Pima Canyon Trail

Pima Canyon Trail
Photo by David McErlean

After eight weeks of recovering from a knee injury, I am finally able to go hiking again.

For my first hike back, I went to Pima Canyon Trail in the Santa Catalina Mountains.

Pima Canyon is an easy trail that starts on the west end of the Catalinas. The trail begins with a easy walk through the hills surrounded by local homes. On the trail, there are several areas that are great for picnicking with a large group. After the houses, the trail becomes covered in cotton wood trees. The trees shaded the trail, making it a great hike in the hotter months of the year.

After the first few miles, the trail becomes slightly steeper on the way to pima dam. The dam is a small rock wall with a thin layer of concrete over it. Hiking to the Pima Dam is an easy hike for every skill level.

Pima Damn
Photo by David McErlean

Hiking to the dam is 3 to 4 hours round trip. Make sure to bring enough food and water. There is no fresh water anywhere on the trail. Some parts of the trail are not easy to see so follow the cairns that mark the trail.

Cairn marks the trail
Photo by David McErlean

For a longer hike, continuing on the trail after the dam will take you deep into the mountains to connect with Finger Rock trail to Mt. Kimball and further up Mt. Lemmon.

The first few miles of the trail are very popular on the weekends. Get to the parking lot early in the morning or later in the afternoon.

To get to the trail head, head north on N. Euclid Ave. Cross the Ina intersection and go into the neighborhood. Turn right on E. Magee Rd. The road will dead end in the parking lot.

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Arizona Ghost Towns: Ruby Arizona

Ruby Arizona
Photo by David McErlean

After an hour on a dirt road hugging the U.S. Mexico border, I came to the town of Ruby Ariz. Not sure on what to expect from the Ghost Town in the middle of no where, I drove in to explore.

Ruby is an old mining town that was abandoned in the 50's. Now, it is used as a tourist attraction with the historic town to search through, fishing and hiking.

School House in Ruby Ariz.
Photo by David McErlean

With a few of its original buildings still standing, Ruby is a great place to get lost in time while exploring the old fashioned school house and other buildings around the property. After exploring the remnants of the mine, it's easy to pick up a trail leading into the Coronado National Forest.

In the summer time, Ruby is home to thousands of bats living in the mine shaft. When the bats leave, it is said that they look like a cloud of smoke, flowing out of the tunnel for up to an hour.

The area is most popular for bird watching and fishing. The ponds hold trophy size bass and other game fish. The lake is quiet and you are almost guarantied to have it all to yourself. Ruby is open to the public Thursday through Sunday.

Things to remember: Make sure to fill you car with gas before getting onto the 289 from Nogales and bring food and water for the day; there isn't anything near Ruby. The road is dirt but maintained and patrolled often by U.S. Border Patrol.

Work Truck in Ruby Ariz.
Photo by David McErlean

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Gone Walkabout: Gentleman Hiker's Arizona Trail Trek

Tune in Tuesday night at 7, MST for a live blog with Arizona's Gentleman Hiker, John Officer, to talk about hiking the Arizona Trail and tips to be more successful on the trail.

Arizona Trail

Map from: Arizona Trail Association website

The Arizona Trail is an 800 mile trail that continuously runs across the state from Mexico to Utah. The trail passes through mountains, canyons and desert. Hikers, mountain bikers and horseback riders get to see every side of Arizona as the land scape and wildlife change with every step of the trail. 

"We all love the many features of the Arizona Trail. It has challenging mountains, pine forests, lush desert with towering saguaros and incredible canyons. Plus, there's the wildlife; from wild elk and javelina to colorful cardinals and red tailed hawks to scurrying gila monsters and, if you are very lucky, maybe a desert tortoise," said Dave Hicks, a hikers and the executive director for the Arizona Trail Association in a press release.

The Arizona Trail Association has been planning, developing, managing and promoting the Arizona Trail since January 22, 1994. The trail is 96 percent complete with only 35 miles left to develop. The ATA is hoping to have all 800 miles of the trail completed and open to the public by the year 2012.

I plan to run start running segments of the trail this coming spring.

Blue Gold: Wold Water Wars

Water is the essence of life. Everything needs water to survive. Plants, animals, people, everything.

The blue gold is so vital to our survival that societies have gone through great lengths just for a taste of it. Societies have even worshiped it as a God.

The documentary, Blue Gold: World Water Wars, looks at the worlds water and the wars being fought for the control over its depleting supply.

Water in the U.S. is under appreciated. When a faucet is turned on, water is expect to come rushing out in endless supplies, but all that water has to come from somewhere. Soon, that somewhere is going to be no where. The water table world wide is getting lower. In some parts of the world, it is already gone.

About 70 percent of the earths surface is made up of water. Around 97 percent of the water is salt water. The rest is being stored in ice, rivers and underground waiting to be used. (U.S. Geological Survey)

Living in the desert, water is in high demand and low supply. Tucson has an increasing water shortage problem. The number of people living here is increasing while the amount of natural resources is plummeting.

The film takes an interesting look at what different societies have gone through to have clean drinkable water. It also looks at ways to stop the decline of the water table and start the recharge of drinkable water. Blue Gold: World Water Warsis a movie everyone should watch to understand the importance of water.