Karen and Cam had a phenomenal day despite a couple of early set-backs. We had intended to hike at the top of Mt. Lemmon. However, the summit was covered in 8 inches of snow. So, we drove to a little over 5,000 feet elevation for a short hike to Windy Point Vista.
From Windy Point Vista, we drove to the peak of the mountain (elevation 9,157 feet), enjoyed the view from the snowy parking lot near the town of Summerhaven, drove back down to 5,000 feet, left the car in the Gordon Hirabayashi parking lot, hiked the Soldier Canyon Trail straight down the mountain for 1.5 hours to 3,000 feet, then straight back up to 5,000 feet again for another 2 hours. Karen took special notice of the warning signs regarding mountain lions in the area – we didn’t see any feline threats, but we did find mountain lion tracks, and lots of coyote scat. We also had a nice history lesson from a friendly park ranger who arrived at the trail head just as we began our hike.
The Gordon Hirabayashi parking lot was once the location of the Federal Honor Camp which was an open prison from 1937-1973. It was primarily for prisoners convicted of Federal crimes ranging from immigration law violations to tax evasion to bank robbery. During WWII, many of the prisoners were conscientious objectors, such as Jehovah’s Witnesses and Hopi Indians who refused to serve in the military for religious reasons. Many of the prisoners were also Japanese Americans who, like 117,000 other Japanese Americans, were “relocated” after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Gordon Hirabayashi was a student at the University of Washington at the time. He challenged the constitutionality of the Japanese internment in court, and ultimately lost his case before the US Supreme Court. Because the Federal Attorney would not provide transportation to Arizona, Mr. Hirabayashi hitchhiked to Tucson, reported to the sheriff that he had arrived, then went to see a movie while the sheriff processed the paperwork. It would be 40 years before the US government would admit the error it had made in its treatment of the Japanese Americans.
Our evening concluded with wine and cheese on the back patio. Karen C. cooked a delicious dinner of steelhead trout, macaroni salad, and asian salad for dinner. We had more of Karen C.'s tres leches cake with fresh berries for dessert. Gary and Karen C. graciously listened as we recounted our adventures of the day. We are excited that they will be joining us tomorrow as we explore Sabino Canyon.
Windy Point Vista:
On top of Mount Lemmon:
The Soldier Canyon Trail:
Gary tells Hank to smile for the camera:
Sunset from Gary's and Karen C.'s back yard:
We drove 73 miles today.
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