Impromptu Camping - Another Shakedown?

The other night I had an opportunity to once again test my preparation for the PCT. It's short story...

Betsy and I often go looking for geocaches on local trails in Catalina State Park near Tucson. This time she knew I wanted to go for a longer hike with my full pack in preparation for my thru hike so she suggested that she drop me off at the start of the Sutherland Trail and that I head north while she would drive to a point north of the park and walk south. We would meet up along the trail and head together back to the Jeep. It didn't quite go as planned!


I started north early in the day, stopping to get a geocache every so often, having lunch, and fully enjoying my walk. At times along the way Betsy texted me the location of the Jeep, and the names of her recent geocache finds. I followed along on the map she had given me when we set out, content in the knowledge that it wasn't really that far to where she had parked. That was my first mistake.

Cherry on Top hill.

Little did I know that the trail I was on did not meet up with where the Jeep was parked, or that the time it would take me to traverse the 13 miles of trails along with searching for geocaches would extend through the end of daylight hours. As the sun was setting on the hill called Cherry on Top I was beginning to wonder if we were destined to meet up. I had stopped geocaching at 4:00 p.m. with less than 2 miles to go to the Jeep. I headed north in earnest.

By 5:30 Betsy had completed her circuit of caches and was heading back to the Jeep. About an hour of light was left. I was just coming around the mountain as the sun started to set and with .64 miles north to the Jeep across uncharted desert I made a decision to head for a road I could see on my map, less than half a mile to the west. I reasoned that I could get to the road before I could get to the Jeep, all things equal - i.e. terrain and bushwacking. Another mistake on my part.



The terrain quickly deteriorated into a slot canyon filled with giant boulders.

Water rushed somewhere below, but I wasn't going to make it down 20 foot boulders with a pack on my back and fading light, so I headed toward the side walls of the canyon. I could see houses just below. Betsy texted. I texted back that I was heading for the road. She texted that she made it to the Jeep. I texted that I was still heading for the road. The mythical road was nowhere to be seen. I asked her to call me. As the light faded I got out my headlamp and kept going. At one point I thought to myself, "Here's a nice flat spot. I should just camp and walk out in the morning." I kept walking through the catclaw, around the boulders, under the ocotilla, and eventually to another flatish spot. Should I camp? No. Keep walking.

Houses, so close, yet so far away.

The third flat spot with an adjoining cliff that dropped off into nowhere helped me to decide that I would definitely be better off camping. Betsy called and I asked her to go home and pick me up in the morning. What a godsend that I had stopped earlier to fill my hydration pack and an additional one liter bottle and that I had an entire pack ready for a night out. As I set up my tent and ate some snacks the moon rose over the mountains. What a beautiful sight.

Moon over the Catalina Mountains

 The night was quiet with the occasional hoot-hoot and coyote calls until something screeched nearby! I thought it sounded like a bird, but what bird would be out hunting at 1:30 in the morning? It certainly wasn't an owl. I've since decided that it must have been a bobcat. Every few seconds it would screech and it didn't stop until I shined a light in its direction. I saw a fleeting something take off, and then it was quiet again. WOW!

The next morning I packed up and started for the top of the nearest ridge.  As I came across the ridge a big javelina stopped to check me out. I skirted along the ridge top trying my best to keep an eye on the beast while making progress to the houses.


Half an hour later I reached an abandoned house and started down to the road. Betsy was already on her way and picked me up within about ten minutes. Great timing! She even brought coffee! That's my gal.