Date: July 12, 2024 • Elevation: 7,267 feet • Prominence: 329 feet • Distance: 7.2 miles • Time: 3 hours, 45 minutes • Gain: 1,860 feet (gross) • Conditions: Sunny, warm, hot toward the end

Arizona • Main • PB • LoJ

This peak rises east of Green Mountain in the Santa Catalina Mountains north of Tucson. It gets called Guthrie Mountain but it is not marked as such on any maps. Instead, another peak about three miles to the southeast is identified as Guthrie Mtn (as printed on the map). Apparently, it got mismarked on a forest-service trail map about thirty years ago and the name stuck. So there's the official Guthrie Mountain, and then this peak, the de-facto Guthrie Mountain.

I was here a couple weeks ago climbing some peaks by Summerhaven. I knew about this peak and saved it for a later trip. A trail goes all the way to its summit, and there are two trailhead options, a higher one by Green Mountain, and a lower one near the Hitchcock Campground. Looking at peaks this past week, I wanted something all or mostly trail, and high in elevation so it would not be so hot.

I was also aware of the weather patterns. The big heat dome that's been baking the western United States the past week has driven the temperatures up, and suppressed the monsoon in the deserts. But they were forecasting a more active storm pattern for the weekend. I had to weigh my options — sunny, cloudless and warm-to-hot conditions, or cooler temperatures with probable storms and lightning. I chose to go with the former. Also, today being Friday, it would not be as crowded as it would over the weekend.

I left Bisbee at 4 a.m., passed through Benson about 5 a.m. as the sun was rising, got to Tucson and exited onto Houghton Road, following it north to Catalina Highway which morphs into the Mount Lemmon Highway. For now, traffic was light. I was going to drive to the upper trailhead near Green Mountain, about 17 miles in going by milepost signs.

At the Windy Point overlook (about milepost 14), I pulled in to use its bathrooms. On the door was a paper taped to it, about a lost puppy with a photo. And believe it or not, there it was, the dog, standing right there about ten feet in front of me. It was so skittish that at any movement, it would run. A couple of women nearby helped, one even setting out some water in a bowl for it. Then things got weird.

There were two phone numbers on the paper, so I called both and left messages, plus texted each, figuring they'd be joyed to know someone's seen their dog. One guy texts me right back not to text him again, he doesn't own a dog, and to remove his number from the paper. Okay, so I scratched out his number from the sheet. No one ever responded from the other number.

I stuck around for about twenty minutes, trying to do the right thing. The little dog, probably a Jack Russell, simply would not stay still. He'd creep up. I'd squat down, call it by its name and it would run. Another couple showed up and they agreed they'd contact the ranger station up ahead and let them know about the dog. I eventually gave up trying to catch the dog, and went on my way. There's more on this later.

I drove the last few miles to the Upper Green Mountain Trailhead, as it's called. I was the only one here, the time now about 6:45 a.m.. The sun was up but I was in shade, the outside temperature in the low 70s. It was not cold at all. It "smelled" warm. Today was probably going to be a hot one, and as it turned out, that's exactly what happened. Even this high (7,000 feet), temperatures could be in the 80s and 90s.

The trail from this upper Green Mountain Trail gains up to a saddle, then drops a couple hundred feet down the backside, now etched into the steep north-facing cliffs. I was in the sun here, and it was warm. Not so bad to stop me, but it was noticeable. The trail was in good shape, some deadfall to get around in a couple spots. According to the map, the route hugs these cliffy slopes, then goes around a ridge before turning back and gaining a high saddle (Bear Saddle) west of Green Mountain and northwest of Guthrie Mountain. In studying this beforehand, it looked to be a 6-mile hike, but only about a thousand feet of total elevation gain and loss.

The trail started to drop ... a lot, making many switchbacks. I started to think I missed a turn or junction somewhere. Or maybe it's supposed to do this. I wasn't sure. The trail printed on the forest service map was just a general indicator of its location, which wasn't helpful. I had hiked in a mile to this point, and decided to bail. I'd return to my car and hike the peak from its southern trailhead. On the way out, I looked around for a possible junction I missed, but I didn't see anything. I probably just bailed too soon, but I wasn't eager to waste more time either. The hike out did not take long and I had been gone about an hour.

I drove down the highway about 6 miles and parked at the Lower Green Mountain/Bug Springs Trailhead. I was already dressed and ready, so I locked the car and started walking. It was 8:15 a.m. now, warm but comfortable, in the mid 70s. I was looking at 2.5 miles to Bear Saddle, then another mile to the peak. Down this low, I had more trees and shade, which helped mitigate the warmth.

I covered 0.7 miles (said a sign) to where the trail passes the Hitchcock Campground. Afterwards, it starts to gain steadily, segments of the trail augmented by railroad ties to form steps and guard against erosion. I met a few hikers coming down, and one guy passed me as I was going up.

