In 2012 an extension to the Incinerator Ridge Trail was completed that connects the existing trail to the San Pedro Vista. This extension is a short – but important – addition to the trail system in the Santa Catalina Mountains. It provides a useful link between trails outside of the Pusch Ridge Wilderness lower on…
Author: Charles
Lizard Rock
Lizard Rock in the Santa Catalina Mountains – picture taken near the Bug Spring Trail above Bear Canyon ‘Big’ adventures/plans are everywhere at the Summit Hut – just today I heard from my friends at the Summit Hut about: the Grand to Grand Ultra, training for the Javelina Jundred, two different upcoming trips to Mount…
Gates into the Green
This is part 3 in a series of posts on the Sky Island Traverse – previous post: A Windmill to the West. The Curtis Windmill is now a familiar landmark along Highway 80, but not a place to linger – after parking I gather my gear enter the sea of Creosote thru the western gate….
A Windmill to the West
This is part 2 in a series of posts on the Sky Island Traverse – previous post: Sky Island Dreaming, next post: Gates into the Green. From Cochise Stronghold the Sky Island Traverse travels west to Highway 80 and then on to the San Pedro – for this section we departed from the published route…
Sky Island Dreaming
The Sky Island Traverse is one of the most inspirational hiking routes that I have ever come across – Brett Tucker, the author of the route, described it this way in March of 2011: “A route of my own making along ten of the region’s standout ranges and across the adjoining valleys, with an eye…
Review: Salomon Advanced Skin S-Lab 5 Set Pack
Over the past couple of years I have become more excited about running and moving quickly in the backcountry has become something that I enjoy/dream about/work towards. If – like me – you want to move fast/run on the trails and still carry a bit of gear and extra water with you the Salomon Advanced…
Sycamore Reservoir Trail
Have you hiked on the Arizona Trail? If not you might be surprised to learn that there are great opportunities to experience a day hike on the AZT that are only a short drive from Tucson! One of my favorite sections of the AZT is the Sycamore Reservoir Trail. Looking down into the Sycamore Reservoir…
Review: Inov-8 Trailroc 235, 245, 255
In the second half of 2012 Inov-8 released 3 new models in their Off-Road series – the Trailroc 235, 245 and 255. Because the fit and features seemed right we decided to stock the entire series – and after getting good feedback from a staff demo day on the Douglas Springs Trail and from several…
2012 Cave Creek Thriller and McDowell Mountain Frenzy
30k Start at the 2012 Cave Creek Thriller October 2012: 3:12:57 and 12.4 miles into the Cave Creek Thriller I reached the Start/Finish line aid station – my first 30k race was not going exactly as I imagined. My stomach rebelled during the first lap, I was tired and hot and I thought about dropping…
Pusch Peak
The trail to Pusch Peak from the west (the Northwest Side Route) is nicely documented in this blog post by Dave Baker – but, like most destinations, there is more than one route to the top! One other option is the ‘Southeast Ridge Route’ described in “The Santa Catalina Mountains: A Guide to the Trails…