Saturday, March 8, 2014: Don’t miss your chance to join The Friends of Ironwood Forest on our second annual March 8th Event “Hike the Monument”. We will be hiking in the Ironwood Forest National Monument and enjoying the spring weather. Here are the three hikes we’re putting together for you.
Sign ups will be through the Friends of Ironwood Forest’s web site at www.ironwoodforest.org. For additional information, email or call Lahsha Brown (lahsha@ironwoodforest.org) or 520 628-2092.
1. Hike to Walcott Saddle and circumnavigate Walcott Peak (by Ragged Top) Adventure Hike – moderate to difficult – cross country/no trail – 3 miles with a 600′ accumulated elevation gain. Hike leaders Gary Borax and Jim Avramis.
When you look at Ragged Top from the east, the Peak immediately south of Ragged Top is Walcott Peak and it’s connected to Ragged Top via Walcott Saddle. The BLM requests that hikers refrain from hiking above Walcott Saddle and summiting Ragged Top from January 1 through April 30 during the Bighorn Sheep lambing season.
On this hike we will hike up to Walcott Saddle from the base of Ragged Top. We will continue on down from the Saddle as we circle Walcott Peak. On this trek you will see that Walcott Peak is surrounded via a series of smaller lower peaks.
2. Hike to Waterman Mountains Elephant Trees – Lahsha Brown (Friends of Ironwood Forest, Executive Director), Claire Crow (Ironwood Forest Monument Manager, BLM) and Tom Wilson (U of A) will be leading the hike.
Moderate to slightly difficult hike cross-country in the Waterman Mountains to find E.T. (Elephant Trees) and other botanical fun. We will have a botanical expert along for this hike (Tom Wilson). High-clearance vehicles required. Carpooling options available, too.
3. Nature Hike at base of Ragged Top – with Gordon Hanson, Royce Ballinger, Alan Morgan, and Gaile James (President, Board of Directors, Friends of Ironwood Forest. – Easy to Moderate Hike for kids of all ages. Join Gordon and some local experts in photography, herpetology, birding, and over all naturalists for an easy paced hike while exploring the wonders of the Ironwood Forest. Photography tips and botanical discussions will be featured as part of this family-oriented nature hike.