Tucson counselor Peter Woods spent a year hiking the entirety of the Chuck Huckelberry Loop.
I was not seeking answers to deep mysteries or a path for even a smidgen of personal growth. I was searching only for a short morning stroll along The Loop river path. I began my hike at North Country Club Road and the Rillito River, walked 3 miles west to First Avenue, turned around and retraced my steps back to the starting point.
Later, considering how much I enjoyed the hike, I decided to do the same thing the following week. This time, I started by heading west from the previous week’s turnaround point on First Avenue.
So began a one-year-to-the-day pilgrimage of hiking around what is officially known as the Chuck Huckelberry Loop.
The total distance of the path I traveled covers nearly 54 miles. Additional connected trails and those with hard and soft trails on each side of the riverbed bring the total completed to 131 miles.
The Loop I walked looks like a squiggly circle that takes a bicyclist, runner, hiker, skater or equestrian alongside the beds of the Rillito and Santa Cruz rivers, Julian and Pantano washes and the Harrison Road Greenways. My one-year hike, which began May 28, 2018, totaled over 165 miles in part because I would park, hike, and return to where I started that day.
Along the way I took to heart Yogi Berra’s sage advice, “When you come to a fork in the road, take it.” So, when an interesting off-trail attraction appeared, off I went, packing on more miles. The Loop’s many fascinating nearby sights beg to be explored: the entire downtown area on both sides of the Santa Cruz, a variety of community gardens, two labyrinths, many parks, Sweetwater wetlands, “A” Mountain, Rattlesnake Bridge and two disc golf courses. And so many more.
Sticking to the Loop itself offers plenty of opportunities for discovery including an amazing amount of imaginative artwork. Near the Campbell Bridge, south of River Road, a metal sculpture titled “Batty Biker” is artist Stephen Fairfield’s creative representation of the “bug fighting jets” that roost under bridges on The Loop. It’s one of three along The Loop.
The Mexican free-tailed bats can fly up to 60 miles an hour, explains nearby signage. Like jets, they navigate and find prey using their internal radar.
This thoughtful intertwining of nature, art and education was one of many bonuses for me and anyone who takes the time to examine all The Loop has to offer.
A few lessons from the loop
- Beautiful and breathtaking does not mean perfect and without challenges.
Rainbows are created by light and water. To glimpse a rainbow, one must tolerate some rain. Hiking The Loop was truly a meaningful and wonderful experience, but it came with its share of discomfort and difficulty.
For example, my car was broken into and my wallet was stolen from a loop parking lot.
Another day I fell and incurred a significant gash on my arm while attempting to climb a portion of “A” Mountain. The good news is that I protected my phone in the free fall, and was later able to snag a great photo.
Another time I nearly passed out from the heat while hiking way too late on a very hot summer day. My fellow travelers had the good sense to be off the trail and safely ensconced somewhere cooler.
Still, I made it home more or less in one piece. Undeterred, I returned to the call of The Loop much earlier in the day in the weeks that followed.
The water ways, while truly spectacular, also have debris and trash in many places. Among some discarded shopping carts, I came across an unusable, beat-up printer the size of a small refrigerator in the Julian Wash.
The Loop contains much beauty, as well as some potential perils. A traveler should be prepared. To this end, keep any valuables with you, take plenty of food, water, weather appropriate clothing and sunscreen. Also, let others know where you are going and when you expect to return.
- Revelations may happen in an instant, but often arrive slowly.
The Loop, slowly and on its own time, revealed itself as I continued my sojourn. I realized that many people contributed significant amounts of their time, energy and talent to the design and formation of The Loop.
The layout of the path itself, the attempts to mostly keep The Loop travelers safely separated from cars, the artwork and informational signs were all carefully considered. It is obvious that the interplay between The Loop and the rugged, beautiful desert was lovingly woven together.
I met several cyclists on the trail who told me their primary reason for moving to Tucson was The Loop.
Another revelation occurred when I began hiking along the various washes. Though I have hiked in all of Tucson’s surrounding mountains, I have felt most deeply drawn to the Santa Catalina Mountains. I have watched as monsoon lightning storms illuminate their tall and majestic peaks.
I have hiked trails through the ponderosa pines and looked down on Tucson from mountain ledges. The Catalinas have offered me a sense of being grounded in time and space.
As I continued on my pilgrimage, I began to appreciate the presence and power of all the mountains surrounding the Old Pueblo. The Catalina, Tucson, Santa Rita and Rincon mountains are each unique in shape, height and texture. They look different depending on one’s vantage point. Yet each in its own way is deeply compelling. I realized that the sense of being on terra firma is available in each of Tucson’s surrounding mountain ranges if one can remain open to it. We truly live in an incredible place.
I began to feel as if this city where I have lived most of my life was re-introducing herself to me. I was falling in love all over again with the town and desert I had long known to be my true home.
Readers, you may want to make hiking or cycling The Loop your pilgrimage, too. The next four weeks in Caliente I’ll highlight spots I found particularly interesting and provide a basic guide.
If The Loop and nature are not what move you, I hope you consider designing your own pilgrimage. Learn more about cooking, movies, yoga, music, meditation, art, read on new topics, or learn a different language — the possibilities are endless.
I send all you pilgrims best wishes as you move from the familiar safe harbor into the beautiful mystery.
