A Nightime Hike Is All In A Day's Work. By Kevin Franklin A FOUL SEASON is summer for outdoor activities. But with each sunset the battering wavelengths still and the Earth cools--a bit. And when the moon rises, we have a gentle foster sun. Dusk is the time to head outdoors, as any natural desert creature would tell you. So as the sun lowers in the sky, we load our packs and head up First Avenue to the Pima Canyon trailhead. Close enough for a casual evening stroll, Pima Canyon offers a nice, brief jaunt into semi-wilderness. The entrance to Pima Canyon is on Pima County land. An official trailhead was developed there in an effort to bring some order to the parking chaos that formerly occurred. Moonlight hikers need to purchase a $10 permit in order to legally leave their cars at the trailhead after the gate closes at 9 p.m. After that hour cars can still leave by crossing the tire hazard barrier, but they cannot enter or return. The new management has clamped down on the routine tailgate parties that once plagued this area. I'm all for teens having a good time, but the border between forest and city is becoming more abrupt here every day. Something had to give. The current rules seem to make a reasonable compromise in protecting the resource and appeasing the neighbors, while still allowing legitimate users of the area access--something of a rarity in land management. We park the truck and head out toward the canyon. The lower stretches of Pima Canyon are wide, if a bit rocky, and afford easy navigation by moonlight. Aside from an entwined couple we step over in the first hundred yards, we pretty much have the trail to ourselves. We stop at the top of a knoll to look out over the lights of Tucson. We make a game of trying to figure out which rows of lights are which streets. Being somewhat disoriented, it takes a few minutes to realize the vast dark patch we see is not Davis-Monthan AFB, but instead A-Mountain. Now so many houses run up the sides of the Tucson Mountains that at night, with long-distance and our three-dimensional perception thrown off, A-Mountain appears to be in the middle of town. The perception between sharp and soft also blurs at night. While the trail is easy to follow, the dangerous shapes of cholla cactus blend with a background of harmless jojoba. Night is also the time for desert creatures to get their day's work in. Scorpions, giant centipedes and the occasional rattlesnake patrol their territories in search of dinner. Watch your step. A chance glance with the flashlight reveals a large bark scorpion crossing the same branch we were about to duck under. The scorpion hurries along on his business, but we proceed with considerable caution. You can hike Pima Canyon for miles and miles until it intersects with Sabino Basin and the network of trails in the Catalinas, but we decide to make this hike a short one. It's still long on enjoyment, though. If you sit still and try to tune out the urban sounds, you can hear the bustle of the desert's creatures conducting the business of survival. After all, this is the middle of the day for them, and there's a lot of work to be done before the next solar storm, which begins at sunrise. GETTING THERE Take First Avenue all the way north to Christie Road. Turn right and proceed until the road ends at the parking area. Permits for night use can be acquired for a one-time ever fee of $10 by calling Pima County Parks and Recreation at 740-2690, or by sending a check and request to: Trailhead Permits, Pima County Parks and Recreation, 1204 W. Silverlake Road, Tucson, AZ 85713-2799.

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