Josephine Saddle

I left the house early Saturday morning with the goal of making it to the Josephine Saddle. While not technically a “high-point”, this most recent hike is certainly an achievement and a great milestone in my recovery.  I knew when I left the house that morning that this particular trail would be a challenge, but I hadn’t realized just how much of a challenge it would be. Even before my surgery, this hike would have been a great undertaking.

Old Baldy Trail Head

 If you are not familiar with this trail it is in Madera Canyon, in the Coronado National Forest, and is the halfway point to the peak of Mt. Wrightson, the highest peak in Santa Cruz County.  This trail begins at the Mt. Wrightson picnic area and heads up the Old Baldy Trail. This is about 2.5 miles give or take, with an elevation gain of about 1,700ft. This is a continual incline with very few flat areas to catch your breath. If you are out of shape, I recommend starting on a different trail. If you absolutely have to start out here, allow yourself a few hours. From talking to the other hikers on the trail, most of them were able to reach the Saddle in about an hour. If you are new to hiking or not in the best physical condition allow yourself several hours. My sister and I made it in 2 hours and 15 minutes. This was largely due to my lungs.

My sister and I on our way up

When we headed out to the canyon I was a little concerned with the clouds in the sky seeing as monsoon season had just started, but they seemed to be blowing over. We started up the trail at 9:30am. It was a little later than I would have liked thanks to my dog deciding to do his business on the carpet that morning. About 30 minutes into the hike we came across a man who was running down the mountain. No, nothing was chasing him. He had run up it and now he was running down. Impressive, but you won’t see me doing that unless I’m being chased! 

We came across quite a few people on the trail that day. That isn’t really surprising since it is one of the more popular trails in Tucson. Although most of the people we met were on their way back from the summit. They must have started quite early. About the time we got halfway up the trail we were passed by the runner making his second pass up the mountain. Apparently he was headed back to the summit. 

Josephine Saddle

The trail was beautiful, but more of a walk in the woods kind of beauty.  There isn’t much in the way of views from the sky. The best views were looking up at Mt. Wrightson and seeing the peak getting closer and closer. It was even more impressive with the clouds coming in over it. We finally reached the saddle at 11:45. I know this is not an impressive time, but the fact that I made it at all is something. When you get to the saddle there are a few trail signs pointing out to the different paths and then you will see a fire pit and a few logs around it. This is where we stopped for lunch. My sister said that was the best sandwich she had ever had in her life. I bet the one she eats on the summit will be even better! 

Tired and hungry

After resting for about 15 minutes we noticed that the clouds were moving back in our direction and they were getting dark. We gathered up our things and headed down the mountain. It only took us about an hour to get back down. It would have taken less time, but I wanted to stop and take some pictures. As we got closer to the bottom we started to hear the thunder.

Clouds coming in

When we reached the trail head I noticed an ambulance. I wasn’t too surprised at that. This is summer in Tucson and many people attempt these trails without being prepared physically or bringing enough (if any) water. As we got closer though we noticed that there was also a small fire truck and three Border Patrol Vehicles. The agents were talking to several of the hikers coming off of Super Trail. I’m not sure what was going on and with the rain coming in we thought it wouldn’t be the best idea to stay and find out. We head out and there were another 3 Border Patrol vehicles and 1 police car headed into the canyon. It appeared as though something exciting had happened, but we were going to miss it. As we drove out, a lot of the road was beginning to get washed out. It appears that we made it out just in the nick of time.