The trail was always easy to follow, but it tended to gain and drop an awful lot, adding work to the effort. Higher up, there are interesting rock formations hidden in the forest. The forest itself ranged between tall ponderosa to lower juniper and scrub oak woodlands. In the shade, it was pleasant. In the sun, I could feel the warmth.

In about an hour or so, I had covered the distance to Bear Saddle. There is a sign here for the Guthrie Mountain Trail. This trail was a little narrower but easy to follow. Brush would grow across it in places, hiding it. But I always found it after some educated guessing.

I was lagging already. The earlier hike had added two miles to my day already, and it was warm. I was moving slower than normal, and I think I was slightly dehydrated. The trail hiking was easy so I did not have to waste time or energy bashing through crud. The trail gained up a subsummit marked 7134 on the map. This peak is topped by a tall (30-foot) rock spire. I stayed on the trail, which bypasses the top, then drops about 160 feet to a saddle. It was only at this sub-peak that I had my first views of Guthrie Mountain today.

I dropped to the saddle, then steeply up the open slopes toward the top. That guy who passed me earlier was now coming down. About halfway up, the trail meets about a 20-foot sloping rock face. I was able to get up it by walking, but I had to lean in. Once beyond that, there was about another fifty feet of elevation to gain, and I was soon on top.

The summit features an interesting tree that was burned years ago. It is standing and it appears as though some huge chunk was bitten out of its middle. I've seen photos of this same tree from years ago, so the darn thing still stands after all these years. It may still be alive. The actual highpoint is a few feet farther, a couple rock outcrops amid light brush. It had taken me exactly 2 hours to get here. I signed into the register, but did not linger. I don't think I was dehydrated by now. I knew I was, and I was a little concerned. I started right back down.

The outbound hike was a chore. The downhills were no problem but any uphill seemed like a thousand feet. And it was very warm now, pushing 90°. I had about 40 ounces of liquids on me (a little over a liter). This would usually be enough, but add in the warmth and the extra up and down, and I knew I'd be cutting it close.

I hiked down and down until I came to one uphill I knew was ahead of me. I stopped here in the shade and drank, then just pushed uphill, then more downhill. I was moving fairly quickly, despite my discomfort. The faster I was out, the better. I rationed my liquids so that I still had 10 ounces remaining when I got to the Hitchcock Campground. I drank the rest there, then just willed myself back to my car, the hike out taking an hour and forty minutes. I was thrashed.

I had some more liquids in my car, which I had stashed under a fleece blanket. Despite the ambient heat, these were pleasantly cold, and I drank one 20-ounce bottle in one long gulp. This helped a lot. I was physically exhausted. I sat there in a heap. It took me ten minutes to change out of my hiking clothes. It was past noon now, and my car's temperature gauge read 91°.

I cut this a little too close for comfort. I seem to do this about once a year. I simply underestimated the combined effect of the heat, extra gain from the ups and downs, and the distance. Had it been ten degrees cooler, this would have been no problem. I was relieved to be out. That downhill hike was extremely unpleasant. Dehydration is awful and I wouldn't wish it on anyone.

Had I not been delayed with the dog, and had I started my hike at the lower trailhead at just after 6 a.m., then none of this would have happened, or would have been greatly mitigated. As it was, I started the hike almost three hours later than intended, wasting the valuable early-morning coolness which is critical this time of year. Sometimes things don't go as planned.

The drive down went well. I got in behind some slowpoke who wouldn't pull into the pullouts as they're supposed to. One time she signalled she was going to, so I started to pass, then she steered quickly back into the main lane, forcing me to brake hard. This went on a few miles until she pulled aside and yelled at me. Probably a drunk. I do not like drunks, not one bit.

I stopped at a Chevron down below and stocked up on more drinks. I could barely move. My body had shut down. I got gas and relaxed for a few minutes in the shade to drink some more. I headed back to Bisbee, but stopped in Sierra Vista for groceries. It took me a number of hours and lot of liquid to feel like I wasn't so dehydrated any more. I have definitely learned my lesson, until the next time I leave my brain at home.

The hike, the peak and the scenery was lovely. Take out all my self-inflicted discomfort, and it was a very pretty hike. But yeah, maybe not when it's so hot. I could see being here in Fall or Spring. In fact, there is another ranked peak nearby that I had a map for, so I'll come back in a few months and actually enjoy myself.

Oh yeah, the dog. As I was driving down, I stopped at Windy Point and saw a guy in brown khakis so I assumed he was with the forest service, but he was just a regular guy in brown khakis. I mentioned the dog and he was aware, said it's been up here a few days now. No one can catch it. People leave water and treats for it. When I got home, I thought I'd be a good citizen and looked up Animal Control, or the Humane Society, and all I got were voicemail boxes. Given the number of people who have seen this dog, I hope someone is able to catch it. But I don't understand why the people whose numbers were on the flyer wanted no contact, or have not replied. It's very odd.