Tucson Lightning

Tucson Monsoons

Night Hiking in Tucson, Arizona

Image Above: Midnight in the Catalina Mountains
Night hikes feel like odysseys through a parallel universe. The familiar elements of the day are replaced by strange counterparts. The sun is replaced by a ghostly reflection, and the songs of birds are replaced by the eerily similar chirping of bats. The outlines of plants and stones, cloaked in a veil of darkness, appear suddenly and unexpectedly. And it is all wonderful!


Here in Tucson, the summer is really starting to heat up, and hiking during the day can be nearly unbearable. Night hiking is the brilliant solution to this problem. The weather is much cooler, you have the trails to yourself, and you can explore the brilliant nightscapes of your familiar daytime hikes.


Night Hiking Tips

• Go when the moon is close to full. Once my eyes adjusted, I found that the moon provided enough light to hike. Check this site for moon rise/set times and lunar luminosity (fullness).
  
• Bring two lights. The moon does not always provide enough light, particularly if the terrain is rocky or the weather is overcast. Bring two! I had a flashlight break in the middle of a Hawaiian lava field. With no back up, I was stuck trying to get back with nothing but my phone for light. Needless to say this is a major pain.
• Bring a GPS unit or a compass or both. It is much easier to get lost in the dark. Landmarks are difficult to spot, and it is much easier to accidentally get off the trail.
• Bring Water. It may be cooler, but you still need to drink.
• If you plan on taking pictures, you will need a tripod and a remote shutter release cable. Both the images above were taken using 20+ second exposures.

Moonset at Kitt Peak

Sunrise at Tucson Mountain Park

The Pipevine Swallowtail Caterpillar

This Pipevine Swallowtail caterpillar is a fascinating creature. It eats only Pipevine plants and is often found (as pictured above) wondering through dirt and death to find pipevines.

A couple of weeks ago, I posted a picture of this Pipevine caterpillar along with other photographs of Catalina State Park, but I had no idea what kind of caterpillar it was. I'm really glad I took the time to identify it. It was trekking through the Tucson heat, through the desert, and through a maze of dead branches searching for its only source of food. It is a fitting metaphor for perseverance. Be like the Pipevine Swallowtail Caterpillar, my friends.

One quick note about this particular caterpillar, most Pipevine Swallowtail caterpillars are black with orange/red spots, but here, in Tucson, they seem to show up in this bright red/orange variation.



Resources

• For an interesting read on one person's experience with these strange caterpillars, head over to the North American Butterfly Association.
• For technical facts and details of this caterpillar and the adult Pipevine Swallowtail butterfly, take a look at BugGuide.

The Catalina Mountains at Sunset

Waiting in my car, battling off mosquitoes, I happened to witnessed a moment of beauty as I watched the dying light: