Mike Breiding's Epic Road Trips: December 2024

25 December 2024
Hike to Wasson Peak in the Tucson Mountains

Perfect hiking weather was the order of the day for this hike. Temps were in the 50s and 60s under blue skies, sunshine, and lovely clouds.

For Christmas (and New Year's Day), Betsy and I like to offer a hike that is memorable and often a bit more challenging than our regular hikes. One of our favorite holiday hikes is up to the highest point in the Tucson Mountains—Wasson Peak.
The Tucson Mountains are a low range when compared to the nearby Catalina and Santa Rita Mountains. They top out at 9,171' and 9,456' respectively. Wasson Peak in the Tucson Mountains tops out at 4,687'—much lower and therefore much more accessible to more hikers.

Betsy and I have named this route to Wasson Peak "The Mellow Route". Why? Because it has no really steep or rocky sections and is nicely switchbacked, as well as having sections of stone steps to make the ascent a bit easier.

The hike starts at 2900', and the first mile is a gentle approach across the lower and upper bajada. After about a mile, it starts to climb up the north-facing flank until it eventually reaches the ridgeline at 3600' elevation, intersecting with the Hugh Norris Trail. At that point we turned left on the Hugh Norris trail.

From this intersection of the Sendero Esperanza and Hugh Norris Trails, we had sweeping views of the southern Tucson Mountains as well as the Sierrita, Boboquivari, and Quinlan Mountain Ranges and the distant Santa Rita Mountains. To the north, we had views of Sombrero (Safford) and Panther Peak, as well as the Tortolita Mountains, Ragged Top, and Picacho Peak in the distance.

From here, we followed the Hugh Norris Trail in an easterly direction and hiked along the ridge and up some switchbacked sections as we climbed higher and higher until we reached Wasson Peak at 4600' feet.
From Wasson Peak we had a 360-degree view of the Tucson basin as well as the Catalina and Rincon Mountains.

While on the summit, we spent some time resting, refueling, socializing, and snapping photos.
A special treat for our time on the summit was provided by our hiking buddy Rita, who, due to illness, could not join the hike. But, on a previous hike in November, Rita had a Holiday gift for Betsy and me. Lebkuchen!

I passed the tasty treats around to our group, and there was enough to share with other hikers on the summit as well.
Thus fortified, we hiked back down using the same route.

Here are a few photos from the hike.

The Happy Hikers

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Information related to this hike
About John Wasson for whom the Peak was named

In 1870 President Grant appointed John Wasson Surveyor General of Arizona. Coming to Tucson at about the time that Judge Titus did and not long after Governor Safford's incumbency began, these gentlemen formed an agreeable coterie. Wasson was a native of Ohio. Coming to California as early as 1852, he soon went back to Ohio where he remained about ten years. After 1862, he resided continuously in the far west, serving in various public capacities and editing newspapers in Nevada, Idaho, California and Arizona. He is best known as the founder and editor of The Tucson Citizen. In 1874 he married Miss Harriet Bolton, who had come from the far East to teach in the Tucson Public Schools. Mr. Wasson was an able, sober, upright, fearless exponent of good morals and good government.

Source: Arizona Historical Review

On April 30, 1871 Wasson was involved in the slaughter of an estimated 100 or more Apaches during a dawn sneak attack near Camp Grant.
"Indeed, John Wasson, editor of Tucson’s Arizona Citizen and a participant in the massacre afterward defended the raid. 'There never was a murder committed in self-defense with stronger provocation or better grounds of legal justification, than in the case under consideration,' he (Wasson) wrote." More inforation is available at ArchaeologySouthwest.org

Hugh Norris (trail)
In the 1920's Norris was a police officer for the Tohono O'odham Indians and employed by the Office of Indian Affairs (OIA).
Although references can be found about the "highly respected" officer Norris like other well know Arizona officials had their dark sides.
"The protesters particularly criticized the OIA for compelling them to send their (Tohono O'odham ) children away to boarding schools. They even accused agency police chief Hugh Norris of outright stealing the youngsters" Source: The Journal of Arizona History, Vol. 46, No. 4 (winter 2005), pp. 375-396

Sendero Esperanza trail:
Spanish for "Hope Trail". I could find no information on the origin of this trail's name.

See you next time...
Mike and Betsy

 

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