Mt. Lemmon

Yesterday I went to Mt. Lemmon for the first time. I was completely awestruck by the beauty of this place. A popular natural site for the people in Tucson, it is also a very tough biking route for the triathletes and the avid riders around here–L. Armstrong used to do hill-training here. Mt. Lemmon is in the Santa Catalina mountains located in the Coronado National Forest. It is 9,157 feet above sea-level, and receives approximately 180 inches of snow annually. It was named in honor of botanist Sarah Lemmon, who trekked to the top of the mountain with Native American guides by mule and foot in 1881.

Up at elevation 2000 you can get the best panoramic of Tucson. But do not stop, because it just gets better! You can see the vegetation change every feet you go higher. You start with saguaros at the base of the mountain and at 8000 you end up with pine and fir! At about this elevation you get to a small town called Summerhaven, which includes many cabins, some occupied only part of the year. There are also quite bit of bed and breakfast places up there. This place is near Ski Valley which is the southernmost ski destination in the continental United States.

At the base the temperature was 100-105. At 8000, the temperature was around 70 with a very nice and cool breeze. On the way back down, it started pouring, and then hailing so very hard. The temperature instantly dropped to 59! It was frightful how hard it was raining and hailing.

The trip was quite amazing. The scenery was gorgeous. And the clouds, the clouds just fantastic–nothing like the gray depressing clouds of Seattle! The combination of cumulus clouds, great lighting by the sun, and a gorgeous sky blue background made for an invigorating scenery.

P.S. Pink Floyd is THE appropriate music for these kind of trips!