Trying more new trails in the Tucson Mountains...

Shari and I headed out to a new spot for us in the Tucson Mountains, which was supposed to be a little more flat than other trails in that area. Shari had just completed the Vineman (half Ironman) last Sunday (which was super hilly), so she was being smart and giving her body time to recover (no hills, she said!) Congratulations, Shari! On the right is her shirt showing off the insane mileage (1.2 swim, 56 bike, 13.1 run) she completed.

We started out at the Cam-Boh picnic area in the Tucson Mountains (take Ina Rd. west to Wade Rd. Go left on Wade Rd. which turns into Picture Rocks Rd. Go about 3 miles to the Cam-Boh picnic area and park there). The Roadrunner trail was first, which looped into the Panther Peak Wash trail. We did lose the Panther Peak Wash trail once, and wandered around for a bit before we realized our error. We kept going and hit the Cam-Boh trail. Rather than complete the loop on the Cam-Boh trail back to the Cam-Boh picnic area, we went the other way towards Ringtail trail. Unfortunately, it started to get a little hilly, but not too bad. We took the Ringtail trail to Picture Rocks Wash trail which connected to the Ironwood trail and then back to the Cam-Boh trail (another loop). It was super pretty through there, and we ended up seeing a horned toad (horny toad to some, although technically, it is a horned lizard, not a toad). They are pretty wild looking.
We headed back on the Cam-Boh trail and called it a day. Not the super easy trail I had planned for Shari (lots of super-deep sandy wash running and rocky trails, with some hills thrown in near the end) but we had fun. The cactus and spiny bushes were hanging over the trail a lot, so we ended up with quite a few scratches on our arms and legs. I actually have a bunch of small bruises from the cactus needles. The picture on the left is the wash trail we got lost on (yes, we actually plowed through all that mess before we realized, hey, we've lost the trail!)

I met a lot of people from the Tucson Trail Runners this evening - Joyce, Donna (although I had met her once before) Pam, Ross, Chase, Peter, Paul, Joe, Bruce and a few others. They had their annual potluck to discuss their trail running calendar for the next year. They plan various runs from September through end of May and different people volunteer to be race directors. There is no charge for the runs - the race director just 'oversees' the runs to make sure everyone gets accounted for and back safely (oh, and they have to bring drinks and snacks!) The calendar is pretty intense; although I won't be joining them on all of their runs (some of them are quite advanced), I'll be getting my feet wet on some more technical and steep trails in Tucson and the surrounding areas. I was invited to go, although it is open to anyone, by Bob Bachani, who cheered the runners on at the Zane Grey race. He said if I could do ZG, I could do the TTR runs. Okay, then! I was nervous because I didn't know anyone, but I know I have to start somewhere. They were all super friendly. Just in case, I made my super secret chocolate cookies that always win over a crowd. It worked. :) I'm in.