On the first day of 2019, I led Oracle State Park’s First Day hikes. The night before, it snowed between 4-6 inches, but the park was already busy by the time Alastair and I got to the Kannally Ranch House at 9:30am. I learned later from the park manager that attendance that day was a record for Oracle State Park!
Four other people joined us on the first hike – an easy mile and a half walk on Windy Ridge and Nature Loop trails. I’ve been a volunteer with the park for 16 years and I’ve never seen that much snow there. It was absolutely gorgeous! The only tracks on the trails before us were from deer, javelina or coyote.
Alastair, Joel, Jennifer and I left the others a short distance from the Kannally Ranch House, and, after shedding some layers, we headed out for a six mile hike along Manzanita Trail, the Arizona Trail, and returned on Wildlife Corridor.
Even though the temperature never got above 40F, it was mostly sunny all day and we felt quite comfortable.
The park has stunning views in all directions, with elevation from 3,700 to 4,600 feet. In this photo, Alastair and I are at the highest point of the Manzanita Trail, looking east toward the Galiuro Mountains, a northerly mountain range in the Madrean Sky Islands region of southeast Arizona.
I’ve known Joel for many years (we met swimming at a local YMCA), but I’d never met his wife Jennifer. I was delighted to learn that she used to be a park ranger in 2002 (the year before I started), and this was her first trip back since then.
We finished our day with celebratory beers at Tap & Bottle North. What a great way to start the New Year!