On a cool spring morning in early March six Arizona Trailblazers gather near the King Canyon Trailhead, located west of Tucson, about a quarter-mile past the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum entrance. From left to right: Barry Altschuler with his daughter Megan, Doug East, Brian Cross, Michael Humphrey, and hike leader Chuck Parsons. The King Canyon Trail will take us to the summit of Wasson Peak, highest peak in the Tucson Mountain Range at 4,687'. The trail to the top of Wasson Peak is a nine-mile loop hike that takes in the Hugh Norris Trail and Esperanza Trail, in addition to the King Canyon Trail. We will climb a total of 1,837 feet before reaching Wasson Peak.

Along the King Canyon Trail, Barry, Megan, and Doug take a short break among the plentiful gold poppies that line the trail for most of the way to the top of Wasson Peak.

We are somewhat surprised to see so many wildflowers, since it is still so early in March, and we are steadily gaining in elevation.

In addition to gold poppies, yellow brittlebush, desert marigold, blue lupine, and desert chicory line the trail and carpet the slopes on the way to the summit. The plentiful and soaking rains of this past winter and early spring have re- awakened long dormant seeds and brought the drought-plagued deserts of Arizona back to life once again.

Barry, Megan, and Doug guard the entrance to one of several long-abandoned mine shafts that lie scattered along the trail to Wasson Peak. Sections of the King Canyon Trail, including the first mile, actually follow an old mining road, one of several throughout the Tucson Mountains region. Prospectors combed these mountains for many years, searching for copper, gold, and silver in these hills.

Peligro – danger, hazard! Although it is definitely not recommended to go beyond the barbed wire entrance, by necessity we are forced to take shelter from a fast approaching thunderstorm. The mine entrance is relatively dry and level and provides much appreciated shelter from the elements outside. The real mine entrance inside is heavily fortified by a tangle of welded rebar, as we peer into the pitch black void beyond, so at least there is no immediate danger of falling down a vertical shaft inside the initial entrance.

Protected from the rain, the timing is perfect and we decide to eat lunch inside the mine entrance, before heading back out and continuing on our way to the peak.

Although the day had started with friendly blue skies and a few playful cumulus clouds at the trailhead, we are little more than halfway to the summit when several large storm systems start to gather momentum and bear down on us.

This view, taken from the top of Wasson Peak, is looking to the north and reveals a 180 degree arc of fast approaching thunderstorms heading straight in the direction of the Tucson Mountains. To our south, several more storm cells are bearing down, as another system is moving in from Mexico. We take a few quick pictures from the peak and make haste to get off this mountain top before all hell breaks loose.

Brrrr!

A bundled-up Barry, Megan, and Doug pose for one last quick picture on the summit of Wasson Peak, before we are forced to leave and beat a hasty retreat back down this mountain to attempt to stay ahead of the approaching storms. The temperature has been dropping steadily for the last hour, as several large storm cells begin to converge on us.

The day starts out with relatively blue skies and pleasant temperatures in the low 60s, but on the peak it is now a blustery and bone chilling 43 degrees, with a wind chill factor below the freezing mark. The city of Tucson lies sprawled out below us in the background, still bathed in warm sunlight, the quintessential picture of the calm before the storm.

We make it a little over half-way back down, before the rain finally catches up with us. Luckily we all have rain gear with us, but it is still hard to stay dry, with the gusting winds and driving rain. Lightning and thunder move in closer, with occasional bright flashes and the boom of distant thunder. Parts of the trail start to resemble a shallow streambed, as the rain continues to pound down harder and harder, and a lot of water is seeking lower ground very fast. Lightning moves in a little too close for comfort, and the thunder that follows in the next second or two is now a deafening blast. There is no shelter from the elements, so we simply forge ahead as quickly and safely as we can. Eventually, we leave most of the trail behind us, the storms begin to move off into the distance, and the sun comes out once again to begin warming the air and drying things out. We all arrive safely back at the trailhead in full sunshine, with the air clean and refreshingly pure.