On the Suburban-Wildland Interface: 136th Street Trail

136^th STREET EXPRESS TRAIL

Saddle Mountain (right horizon) seen from 136th St. Trail

People suck.  It seems this barb gets spit out by hikers more so than by any other category of humans. The misanthropic affront appears on t-shirts, stickers and hats, the wearers oblivious to the irony.

Tonto National Forest mountains on horizon

While I don’t presume to know what’s going on in the heads of hikers who hate people, I kind of understand why they feel that way.

Saguaros clutter at the base of Granite Mountain

 Trail overcrowding, trash, graffiti, suburban sprawl, noisy groups and the guy who overdosed on Bleu de Chanel cologne is enough to drive anyone over the edge.  While cathartic, an all-purpose vent is like a self-fulfilling prophesy.  Embrace negativity, and that’s what you’ll get.

Bee gathers pollen on a turpentine bush

While the world does host a fair number of certifiable boneheads, most people are alright. Take for instance the people who invented stuff like the wheel, light bulbs, life-saving medical procedures, and beer. Also, there are people who dedicate themselves to the land preservation, fundraising, grant writing, education, sustainability and trail building and maintenance-- causes that hikers rely on to get away from the perceived enemy.

Four Peaks seen from the trail

Hikers--all is not lost because the alright people take the high road and do the grunt work of fixing the malfeasance of the few. Want an example of a people-powered success story? Take a hike on the 136th Street Express Trail in Scottsdale’s McDowell Sonoran Preserve.

A cardinal serenades from a tree snag

Located on the eastern edge of the preserve’s north region, the easy trail marks the divide between pristine desert and a growing suburban footprint.  The permanently-protected large north Valley desert habitat has over 200 miles of non-motorized trails and is the result of grassroots (people)  efforts and the City of Scottsdale’s (people) recognition of the value of retaining open space for recreational purposes.

People will always need places to live, transportation, food, and water, and certainly the means to these ends can be contentious.

Antennae cluttered Mount Ord on left horizon

Until we can master a perfect society and negative-impact living, we compromise. A walk on the 136th Street Express Trail reveals how, in an imperfect world, that is done.

Desert hackberry trees thrive near washes

Running parallel to the hilly, paved course of 136^th Street, the singletrack dirt path debarks from the Granite Mountain Trailhead. Heading due north, the route passes among gorgeous specimens of yucca, cholla, desert shrubs and giant saguaros.
  The massive form of Granite Mountain stands to the west of the trail, its slopes spilling boulders and weathered stone chips into sandy washes that splay the terrain and feed green ribbons of water-loving desert hackberry, mesquite and palo verde trees.  

Mountain vistas emerge as the trail makes a barely-noticeable uphill crawl to its northern terminus near the border of Tonto National Forest. 

Skyline of the Superstition Wilderness area

Cholla frame mountain vistas on the trail

Across the rooftops of ranch homes and barns along 136^th Street, the distinctive silhouettes of Four Peaks, Saddle Mountain, Mount Ord and the iconic spire of Weavers Needle and the Flatiron stand out from their protected homes in the national forest and the Mazatzal, Four Peaks and Superstition Wilderness areas that were all designated by, you guessed it—people.

So, instead of wallowing in negativity and hiding behind a snarky t-shirt, how about trying a proactive approach. Maybe volunteer for a conservation organization.

Tom's Thumb (right horizon) in McDowell Mountains

Gloria Steinem summed it up best when she said,

“So do not allow anyone to take away your hope or your laughter. It is an imagination of the positive that is the first step toward creating it.”

Might make a great t-shirt. 

TO VOLUNTEER

McDowell Sonoran Conservancy

Education, Stewardship, Events, Trail Maintenance

https://www.mcdowellsonoran.org

 

Maricopa Trail

Trail Maintenance, Events

https://mctpf.org

 

Natural Restorations

Clean Up Events

http://www.naturalrestorations.org

 

Arizona Trail

Education, Stewardship, Events, Trail Maintenance

https://aztrail.org/events/

The trail crosses Old Paint Wash

  

LENGTH: 8.2 miles round trip (out-and-back hike)

RATING: easy-moderate

ELEVATION: 2,570 - 2,696 feet

GETTING THERE:

Granite Mountain Trailhead,

31402 N 136^th St., Scottsdale.

HOURS: generally sunrise to sunset daily

FACILITIES: restrooms, shade ramada, interpretive signs

INFO & MAPS:

City of Scottsdale

https://www.scottsdaleaz.gov/preserve