SingleSpeedMT: A Day off the Bike

Yesterday, with people still feeling the ill effects of crashes, and Tucson food, a hike was planned rather than bike riding. The crew of five (Dejay, Kate, Rob, George, and Self) agreed we would all gather at Dejay's at 8, head to Ragin' Sage for espresso and scones at 9, then go for the hike. Instead, Dejay showed up at his own house at 9:30 with Dunkin Donuts, and we started to pack up. It all seemed so simple, we would drop a car at Sabino Canyon, then drive to Prison camp. We would then go for a walk in the woods back to Sabino Canyon. Tuesday night we checked the weather report which called for rain, and those of us who hail from places that actually experience winter (Rob, George, and Self) were happy it was rain and not snow.

The hike went just as planned, and sure enough after spending enough time walking towards the dark clouds, we encountered the rain. The good news was is that we were right along a wash (which already had a river flowing through it), because a wash is the exact spot you want to be when it rains in the desert. Lucky for us it was just a steady rain, and not a monsoon rain, meaning there would be no flash flooding. The walking continued, complaints about cold feet were never uttered, due to the fact we were all using Swiftwick's wool socks. The rain ended, and in the end after twelve miles and a shade over five hours of walking we made it back to the car. When driving back up Catalina Highway, the learned the road had been closed to non 4wd drive traffic above mile marker then, and that there was snow where we had left the other car (about 4500 feet). This might freak some people out, I just kept reminding myself that the coldest temperatures I experienced during the hike, were still warmer than the warmest temps in Missoula. Pictures below.