The Window

It's a short drive from our home in Tucson to Ventana Canyon Trailhead. I climbed this trail on my first visit to Tucson in March of '07. Although eighteen years have passed, my recollection of that trip is fresh and lucid. Life altering experiences tend to do that.

While Linda is less impressed, I feel I am making excellent progress in my workaholic recovery, spending 15-20 days annually in this desert playground. Eighty percent of those days you will find me hiking in the mountains. Every season, Ventana Canyon is a must do.

Ventana is Spanish for “Window”. In nature's whimsy, she placed a 15' X 25' opening in an otherwise solid rock spire. Resting inside this natural wonder while surveying the panoramic beauty of the desert below is what brings me back.       

The trail follows a creek bed for the first one and a half miles before traversing up the canyon slopes for another four miles to a saddle. At this point, you will have gained 4,000' of elevation. The last mile and a half to the window is relatively flat as you only gain another 300'.

One of the most striking features of mountain hikes in southern AZ is how you move through different environments as you gain elevation. A trail may start in a Saguaro Forest, transition to a savannah grassland, then enter a deciduous/riparian ecosystem, only to reach a coniferous biome at the summit. 

This vertical layering of environments is unique to the Sonoran Desert and is referred to as a "Sky Island." Typically, the climate change that occurs every 900' of elevation is sufficient to create a shift in the dominant species. Observing this in real time begets appreciation for the impact of subtle differences in temperature and rainfall.

You may think of me as a farmer first. Most days I would agree. But the more time I spend interacting with nature, the more I question which is my true passion.

Luckily, these interests are not mutually exclusive. I can have my fields and forests too. 

Jim