14 March 2013
It is hard to believe it has now been two months since Betsy and I hiked up to the 7 Falls of Bear Creek. That hike was with the TucsonHiking MeetUP group.
On that morning back in January we had low temps in the 20s and it was barely into the 30s when the 14 of us started the hike up Bear Canyon.
For a refresher as to where the 7 Falls of Bear Canyon is located you can see the photos and commentary from that January hike here.
Although a bit chilly on that January day it was gloriously sunny and the water at the falls and along Bear Creek looked mighty tempting. But, it was a tad on the frosty side for dipping.
Because of that we decided to hike the trail again - just the two of us - when it was warmer and we could take as much time as we wanted.
By March the temps were starting to climb here in the Tucson area. In fact they spiked into the 90s for couple of days. And it was one of those toasty warm days we chose for our hike up to the falls.
Click on the photos below for a larger image.
Here Betsy negotiates one of the 7 creek crossings on the hike up to 7 Falls.
Mexican poppies in bloom along the trail - a sure sign it is Spring time in the Desert.
Looking towards the 7 Falls area of Bear Creek. It is a relatively easy 4 mile hike to get here.
After 3 months of mountain hiking Betsy has quite a few trail miles under her belt!
The rocks and falls area were peppered with people enjoying the sun, scenery and water.
There are several nice pools at the base of the lower falls.
Betsy takes the plunge! Remember - this is water which has it's source from snow melt.
When we were here in January this pool was partially ice covered.
Brrrrrrrr!
What a great setting for dip in the water.
This was Spring Break - for some folks. And there was a steady stream of people up and down the trail and in and out of the water.
Note the little girl on the left. She and her sister were crawling around all over the rocks like a couple of lizards.
Wheeee!!!!
Folks braver than I or Betsy were scrambling up the falls and enjoying the view from up on high.
Note the woman on the left in the orange top. I took her to be the mom of the two little girls.
Mom decided to scamble up the lower falls. She was having a bit of trouble. Shortly after I took this shot she slipped and fell. Not too smart. Fortunately she did not crack her skull wide open and only hurt her pride.
We hung out on the rocks for a while eating our snacks, enjoying the sun and scenery and people watching. I shot the breeze with a couple from Michigan and related to them some of our exploits in the UP. Then it was back down the trail.
A parting shot of 7 Falls. By now there were quite a few people there and a steady flow of hikers were going up and down on the trail.
Back down the canyon we go...
We thought about taking a dip here but decided to hold out for a place a bit more off the trail.
And we found it! By now it was really getting toasty. And boy, did this feel great!
Careful...
Ahhh...
What nice scenery!
So many pools, so little time. Well - there's always next year!
I laid back into this little falls. WOW! What a rush...
We both plunged in numerous times before the hot trek back down the trail.
By now, there were so many people on the trail the crossings were getting backed up.
It was not long after this we exited Bear Canyon and entered Sabino Canyon which also has a lovely stream. At one of the bridge crossings we could stand it no longer and plunged in again. Here, down stream, the water was warmer and we could actually stay in for a while. Good thing - we were both getting a bit over heated.
Then it was back to the Sabino parking lot and home to Green Valley.
Nice hike, Betsy!!! SMOOCH!
'Till next time...