Spent the morning working on the Molino trail in the Catalinas. It was a nice contrast to most of the trailwork we do at lower elevations, which is usually just scratching and pruning. We took out flexible waterbars and installed new timbers deep in the ground. We also cleaned out some drains and benched some sections.
It was a very nice morning. The FS folks were classic as usual. Plenty of time was wasted, but far less than usual.
I questioned the value of a number of the bars we installed, but overall I think the trail is in better shape than before. And it was fun work, digging, drilling and pounding rebar into them.
Any muscle in my upper body not already sore from yesterdays 3 hours of bush-whacking, is now very sore. Some of those rebars would just not go in.
Mike from the FS talked a bit about the mountain bike trail-only route up Mt. Lemmon. Grosa, Molino, Bug Springs, Green Mountain, Incinerator, Butterfly, Cyrstal Spring, Oracle Ridge. Anyone who can complete that climb, then ride back into Tucson will be forever the king of Tucson mountain biking.
My only concern is with the bug springs section. It MUST have a significant climb on it in the downhill direction, otherwise it will be shuttle city — bug springs to prison camp then down Molino. I do not want to see another “Wasatch Crest” shuttle trail. The rest I’m not too worried about–the trails are difficult enough in any direction. But Molino (the section we worked on) is easy enough, and if bug springs is also…
Now for some well earned rest.
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