Sabino Canyon, just north of Tucson, has offered welcome relief and recreation for local residents ever since humans first lived in the area. Escaping to the mountains and cool canyons during our most blisteringly hot days in the depths of summer made life much nicer. This was even more true back in the days before air conditioning!
A trek into the Catalina Mountains to get out of the city for the day might be just the ticket to fulfill one of your 100 Activities for this year's Summer Reading Program. If you take a look under "Explore," item #3 is "Go on a hike!" http://1.usa.gov/100-Activities
Pick up a field guide to Sabino, and find out about the animals, plants, geology and ecology of the canyon, or discover something about its history or the ancient people who also walked the stones and played in the streams: http://bit.ly/sabino-canyon
Who are the young women wearing gun holsters? They were part of a group of University of Arizona students who traveled to Sabino Canyon in 1914 by car. According to Julia R. Waite, their car broke down on the way back so they didn't arrive home until 3:00am. Image graciously provided by Lisa Waite Bunker from her family's photographs.
