Hiking Arizonas Gabe Zimmerman trail, named in honor of the slain public servant

DAVIDSON CANYON, Ariz. The bike rack at the Gabe Zimmerman Trailhead here is a twisted oxidized metal coil molded to look like a rattlesnake. Its a small bit of whimsy amid a majestic part of the 800-plus mile Arizona Trail dedicated to the victims of a dark chapter in the Grand Canyon States history.

That would be the Jan. 8, 2011, shooting at the Casas Adobes Safeway in Tucson, where Zimmerman and five others were killed, and 13 others were injured, including Zimmermans boss, then-Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and her congressional successor, Ron Barber.

A sculpted tile-work monument of Zimmerman stands at the trailheads entrance. This portion of the path was a favorite for Zimmerman, who was an avid outdoorsman. The monument also shows a side of the legislative staffer different than the one dedicated to him thousands of miles away in the Capitol Visitor Center.

Public servants, the best of them anyway, live a double life. Its a necessity that comes from serving not just ones community, but the broader national interest. The best tend well to the peoples business in the nations capital while staying rooted back home.

Zimmermans ability to work effectively in both worlds is highlighted by the memorials to him in D.C. and Arizona.

Capitol Hill pays tribute to Zimmerman each time someone books HVC-215, the Capitol Visitor Center meeting room dedicated in his memory on April 16, 2013. It is a space where the peoples business is conducted, a room like countless others in the CVC. But looking over it is the presence of Giffords community outreach director, who was killed while performing his duties coordinating and overseeing the ill-fated Congress on Your Corner event nearly four years ago.

Zimmermans community back home pays tribute every time someone hikes, rides a bike or walks a dog along this stretch of the Arizona Trail southeast of Tucson. It is the northernmost marker for the Las Cienegas passage, a 13-mile, easy to moderate hike along the 800-plus mile trail that spans the state from Mexico to Utah.

The monument at the trailhead, dedicated in January 2012, bears an inscription explaining who its in memory of.

Gabe (1980-2011) loved Tucson its desert, its people and its unique spirit. A Tucson native, he hiked and mountain biked throughout the mountains and canyons that you see here. Gabe was a dedicated public servant who died serving the community he loved. He brought people together, encouraged us to respect one another and appreciated the place we call home. Gabe lived a life of exuberance. You should too. Enjoy this special area.

It is a memorial that is personal and expansive, a connection to the Sonoran Desert he called home, and it continues his outreach efforts.

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Hiking Arizonas Gabe Zimmerman trail, named in honor of the slain public servant