HIKING CLUB PLACE NAMES

There are numerous locations in the Hiking Club’s areas of interest that are not identified on topographic maps. As a result, the hiking club has assigned names to these locations so they can be used as reference points when discussing these areas. Also, a few of these locations have been named in honor of Hiking Club Members. Some of these place names and their locations are listed below.

· AMIGO BASIN – Amigo basin is the hiking club’s name for the portion of Bartolo Canyon that is included in a club hike. It is accessed from Ruby Road and is located north of Frog and Bolsa Tanks and south of Bartolo Mountain. It was named by Bud Boysen

· ANDY’S OVERLOOK - Andy’s Overlook is located on a saddle on the Florida Trail about 2 miles from the Florida Work Station. Andy’s Overlook was named for Andy Juhasz and is the destination point for the Hiking Club hike titled “Florida Trail to Andy’s Overlook. Refer to the Hall of Fame area of the Hiking Club Home Page for a biographical sketch of Andy. The Florida Trail is currently in a closed area as a result of the 2005 Florida Fire.

· EL GRANDE PILAR - This is a large Rock Column in the up stream portion of Ramanote Canyon in the Atascosa Mountains. It is identified on the Geodetic Survey Pena Blanca Lake Quadrangle Map by the 4761-foot elevation marker on the western portion of the map. El Grande Pilar should not be confused with El Pilar which is located in the Santa Rita Mountains

• ERNIE’S BENCH – Ernie’s Bench is a stone retaining wall located on the west side of the Old Baldy Trail about a third of the way between the Roundup Trailhead and Josephine Saddle. Wally Morrell named the bench as a memorial to Ernie Wicki. Ernie was born in Stein, a small village in Switzerland.  He took up hiking and skiing at an early age.  He and his wife moved to Green Valley in October of 1986 and immediately joined the hiking club. Not only was he an avid hiker, but also participated with the entertainment at hiking club potlucks with his accordion and yodeling.  Many times when we were taking a break on a hike he would yodel for the group.  He was also an accomplished pastry chef and many times brought desserts to be enjoyed.  He was a major contributor to the hiking club.  He hiked with the club until his death in 1993.

· FIRST CAMPGROUND (CAMPING SPOT), OLD BALDY TRAIL - The First Campground is a relatively level area on the Old Baldy Trail above Josephine Saddle at the point where the Super Trail separates from the Baldy Trail. Wally Morrell named the location.

· HIDDEN RIDGE – Hidden Ridge is part of a ridgeline that extends down the slope of Mt. Wrightson in a northwesterly direction. It intersects the Old Baldy Trail about 6 minutes above the Second Camping Spot at a point where a large pyramid shaped rock is located on the left side of the trail. Fire crews working the Florida Fire in July 2005 cut a firebreak down most of Hidden Ridge.

· JILL MOUNTAIN – Jill Mountain is the first hill to the west of Josephine Saddle (the high point between Josephine Saddle and Jack Mountain. Named by Wally Morrell with the rationale that if you have a Jack Mountain, you have to have a Jill Mountain.

· LUND’S PEAK – Lund’s Peak is the second highest un-named peak (6224 feet) of the Santa Rita Mountains north of the Box Canyon Road. It is located just north of Forest Road 4053. It is represented on the Geodetic Survey Helvetia Quadrangle Map by the 6224-foot elevation marker located north of Sycamore Canyon and north of the Box Canyon Road. The peak is named for Bob Lund. Refer to the Hall of Fame area of the Hiking Club Home Page for a biographical sketch of Bob.

· OLD BALDY HELICOPTER PAD – The Helicopter Pad is a relatively flat area on the Old Baldy Trail approximately two thirds of the way between the Roundup Trailhead and Josephine Saddle.

· PEGGY’S POOL - Peggy’s Pool is located on the Wilderness of Rocks Trail in the Catalina Mountains. When going west from Marshall Saddle on the Wilderness of Rocks Trail, the pool is located at the seventh wash crossing. The pool is named for Peggy Smith who managed to practically completely immerse herself there during a hot hike on 17 August 2002. This area also has special significance since at this location on that date, Ron Barry agreed to become the Assistant Hike-master under Dick Paige and Peggy Smith agreed to be Ron’s Assistant the following year.

· SECOND CAMPGROUND (CAMPING SPOT), OLD BALDY TRAIL – The Second Campground is the next relatively level spot on the Old Baldy Trail above the First Campground. The Baldy Trail makes a 90-degree turn at this point. Wally Morrell named the location.

· TISH’S SADDLE – Tish’s Saddle is the first saddle to the west of Jack Mountain on the Agua Caliente Trail. The saddle was named for Fred Tschirley who hiked with the club in the 1990s.

· TRACY’S PEAK – Tracy’s Peak is the highest un-named peak of the Santa Rita Mountains north of the Box Canyon Road. It is located just north of Forest Road 4053. It is represented on the Geodetic Survey Helvetia Quadrangle Map by the 6290-foot elevation marker located north of Sycamore Canyon and west of Wasp Canyon. The peak was named for Tracy Ackerman.

· WALLY’S SADDLE - Wally’s Saddle is located on the Agua Caliente Trail. It is the third saddle to the west of Jack Mountain. Wally’s Saddle is named after Wally Morrell. Refer to the Hall of Fame area of the Hiking Club Home Page for a biographical sketch of Wally.