smelling exploration and got herself the spine from a cholla stuck right into her paw. The spine of the cholla is a round little part from the cactus that is covered in spikes. A person can not remove a cholla spine with their hand or their hand will also be full of spikes. The Cholla have a strong will to live.

Chad and I sprung to action. He held Molly so she did not try to remove it with her little dog mouth, while I pulled out a comb from my pack (a desert first aid basic) and I used it to quickly flick the cactus off her paw. Chad seemed like he had to fight the urge to grab that cactus and save his pup from pain, but as a team we got it done and continued our hike as a team.

Cholla (only photo not  from the day of the hike) 

Cholla are called jumping cactus for a reason. Their spines spring from the main cactus all about the ground to start a new family. Occasionally hitching a ride on a passer by. 

The trail we picked climbed quickly. Physically it is a bit like climbing flights of stairs but visually it was much more complex. One could see large rocks, cactus covering the mountains, and the sandy wash below. In the distance I could see a man-made pond and a golf course. A reminder of what things would look like without the battle for the land. I notice the pond and golf course were so stiff and ridged in contrast to the natural landscape, not odd and crooked like the cholla, or mesquite. Even the tall saguaro has its imperfections.

After the initial climb Chad and I took a break at a bench provided for hikers (well I stopped for a break and he surrendered to a moment of rest). I enjoyed a sandwich I had packed and apple as I stared at a tall rock face, with angled lines and saguaros at its base.

After the rest at the bench the real beauty began. Purple cholla began to cover the landscape with orange and yellow fruits. They stood present like sunsets. Then the mountains began to rise as the trail dipped down between them.

The light on this day and the season was brilliant, vibrant blue, bright yellow, and orange next to purple branches. The day was photo filter for vibrancy  but in real time.

There were some plants there that I did not know, they looked like an agave but were shorter with fat green leaves and yellow edges.

We hiked the Wild Burro trail and took the spur shortcut so we could return to the car. We had hoped to go to Alamo springs but wished we had packed more water for a longer day of exploring. There was not water for the dogs or us except what was on our backs.

When we got to the parking area we landed on a picnic bench  with a pergola up above us and enjoyed eating some lifesaver candies. I love the citrus lifesavers best and I noticed how the hues of the candies are just like the desert and these kinds of spaces save my life daily. What a treat.