As some of you know I live in southern Arizona (near Tucson) but make frequent hiking trips to the Great Northwest, where my heart is. But I'm not complaining about southern Arizona hiking, especially in our "sky island" mountain ranges like the nearby Santa Rita Mountains. Last Sunday I went on a hike up to the summit of Mt. Wrightson, one the tallest peaks in southern Arizona at 9,453'. The trail is 5 miles to the summit with just over 4,000' elevation gain. Here's a glimpse into the scenery - probably not exactly what you envision when you think "Sonoran Desert".
There are two trails to the summit of Mt. Wrightson - the steep and tedious Old Baldy Trail and the more gradual, but longer, Super Trail. We went up the Old Baldy and returned on the Super Trail. Here's a look at the Santa Rita Mountains from near the trail head in Madera Canyon. What's that green in the desert?
Next is our destination, 9453' Mt. Wrightson, the highest peak in southern Arizona although there are many "9ers" here
Nearby is 8585' Mt. Hopkins, home of the Whipple Observatory
As we gained elevation, the Santa Rita Mountains became much more rugged
From trail head to summit, we experienced massive wildflower displays, predominantly Showy Goldeneye (Viguiera Multiflora) which are thriving in areas burned by the 2005 Florida wild fire
   
The heaviest concentrations of wildflowers were around Baldy Saddle at 8780'. Here's a look back down on the saddle as we continued our upward climb.
Much evidence remains of the 2005 Florida burn, but there would not have been this spectacular wildflower display without the wildfire.
Finally, we're at the summit! That's Mt. Hopkins (Whipple Observatory) below me.
A couple other Southern Arizona Hiking Club members (Sherry & Cindy) enjoying the Mt. Wrightson summit.
The view to the north towards Tucson from the summit
As we head off the summit, we can see all the way to Mexico to the south
On the way down, we got to enjoy the massive wildflower displays once again. At times the sea of wildflowers obscured the trail.
  
Mother Nature works in amazing ways sometimes. These massive wildflower displays were the result of the 2005 Florida wildfire, started by lightening. Here's what the Santa Ritas it looked like in July 2005. The peak on the right is Mt. Wrightson.
I was devestated when I took this photo from our community and had no idea of the beauty it would bring just a year later. As you can see from the next photo, the wildfire grew substantially in size. That's Mt. Wrightson to the left of the saddle and Mt. Hopkins to the right. The Whipple Observatory is visible on the top of Hopkins.
Tucson is ringed by four mountain ranges of which three are "sky islands" - the Santa Catalina, Rincon, and Santa Rita mountain ranges. The Catalinas are best known for Mt. Lemmon and Sabino Canyon Recreation Area; the Rincons for Saguaro National Park; and the Santa Ritas for world-class birding at Madera Canyon. Tucson is also home to the Southern Arizona Hiking Club which offers 80-120 hikes monthly, all year.
Thank you for allowing me to take you on a virtual tour of the magical "sky islands" of the Sonoran Desert. If you ever make it down this way, let me know and we'll do some hikin'. PortlandHikers.com members are always welcome to hang up their boots in our guest room.
Now, do you still envision "dust bowl" when you think Tucson? | 
