We met at the ramada at the far end of the Pima Canyon entrance’s parking lot just before 8am. Little did we know that 8am was just too late for many keen members of our club. Two groups, Kay Davis, Anne Lewis and Larraine Mather plus Ben Velasquez, his son, Alexis and Chuck Giovanniello, just couldn’t wait and had headed out without us. There was only three of us, when at 8:15 we decided to hit the trail. With me were Tim Caron and Mike Wargel.....it was tough having two tall good looking men’s attention all to myself.....but I survived the burden!

One Tall Saguaro

We cut off the Mormon Loop Trail where it meets the National Trail and links up with Hidden Valley via Fat Man’s Pass. It was here that we ran into (literally) Kay and Anne. They had come through Hidden Valley and out through Fat Man’s Pass and were on their return leg, having already completed their rest/lunch stop. We exchanged war/hiking stories for a few minutes, but did not linger too long in the hot sun. We told them about the Mormon Loop Trail, but Kay and friends had were looking forward to doing the loop around the National Trail and off they headed into the hot sun. Meanwhile, we were left anxiously looking for a relaxing, shady spot where we (I) could take off our (my) boots and wiggle our (my) toes, while snacking on a refreshing lunch.

Our next challenge was to squeeze through Fat Man’s Pass (a good thing to do before lunch!). Our lunch stop consisted of some shaded rocks just on the other side of the pass and this is where Ben, Alexis and Chuck ran into us. They had come the same way as Kay and Anne, but they hadn’t stopped for lunch yet. They joined us for lunch and spent much of their time making multiple passes through Fat Man’s Pass.......okay, okay, okay....we know you fit!!! While we were resting Tim spotted some old hieroglyphics, and I spotted the newer ones..........the newer ones were obviously from a very advanced society as they were literate, having left the message “I LOVE YOU CARRIE” behind......hmmmmmmm! After our short lunch break, we all hit the trail again. Ben, Alexis and Chuck headed up to take the Mormon Loop Trail back, while we headed for the Hidden Valley.

It was getting hot and we were grateful for the small amount of shade the overhanging rock afforded us. I was not looking forward to leaving the valley! The valley was one of the most interesting aspects of this hike. We had to do a little rock climbing (down) to truly get into the valley, where we easily found and inspected many Native American petroglyphs. Mike was hoping to find the “Tunnel”, as he had heard much about it. We stopped and took many photos at this land mark that we couldn’t have missed if our lives depended on it.....it was our only way back!! We easily found the continuation of the National Trail and enjoyed the return hike to the Pima Canyon trailhead (while dodging dogs, bikes, runners, boy scouts, etc). All in all, a very good inner city hike!