When I heard the name of this tribe, Sky Islands, it made me think of a special trip up the Rincons almost 20 years ago.
We had hiked well into the night during snow season. The rangers weren't even up at Manning because the snow was too deep for horses---but we were going to get up to Manning all the same.
In the morning we got up, walked to the nearby ridgeline just a few miles short of Manning (along the Speedway trail) and were surprised to see a blanket of clouds below us. In the distance, Rincon Peak protruded from the clouds like Mount Olympous. It was one of the most beautiful sights I have even seen. We just sat there on that ridgeline drinking fresh cowboy coffee and watching the snene below. Down on the flatlands it was cloudy and gloomy. Up there at 7500' it was bright and sunny like a morning after a fresh snow. What a sight.
We had hiked well into the night during snow season. The rangers weren't even up at Manning because the snow was too deep for horses---but we were going to get up to Manning all the same.
In the morning we got up, walked to the nearby ridgeline just a few miles short of Manning (along the Speedway trail) and were surprised to see a blanket of clouds below us. In the distance, Rincon Peak protruded from the clouds like Mount Olympous. It was one of the most beautiful sights I have even seen. We just sat there on that ridgeline drinking fresh cowboy coffee and watching the snene below. Down on the flatlands it was cloudy and gloomy. Up there at 7500' it was bright and sunny like a morning after a fresh snow. What a sight.
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Re: What an appropriate name for the tribe
Mon, October 4, 2004 - 1:29 PMI've had similar experiences, on Mt. Bigelow, Mt. Lemmon, and Mt. Wrightson...
it is awesome and rare to be above an inversion cloud blanket like that. I did see that once in summer: the monsoon was so strong, and the rain so heavy, that the clouds hung low like fog, instead of the usual high altitude fluffy ones... -
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Re: What an appropriate name for the tribe
Mon, October 4, 2004 - 1:40 PMIt was a beautiful sight. Had we gone up the Turkey creek trail like we had originally intended to do, we would have missed the effect of seeing Rincon Peak sticking out like that. The rest of the scene was pretty too, but the way that the peak jutted up out of the clouds was like ValHala.
When people talk about spending Sunday in Church, I say I prefer to spend it somewhere that I can truly see God's work. -
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Re: What an appropriate name for the tribe
Mon, October 4, 2004 - 2:30 PMIt is cool up around Mica Mtn & Rincon Peak, how the rock formations are so steep and rugged...
from the valley, the Rincons look sort of featureless and more like smooth ridges, and a knob on top.
I still have scars on my legs from bushwhackin' through manzanita bushes... we lost the trail many times, cuz the gravelly ground had no ground cover or topsoil to reveal the path. hehe! -
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Re: What an appropriate name for the tribe
Mon, October 4, 2004 - 2:53 PMThe first time we climbed the peak, we didn't know about the trail, so we just went up the south ridge. Had to smash our way through a couple of miles of ironwood. Then when we get to the top, feeling like we'd conquored Everest, we find some day-packers at the top looking like tourists.
Going down was even more horrific. It was monsoon season so a lot of the waterfalls were running. Scenic, but slippery.
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