Pusch Peak Hike – 6/29/08

Here’s the “starting gate!” Forest Service land. The trailhead is located east of Oracle on Linda Vista in Oro Valley. The trail starts as the “Linda Vista Loop” I believe. Follow the center line on the map for just over a half mile. At the small metal sign, hang a right and start climbing!

The bottom part of the trail is also a horse trail. They do what they can to keep it clean (I’ve seen ‘em sweeping up), but they have daily Sunset Rides from nearby El Conquistador, so there’s always some “Horse Hockey” to step around. I don’t mind it too much, but it does contribute to the flies. That I don’t like so much.

Once you make the turn at the metal sign, you start to climb fast. The first half mile you gain about 300 feet elevation. It’s 700 feet higher to the first saddle, and it’s probably less than another half mile of trail. In other words, over twice as steep! In some places it’s almost straight up, which makes for a great workout! What’s really cool is the scenery. Makes the hard work worth it. This morning there was some shade on the trail. Always welcome this time of year. It was already in the 90′s!

That’s where I’m goin’. Up there. Still quite a climb to go. I guess up the rock face is the direct route! I’m not quite at that skill level :-) I might be 1/2 way up at this point, which means I am looking up at 500 feet of cliff! Pretty impressive. If I keep chugging, I’ll be up there soon enough.

45 minutes after the start I have reached my destination and am rewarded with awesome views of Oro Valley below. Here you can see the resort, “El Conquistador” 1,000 feet below! That’s the Tortalita Mountains in the distance. Just to the left of that just out of camera range you can see Picacho Peak most days.

When I have more time I like to climb up the next bump on the mountain. It’s another 400 feet or so. Usually takes me another 15 minutes to get up there and I can see much further south from up there too. It’s my favorite perch, really! Not much traveled since it doesn’t lead to the top of the mountain or anything. No time today though. I have church at 11:00 and I still have to climb down, get a shower and drive a half hour.

Nice view looking west. Those are the Tucson Mountains. Oracle Road is below along with southern Oro Valley and Marana in the distance.

Heading back down now after a short rest and water break. I spent much of it taking pictures! Here’s one on the way down. A couple of Cacti along the trail. The desert really is pretty!

A closer look at one of those Suguaro cactus. You can see the fruit on the top. A month ago those were white flowers that open up at night and close during the day. Bats get nectar from them! Now they are seed pods, but native peoples in the area harvest them. It takes a Saguaro 75 years before it starts growing arms! They live a long long time.

I haven’t Googled this yet, so I don’t know what it is. It’s like a Yucca, but this time of year with this weird upward flower thing going on. It reminds me of a Dr. Suess drawing! Strange.

Meanwhile, you can see the revine in the background. This trail basically climbs above this ravine. Sometimes after a rain you can hear actual water running in the “stream” down below!

A closer shot of the Dr. Suess plant! I think it might be a yucca, but then again, maybe not. I really need to Google it, or ask someone who’s lived here awhile.

Meanwhile, the trail going down can be tricky. It’s a serious downhill grade. You really have to watch your step, especially in places where there is loose rock. I wrote about it on my blog.

Almost back to the car now. Back on the Linda Vista Loop anyway. The trail has flattened out quite a bit although there is still a half mile to go and a 300 foot descent.

Off to the right you can see a grandfather Saguaro. Not sure how old it is, but look at all the arms! This guy holds TONS of water and is home to many bird nests. Not sure how tall it is either. Probably at least 20 feet.

Another (better) shot of a Saguaro bearing it’s fruit in season! See Psalm 1

Made it! A great workout in an hour and a half. There’s so much more to include that I didn’t stop and take pictures of. I’m thinking of making a video at some point. Not sure who would watch it, but I will enjoy shooting it! This is my favorite hike. Challenging. A great workout. Beautiful desert scenery. Critters! I’ll be back up again in a few days, Lord willing!