AZT Day 7: Between Sky Islands (Again)

Daily Miles: 19.6, Total Miles: 104.7

I enjoyed the Santa Rita backdrop from my tent. It was warmer this morning so got an earlier start.

Lots of ups and downs in the Santa Rita foothills today. Passed by an exploration drill rig on a ridge above me, the site of the proposed Rosemont copper mine. Rosemont is owned by Agusta Resources, a Canadian company, and is going through the long permitting process. The parent company is also exploring for silver south of Patagonia. Very controversial and in the news quite a bit in southern Arizona.

I picked up a water cache on FR231 and continued north. No hikers seen today but did run into a pair of horseback riders. The Rincon Mountains are now coming into full view.

I had planned to camp at Twin Ponds but there was a helicopter ferrying equipment from near the ponds, a very noisy place so I trudged on for another three miles.

While I was eating dinner, an owl flew into a nearby ocotillo, getting ready for the night’s hunt. He took off, flapped his wings once and flew low over my head.