On February 23 Linda dropped me off at the Bull Pasture Trail below Mount Ajo along the Ajo Mountain Drive in the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument. I hiked and scrambled up Mount Ajo, the high point of the Ajo Mountains. This is a volcanic range with many cliffs and rock outcrops and the hiking high on the route reminded me of Misery Ridge at Smith Rock, Oregon. Mount Ajo is another Arizona peak with at least 2000 feet of prominence and I spotted several other such Arizona prominence peaks and Mexican peaks from the summit.
Organ Pipe Cactus and Mount Ajo from the Bull Pasture Trail
I followed the Bull Pasture Trail for the first 1.5 miles, then followed a well-worn climbers trail the rest of the way to the summit. The hiking elevations are only 2400 – 4800 feet and the sky was clear with lots of sunshine but it was a cooler day than recent ones and there was a breeze on the ridges which helped make the day quite pleasant for hiking.
