Romero Pools

Hike: Romero Pools
Location: Catalina State Park, Oro Valley AZ
Fee: $6 for a day pass (per car)
Distance/Time: 7 miles/3 hours
1000 ft of elevation gain
Conditions: 36C (97F) @ 4pm to 25C (80F) @ 7pm, sunset at 6pm
Equipment: Black Diamond LED headlamp, Camelbak (2 liters), Garmin GPS-III (shown here in my right hand)

Here is the track recorded by my Garmin GPS-III:

Trail is initially sandy and flat
Looking to the left, seems quite verdant for southern Arizona
Climbing a little, looking back down towards the entrance
Trail gets a bit rocky towards the top of the first ridge
Higher still, peeking back through a gap
Looking up towards the second ridge
Past the ridge, there is shade from the near 100 degree fahrenheit heat
After the creek, I followed it up for about 10 minutes. Given the extension of summer into October, perhaps this is why I find no pools.
On the way back, it's after 6pm and the sun has already disappeared below the horizon.

Put the LED headlamp on. Switch on the backlighting for the GPS screen. Keep an eye on the track already recorded by the GPS on the way up to verify sure we're still on route.

Nearing 7 o'clock, it almost completely dark now, deep reds and just 15 minutes to go.