They didn’t see any bears, and weren’t eaten by any pumas. All the same, it was nine happy, but very tired UBRP and REU students who emerged from the Mt. Lemmon wilderness on the afternoon of Sunday, June 6, led by the ever-patient Carol Bender. Some had never done much hiking before this opportunity provided by the UBRP program.

These intrepid explorers braved the Butterfly Loop Trail starting early in the morning. Along the way, they saw ferns, Douglas fir, maple, aspen, oak, Ponderosa pine, and some impressive boulders. Cicadas provided background music with their persistent buzz. Some of these insects even tried to hitch a ride on passing UBRPers! A burn area from two years ago had regenerated impressively into a sea of ferns; only the “cat’s faces” (triangular blackened caves at the base of the trunk) left on the pines by the fire gave any hint of the destruction that had occurred. Areas hit by last year’s fires were more desolate, with trees struggling to keep their few remaining green branches alive. The trail ended at the scattered remains of a Korean War-era fighter plane. (In case anyone is curious, the pilot ejected safely). The air was so cool and pleasant that it seemed impossible that other people were experiencing hundred-degree heat down in Tucson.

The adventure continued with a stop in Summerhaven to visit the makeshift general store for cool drinks and tourist trinkets. All around, they could see evidence of the effort to rebuild the community, including a brand-new, nearly finished log-cabin style store. The trip was capped off with a ride on the Ski Valley chairlift. Everyone glided calmly over green grass instead of the smooth snow that would grace the slopes in the winter. The reward of the journey? Not a headlong slide back down the hill, but a scenic view of the entire Tucson area, with the horizons meeting the sky over fifty miles to the north and south.

Altogether, it was a satisfying temporary vacation from the city -- its crowds, heat, and pressures. You should come next time. And if you see a bear, remember, the best thing to do is play dead? Or maybe yell? Or sing? Or throw things? Or… Me…? I’ll be running in the other direction!!!!

Sadie Iverson, UBRPer in Dr. Raina Maier’s lab, Soil, Water, & Environmental Science