AZT Day 6: Santa Rita Foothills

Daily Miles: 16.2, Total Miles: 85.10

I heard it before I smelled it. Something rustling around outside my tent at daybreak so I banged the side of my tent and yelled. Then the skunk stench came.

After Bear Spring, the trail followed an old aqueduct, a scheme to get water to the Kentucky Gold Camp mining area several miles away. Specifically, James Stetson, a California mining engineer, started this venture in 1902 and water was flowing in 1904. Tragically, James died from a fall out of a Tucson hotel window one day before a stockholder meeting in 1905.

Along the aqueduct, particularly great views of the backside of the Santa Rita range and Mt. Wrightson.

Chris hiked in from Kentucky Camp and we met at Tunnel Spring. We hiked to Kentucky Camp and afterwards took a nice break in comfortable chairs at a house restored by the USFS. In fact, they have a few small houses there for rent at $75/night.

Chris went home from there and I meanwhile continued on into the foothills of the Santa Ritas. I passed through a few present-day gold prospector camps. I talked to one miner who was restoring an old adit and producing some gold – he wouldn’t say how much.

My camp tonight has a nice view of the Santa Ritas being left behind and the Rincon Mountains ahead.