Our Hike of the Month: Sycamore Canyon

HIKE OF THE MONTH SYCAMORE CANYON IN THE PAJARITA WILDERNESS

The night before I had pulled in late, dropped my bedroll near the trailhead, and turned in quickly, thinking I'd rise early to brew some coffee and hit the trail before dawn, hike the six miles to the Mexican border, turn around, and hoof it back to be on the road home before noon. I had hiked the canyon plenty of times. Today's hike would be a quickie. To write something, I just needed my memory jogged a bit. But now at the first blush of dawn, less than five minutes into my hike, I am seduced all over again by the natural charms of Sycamore Canyon. I hear the water before I see it. No lure is more powerful than running water to a desert dweller, and this creek, in the Pajarita Wilderness of the Coronado National Forest, is one of only a handful of perennial streams in southern Arizona.

For many minutes, I stand in the cool morning air flowing down into the canyon from the heights and listen to the voices of the water murmuring over gravel and sluicing through lush patches of water-cress. Schools of small fish dart about in a quiet pool against the canyon wall. Downstream the watercourse separates into rivulets right and left and, farther on, braids together again before disappearing around the first bend. My watch says 15 minutes have passed. The big Arizona sycamores for which this canyon is named are four miles away. Reluctantly, I move on. The early sun finds the canyon. Airy filaments of spi-derweb shine like spun silver in the filtered light. A canyon wren's descending scale echoes off the walls. Flowers, spurred into bloom by recent heavy rains, are abundant. At the trailhead, I'd seen Arizona poppies, which bloom once in several seasons and only after hard rains wash away germina-tion-inhibiting chemicals on their seeds. Blue morning glory and tiny scarlet creeper vines twine among grasses and bushes at streamside. A hummingbird streaks through the wild bouquet. I pick my way, using step-ping-stones to crisscross the stream but get my feet wet anyway in the unusually high water. Gradually the walls of the canyon narrow and rise steeply. After about a mile, where another drainage enters from the west, sandstone monoliths thrust hundreds of feet into the air. Large boulders, tumbled into the canyon, litter the floor.

Stopping for a swig of water, I hear the down-slurred scream of a red-tailed hawk before I see it. A flock of jays has mobbed it and forced it into flight. Easily, it soars higher above the rim to elude them. Tiring, the jays move off, and the hawk settles again on its pinnacle. Now, jacket off in full sun, I myself am mobbed by predators. Bloodthirsty gnats and mosquitoes assail me as I meander downstream.

After three miles, the canyon chokes to a narrows where a small waterfall runs a chute, and fills a huge pool. It is after 9:00 A.M., three hours from the start. By this time, I've usually hiked to the Mexican border and halfway back. I'm sweaty. Biting insects buzz about my ears. I think of the shade of the big sycamores a little farther downstream. Next time. I undress and slip into the cool water.

When You Go: From Tucson travel south on U.S. 19 about 50 miles to State Route 289. Go west on 289 to Peña Blanca Lake, then continue west on Forest Service Road 39 about 10 miles to the Sycamore Canyon Trailhead.

The best time to hike Sycamore Canyon is from October through May.

Some boulder scrambling is required, so wear waterproof hiking boots with good traction. Take a warm sweater and windbreaker, food and a minimum of one quart of water per person (more in warm weather).

Hiking Guide: For a detailed guide to hiking in Arizona, we recommend Outdoors in Arizona: A Guide to Hiking and Backpacking, a collection of 48 great hikes through desert, mountain, and canyon environments, including easy-to-get-to trails in urban areas. To order, call toll-free 1 (800) 543-5432. In the Phoenix area, call 258-1000.