On our way back down Old Baldy trail, we take a last look at Mt. Wrightson.

Here's a 360 view from the top....

Looking northwest to Green Valley, behind which the Duvall copper mine sits. The blue water you see is their leaching pond.

Last hike of the year in this territory....we hiked
to the top of Mt. Wrightson, the tallest peak
in Southern AZ....9,453 ft. We are looking
at Mt. Hopkins, where Whipple Observatory sits.

On April 5, Darrell & I did a hike with 4 other people from our hiking club. We rate our hikes from D as the easiest, A as the hardest. This was rated as A++. 13 miles and 4,000 feet of elevation gain (all rocky steps). The trailhead is in the Ventana Canyon resort and hotel. The hike is called the Window. We did it!

We approach the window from below. Hard to see, it is a round spot of blue sky at the base of the jagged cliffs.

Upon arriving at the window, we found a geo-cache...you find the coordinates on your gps, and hunt for treasures...this was one of them.

It was hard to get a full picture of the window, as it is up on a rock formation...step back too far, and ....

Our hike leader Tom, and Melinda savor the moment standing under the arch of the window.