A Walk After A Summer Storm

On Wednesday mornings I walk the Sabino Canyon tram road with my friend and AZT companion hiker Lova.  Sabino Canyon is doable during the summer months because the mountain shields the road from the rising sun until about 8:30.  We generally begin our walk up the Canyon at 6:30.

On Tuesday night, Tucson had a very slow-moving monsoon over the Rincon and Santa Catalina Mountain ranges.  I enjoyed watching the lightning show from my living room.

The following morning I woke up to the alarm, quickly ate breakfast and drank the absolutely necessary mug of coffee, dressed and filled my hydration bladder.  The sky looked a little dark, as though it may rain, but since I hadn’t heard otherwise from Lova, I drove to Sabino Canyon.

We started walking up the Canyon at about 6:25.  It rained on us a bit at the beginning of the walk, but it wasn’t pouring and we didn’t hear thunder or see lightning, we continued onward and upward.

Curiously we saw many people returning and commented to each other wondering what time they must have begun their walk.

There are seven bridges on the trail that cross stream/creek beds flowing down the mountain.  Once we arrived at the first bridge we understood why we saw so many people finishing their walk.  The stream was flowing quickly over the tram road.

There was an US Parks Department Employee and a gentleman standing there asking us if we were going to attempt to cross.  “Of course we are!” both Lova and I said at the same time.  We then removed our shoes and socks and proceeded to walk barefoot through the rushing waters.

It is hard to believe Sabino Canyon is in the middle of the Sonoran Desert because of all the water.  But the water only flows in the Spring time when the snows melt high up on the mountains or during summer monsoon season.

At all seven bridges water was rushing across the road.  We repeated the procedure of removing our shoes and then sitting on the side of the road, drying our feet and putting our shoes back on a total of 14 times that day.

It was the best training walk I have ever had in Sabino Canyon.  Both of us felt like little girls again carefree and splashing in the water!