Finger Rock Hike

Tucson Hike
The Finger Rock Trail
May 2001

My company sent me to Tucson for a 4 day seminar. As soon as I found out I started searching the internet for possible hikes. This one came up, The Finger Rock Trail hike.

The view from the hotel
When we got to the hotel I set up a rental car for the next day. Coworkers Greg and Mike agreed to join me. To my surprise! Finger Rock was visible from the hotel.
Mountains are steep
We got a later start than we wanted to. There was some company things that we had to attend to first thing. We reached the trailhead around 10:00 am. At first, the trail took a nice winding gradual ascent through the valley. We noticed many hikers were coming off the mountain.

The cactus were huge and everywhere! I am guessing 15 to 20 feet tall. The mountains were steep and everything was very dry.

Hiking through the valley A short break
The temperatures were rising. It wasn't long before we were looking for shady places. This is Greg and Mike enjoying a shady spot.

This is one of the first views of Tucson. The trail was fairly easy and worked its way along the the mountainside.

The first view of Tucson Another view of Tucson
The temperature was still on the rise and Mike had drank most of his water. He and I were not used to the heat and it was beginning to affect our strength

Our goal in site we had renewed strength, but we still had a long way to go. From here it looks like we are nearing the same height as Finger Rock.

View of Finger Rock - getting close Tucson for our highest point
Here is the view of Tucson from our highest point. It was very hot, but a breeze had picked up. Mike and I were out of energy. It was just about here that we ran into a local. He said, "You aren't from around here are you?" He told us that when we got back down into the valley that we would think that we had entered "The Seventh Level of Hell". He was right!

This was the closest that we got to our goal. Greg hiked a little farther, but turned around. The temperatures at the bottom of the mountain were 102 degrees with no breeze! It was just like walking in an oven. I was not prepared for the heat and was lucky to make it to the car. I was sick from the heat. We did not encounter any rattlesnakes, scorpions or wild animals, but the heat almost did me in.

Finger Rock
Things to remember for this hike

Start your hike early
The midday sun is a killer!
Bring lots of water
Be safe and bring more than you think you can drink!
Plan ahead
Tell people where your going and what time you expect to return
Altitude
Be aware! It's cooler at the top of the mountain
Have Fun

My company sent me to Tucson for a 4 day seminar. As soon as I found out I started searching the internet for possible hikes. This one came up, The Finger Rock Trail hike. When we got to the hotel I set up a rental car for the next day. Coworkers Greg and Mike agreed to join me. To my surprise! Finger Rock was visible from the hotel.	We got a later start than we wanted to. There was some company things that we had to attend to first thing. We reached the trailhead around 10:00 am. At first, the trail took a nice winding gradual ascent through the valley. We noticed many hikers were coming off the mountain.
The cactus were huge and everywhere! I am guessing 15 to 20 feet tall. The mountains were steep and everything was very dry.	The temperatures were rising. It wasn't long before we were looking for shady places. This is Greg and Mike enjoying a shady spot.
This is one of the first views of Tucson. The trail was fairly easy and worked its way along the the mountainside.	The temperature was still on the rise and Mike had drank most of his water. He and I were not used to the heat and it was beginning to affect our strength
Our goal in site we had renewed strength, but we still had a long way to go. From here it looks like we are nearing the same height as Finger Rock.	Here is the view of Tucson from our highest point. It was very hot, but a breeze had picked up. Mike and I were out of energy. It was just about here that we ran into a local. He said, "You aren't from around here are you?" He told us that when we got back down into the valley that we would think that we had entered "The Seventh Level of Hell". He was right!
This was the closest that we got to our goal. Greg hiked a little farther, but turned around. The temperatures at the bottom of the mountain were 102 degrees with no breeze! It was just like walking in an oven. I was not prepared for the heat and was lucky to make it to the car. I was sick from the heat. We did not encounter any rattlesnakes, scorpions or wild animals, but the heat almost did me in.	Things to remember for this hike Start your hike early The midday sun is a killer! Bring lots of water Be safe and bring more than you think you can drink! Plan ahead Tell people where your going and what time you expect to return Altitude Be aware! It's cooler at the top of the mountain Have Fun