After my cross-country drive to Tucson I had completed the first week of my away rotation at the University of Arizona and was itching to get out and explore. My friend and I set out to do just that. My first thought was to head to the Mountains, but before that, we grabbed a filling breakfast at Baja Café, and set out on a quick desert hike in Catalina State Park. Of course, it was July and the temperature was about 108 Fahrenheit. So, we cut our hike short and headed for higher elevation. Mt. Lemmon sits on the northern side of Tucson, and at about 9000 feet (prominence of about 5000ft) the temperatures near the top are about 25 degrees cooler than the surrounding desert.
The drive up is an experience in itself. As you go up in altitude the landscape makes a gradual transition from the saguaro cacti and red-ish rock Tucson is known for to the coniferous trees and cool mountain air I that is characteristic of Colorado. We spent the day hopping from one viewpoint to another, taking on short hikes to get to them as necessary. Check out the film above to see them for yourself!
