Crested Saguaro Society

Crest Quest Reports

February 23 - 28, 2024 — Tucson and Points North

Report by Joe Orman

Sometimes when I look back on these crest-hunting trips, I'm amazed by how much ground I covered in such a short time ...

On this outing, I arrived at the desert late in the afternoon, with just enough daylight to find a campsite. I chose a private spot a bit off the main road, sheltered by mesquite trees, that I first camped at (checks notes) 27 years earlier! As I rushed to set up camp, I paused to admire the colors of the twilight sky:



A full moon rose in the east; its light would cast a pale glow over the desert all night long:



The light of my campfire also kept the night at bay:



The next morning I was back on the highway and on my way. I took a slight detour to check up on Bob and Pat's C748. It has crested out nicely but was a few hundred feet beyond a barb wire fence signed no trespassing, so I had to settle for a telephoto shot:

Bob and Pat's 2007 photo, when it was just starting to crest:
crestedsaguarosociety.org/crested/crpinal400/crest443.php


I decided to spend the day in and around Ironwood Forest National Monument. This was not a great spring for wildlowers, at least not yet, but for some inexplicable reason this one hillside was covered in Mexican gold poppies:



I'd been down this side road before, but until this time I hadn't noticed this arm crest just off the road:

crestedsaguarosociety.org/crested/crpima1300/crest1315.php


A bit farther down the road, I took an updated photo of this arm crest, which I'd first found in 2016. Since then, the top of the saguaro has folded over:

crestedsaguarosociety.org/crested/crpima800/crest830.php


I'd had someone's photo of this handsome top-crest saguaro in my files for years, but only knew the general location. On a couple of previous trips I hadn't been able to find it, but this time I was successful:

crestedsaguarosociety.org/crested/crpima1300/crest1316.php


As I hiked around the area, I found this rare triplet (shared-root) saguaro:



I also had a photo of this newly-cresting saguaro in my files, and was able to find it too:

crestedsaguarosociety.org/crested/crpima1300/crest1317.php


I moved on, taking several different back roads; one led my past this historic cemetery:



This top-crest I spotted from the road was a new discovery:

crestedsaguarosociety.org/crested/crpima1300/crest1318.php


At the most remote point in my drive, I came across this sobering sight — luckily my Jeep did not suffer the same fate!



I parked and did a hurried late-afternoon loop hike to check up on three of Bob and Pat's finds. I gave out a heavy sigh when I got to the location of this arm crest (C1338) and found it down and decaying:

Bob and Pat's 2009 photo:
crestedsaguarosociety.org/crested/crpima700/crest714.php


Same sad story for this nearby top crest (C1336):

Bob and Pat's 2009 photo:
crestedsaguarosociety.org/crested/crpima700/crest712.php


But I was gladdened to find another nearby top crest (C1335) still standing and healthy:

Bob and Pat's 2009 photo:
crestedsaguarosociety.org/crested/crpima700/crest711.php


Again I rushed to find a campsite in the dying light. I was up at sunrise the next morning to capture the cloud colors:

I'd certainly packed a lot into this trip, but never even noticed it at the time. The promise of another crest down the road always keeps me going — and keeps me energized!