[Bloated Chipmunk]

I was in Tucson once again in late July/early August, not b/c it's the best time of yr to visit but b/c of ongoing family obligations. I coordinated the time w/my sister who lives in FL, and my friend Pamela and we were able to get into the mtns. one day for a little hike. My sister's request was to go to the "Little Round Pool" in Sycamore Cyn (Catalina Mtns.), of which I had vague memories from our hikes there in the past. Having likely not been there since the early '90s, I mostly relied on her for routefinding as she had more recent trips to the area w/my mom after I moved to WA. There was a fairly high probability of T-storms that day, but since our time was limited we opted to take a chance. Well, a lot had changed in the area in the last 25 yrs. A fire had ripped through the area awhile back, & the combo of downed trees & new growth was cause for some pain in the ass bushwhacking. Our pace was considerably slowed for this reason. We parked in the Rose Lk. picnic area, & head up behind the snack shack toward Caterpillar Rock.

We crested a saddle, then dropped into a side canyon that would lead into Sycamore. Lots of logs to step over & brambles to get through. However, there were some nice flowers in this area.

We made it to the main canyon & turned right. When it split, I looked @ the map & asked my sister for confirmation. We chose the right fork which thankfully turned out to be correct.

It finally looked a little familiar to me when we got to a point just before the Little Round Pool. Moments later when I came upon the pool, I declared victory to the others who were just behind me.

It was a tad chilly but my sister promptly ducked into the bushes to change into her swimsuit. She emerged a bit later & made the brave move of sliding into the pool. I was ready w/the camera to capture the expression on her face. Her poor pooch Kika got worried & didn't know what to think of what just happened.

Being the wuss that I am, I just dipped my feet in.

I climbed up above the pool & took pics looking down @ the others.

We relaxed @ the pool a little while, before figuring we'd better get a move on it as we could hear some thunder in the distance.

We headed down the canyon, & decided to loop back via Rose Canyon as opposed to going back up the side canyon that was so choked w/logs & sticker bushes. I'd been in this section of Sycamore/Rose Canyon much more recently (like, in 2009 or something) & remember it as being pretty ez/straightforward.

Eventually the walls narrowed & I saw the cliffs that marked the area of the "Ledge of Death" - an affectionate family name for a slightly dicey section that one is required to climb in order to pick up Rose Canyon from Sycamore Canyon. Of course about this time it had started to lightly rain...making the rocks more slippery.

After ascending the Ledge of Death, we slowly made our way up Rose Canyon. Wow, what a difference 10 yrs. can make! What once was a canyon that I'd call an "open forest", now was filled with lush underbrush. Since it was raining, we all got fairly wet by the time all was said & done. We finally reached a fork in the canyon & instincts told me that the dam was to the right not far ahead. Thankfully, this turned out to be the case.

We climbed up to the left of the dam, where Kika ran ahead & went on a barking rampage b/c some guy was daring to fish @ the lk. We picked up the easy trail back to the car from there.

On the drive back, we made a quick stop @ Windy Point.

[zephyr]

Great report. I admire y'all's skill and sense of adventure. Looks a bit rugged up in there. ~z

[tmatlack]

Thanks Bloat, Great photos, esp. dog on hat. Not sure I'll make my snowbird migration to Old Pueblo in 2020 so may have to settle for pics of one of my favorite places. Tom(San Manuel, AZ, 1980's) PS: I tried Aravaipa West End last year and made it up the creek a ways, but high water had left so much debris hung up in huge "log jams" and debris piles forward progress was tortuously slow and difficult. The creek was running pretty high so fording and wading was equally difficult. I aborted mission after about 3 hours up river. Maybe try East End entrance next time. Tom