Another cold, windy night at camp as we prepare to finally go NOBO again. Amy and I got going just before 8, heading back to meet Diana at Gordon Hirabayashi Campground. We arrived at 9:30, just as planned.
Diana told us about her exploration of Summerhaven yesterday. How there was still a foot of snow there. How she ran into the West Point Triathlon Team training on their bikes. And how the famous Summerhaven Cookie Cabin’s cookies are homemade daily and big as plates. She bought us a chocolate chip and a “Rachel,” which is some delectable cookie with butterscotch chips and coconut. Yum!
Onward (and NOBO) Ho!
We jumped in the car for the shuttle to Oracle. We got to the trailhead around noon and Amy and I took off.
Gosh, the scenery was amazing! I’m assuming the snowcapped mountain in the distance was Mt. Lemmon. I think some of the others are part of the Tortilla Mountains, but I’m not sure.
The trail was undulating but not bad. We had gorgeous mountains in the distance constantly, plus passed lots of cool rock formations.
Tiger Mine and Beyond
We reached the Tiger Mine Road Trailhead around 3:30 and Diana was waiting. We got more water, ate more of those cookies and then 
took off again.
The trail here was amazing – lush and green and full of spring wildflowers. We saw little daisies, purple lupine and all sorts of flowers we couldn’t identify. We also heard lots of birds for the first time.
So far the trail has seemed pretty devoid of wildlife. There are lots of cattle (and massive cow pies), but that’s about it. This morning we saw deer, then this afternoon all the birds.
Home Sweet Home
Tonight we’re camped near a wash. Marney from a local motel left water – yay! And it doesn’t seem too cold or windy. Maybe I’ll finally have a nice night’s sleep!
Snowshoe
16 miles today
173.1 miles to date
626.9 miles to go
