We awaken to the sound of a turkey, strolling past Mount Lemmon Lodge.
We drive to the Marshall Gulch trailhead a short distance from the lodge. There we discover a group of SAR vehicles. A man has been missing for a couple of days so they are searching for him. Sadly, while we hiked, his body was discovered. Unsure the cause of death.
It’s kind of a steep climb to a ridge but it’s nice to hike in shade and greenery. I’ll soon be in Ohio and overwhelmed by all the green but for now, it’s a pleasant change.
Hey! Long time hiking buddy, Scarlett with new husband, Peter. That she caught and passed us made a favorable impression on her as she commented how surprised she was that she caught me. LOL, I simply said there were extenuating circumstances.
At the ridge, there is this neat boulder. Yes, it is possible to climb the sloped rock on the left and jump to the larger one and I seem to remember doing that but not today!
We continue our loop which simply continues to climb. For some reason, I thought once at the ridge it was downhill but not even close. In the meantime, the sound of a helicopter, searching for the missing hiker was ever present and distant views emerged. We paused on the trail and just then…..
….a black rattlesnake began buzzing, at our feet. They blend in so well with the surroundings and I had been looking for one as we hiked but I still missed this guy. He decided my skinny ankle would not yield enough protein so he declined to bite and slithered away.
The Santa Ritas in the distance with Mount Wrightson the high point, Thimble Peak and Blackett’s Ridge in the mid ground and of course Mount Lemmon on which we were hiking.
I noticed a cleft in a nearby boulder so scrambled up it with Jackie coming too.
Twenty+ years since the Aspen Fire and plenty of evidence still exists of that tragic fire. We finished with a little over 4 miles and throughly enjoyed our time on the mountain.