March 27th

What little water I had had was used up before the morning came, so I was up pre-dawn headed toward Grass Shack on the lookout for more.  I didn't have to wait long before finding pools that had formed among the rocks of a side drainage, the water chilled by the nighttime temps.  The trail itself led up through a forest of towering saguaro, which eventually gave way to juniper and grasses.  The sun didn't break over the ridge for some time, so most of the morning I was walking in shadow or under shade of trees.  The first flowing water was heard when I entered Grass Shack Campground, where a nice creek passed beneath the branches of cottonwood and oak.  A few well-situated campsites, a hitching post, a pit toilet, a fire ring and a nice location overlooking the plain below--- all in all, a better deal than the more commercial Manning Camp up top, with its corral and ranger station, at least in my opinion.
I knew I was getting high when the soil changed to dark, brown dirt and my nose filled with the heady scent of pine.  Sweet!  At the peak, the ranger station was closed up tight and there wasn't a soul around.  I set up shop at a nearby picnic table for the next hour, relaxing and slowly eating lunch. At nearly 8,000 feet, there were still remnants of snow on the ground from last week's powerful storm.
Starting up again, I navigated through a series of confusing trail junctions and came out in the right place at the end after visiting Spud Rock and Mica Mountain.  The north side of this "Sky Island" has been heavily damaged by fire, which must have also affected the watershed because Italian Spring wasn't springing forth with water.  Instead, it was a small, algae-covered pool, with black diving beetles popping up for air before reversing course into their slimy, green kingdom.  To my good fortune, clean water was rushing out of a few side canyons that crossed the trail during my rapid descent.  In addition, there were some wonderful views to the north where I am heading.  Big boulders in Tanque Verde Canyon looked like they came out of a western film and I could imagine some Apache brave standing out there scouring the land for game, hand raised to shield his eyes from the sun.
At the bottom of the descent where things started to flatten out, the trail passed over a creek.  Taking the opportunity to soak my feet, I hurriedly removed my shoes and socks, then dunked my tootsies in the cool water.  Ah!  After the refreshing break, the grass and brush that I was hiking through resembled that of the Canelo Hills.  With daylight fading, I settled into a small wash past Reddington Road, cows lowing as I drifted off to sleep.  Cattle country indeed.


Photo 1:  Pool of Water in the Desert
Photo 2:  Saguaro National Park
Photo 3:  View to the South
Photo 4:  Creek at Grass Shack
Photo 5:  Manning Camp
Photo 6:  Fire Damage and Snow
Photo 7:  Azure Sky and Pine
Photo 8:  View from "Sky Island"
Photo 9:  A Look Back at the Heights

Distance Hiked:  25.3 Miles