Hike of the Month

Like of the Month.

It was one of those rare years when a succession of powerful northern Pacific storms charged down the California coast and across the Sierras and Rockies, leaving in their wake mountains buried under snow and deserts drenched with rain.

For three months now since December it had rained several times a week. We desert rats are spoiled by months on end of perfect hiking weather, so when three consecutive days of rain kept me inside at my computer, I was more than a little stircrazy. So was my dog. As I sat trying to accomplish something, its loud sighs and intense "please-let's-go-hiking" looks convinced me to play hooky and head out to our favorite nearby trail despite the gray skies and showers.

The David Yetman Trail in the Tucson Mountains is only 10 minutes from downtown Tucson, yet it offers a surprising feeling of wilderness.

It is not a dramatic trail with spectacular granite cliffs and shimmering waterfalls, nor does it boast breathtaking summit views.

But it is one of those trails that springs immediately to mind when someone asks you to suggest a hike that is fun and challenging, but not too hard.

The Yetman trail feels open and airy as it winds through gentle rocky hills covered with creosotebushes, paloverde trees, and cat

WHEN YOU GO.

The David Yetman Trail covers six miles of Tucson Mountain Park's southern hills. There are four trailheads that access the trail: on the south, both Tucson Estates Parkway and Sarasota Road terminate at the park boundary, each about a mile from joining the Yetman trail; on the west, there is a paved parking lot off Gates Pass Road just after the road crosses the pass; and nearest to Tucson's center is a dirt parking lot at the southern end of Camino de Oeste.

One of the best ways to enjoy this trail is to arrange a car shuttle beginning at either the Gates Pass or the Camino de Oeste trailhead. This makes for about six miles of enjoyable hiking. If you start at Camino de Oeste, there is a mile-long climb at the end. The trail is open to mountain bikes, hikers, and horses. It's very rocky, so hiking boots are recommended. The most useful map is a copy of the county blueprint, available for $3 from Pima County Parks and Recreation.

For further information, telephone the Natural Resources Division of the parks department, (602) 740-2690.

NEED AN EASY RAMBLE IN THE SUN? TAKE TUCSON'S YETMAN TRAIL

claw. On the southern slopes, hundreds of towering saguaros jockey for space.

After the months of regular rainfall, the normally gritty soil had become dark loam, and, with the additional blessings of warm days and cool nights, the earth was the perfect incubator for wildflower seedlings: the hillsides were covered by a dense fuzz of brilliant green. Here and there among the dark red and purple volcanic rocks were a few early opening acts for the spring show: bright orange poppies, fuschia penstemons, and lemony marigolds.

The first mile or so of the trail meanders through a broad dry wash; even after all the rain, it was not running that day the thirsty desert was drinking deeply.

As we climbed the first hill, just past the remains of an early settler's stone cabin, the sun showed itself for the first time in days. It was like looking at the desert through a kaleidoscope: millions of water droplets glittering on neon-green plants, the rocks blood red and burnt orange and vivid purple, the air thick with that dusty-sweet creosote perfume that is the signature scent of the Sonoran Desert. Somewhere in the rocky hills a canyon wren sang out its melancholy cascading call.

We walked a few more miles to the trail spur that leads to Tucson Estates. The Yetman trail climbs several hundred feet in elevation to Gates Pass Road a mile away.

High up the trail, I could see a person on a hot-pink mountain bicycle flinging his machine down the rocky trail, fighting the edge of control. I could see both the strain and delight on his face as he whizzed past, and I remembered how hard this trail is to ride on a bike: my first introduction to the David Yetman Trail involved two cracked ribs and a painful walk out.

I fingered my still-sore rib cage and was glad to be enjoying this trail on two feet and at a comparative snail's pace. Going more slowly and silently, I could take in the glistening trees and the calling birds and feel completely relaxed, ready in body if not in spirit to head back to work and the computer at home.