Look Up! Way UP!
Yesterday Don and I hiked on the Wind Cave Trail - a 800 foot ascent of Pass Mountain. It was in Usery Park which backs onto the Tonto Forest. The trail had lots of switch backs but was still a pretty good cardio workout. It took us about 3 hours and that is with numerous stops to take pictures and just enjoy!
This is where we parked the car and began our hike. Luckily it was the perfect temperature. We had light jackets on to start and half way up it was time to get those off! It was a lot cooler at the top where the cave was.
Up up up we climbed.
this is 2 different areas on the trail. Some parts were fairly easy to navigate and others were blocked by rocks so you had to navigate. Some parts didn't even look like a trail at all.
This is a barrel cactus that somehow broke off. Look at the small one growing at the base.
This is a gila woodpecker. They make nests in the cactus.
Look at these tiny little flowers. They were so tiny and pretty.
I am not sure what this is but they sure added some pretty color.
I am not sure if these will be flowers on the top of this cactus or what?
There was a lot of volcanic black rock as well as rock that looked like this. Almost like small rocks glued together with cement (I am guessing volcanic ash)
The golden yellow of these poppies was just amazing. They were everywhere and in some spots the ground was just yellow!
This is new growth and buds on the jojoba.
Just in case you get really lost, this one points you to Phoenix.
It was an amazing walk and the only hard part was trying to look at stuff and still stay on the trail. You really have to concentrate on where you are walking on this trail. The path is basically a single lane so if you meet someone you need to find a spot to pull over and let them pass. We were so glad that we got the walking sticks as they really help to keep your balance.
Yay - we made it!
The cave is off to the right of me.
This isn't the best picture but these little lizards are way faster than I am. We saw quite a few of them on the way up.
There were a lot of these little chipmunks running around all over the place at the top of the mountain by the cave.
Some kind of ground squirrel.
I don't have too many pictures on the way down as 1) Don made me promise to not stop every 10 feet and take a picture and 2) Its a really good idea to pay attention when walking downhill. There are so many hiking trails in this area you could hike all winter without having to do the same trail. Plus it is really nice to hike when the weather isn't too hot.
We were pretty pooped out after our walk, so we came back and had some lunch. Our neighbor across the street brought us over 2 big huge bags full of grapefruits. Should keep me going for a little while. Everyone is starting to pick their fruit as the trees are starting to blossom.
THat sign on the barb wire is a little intimidating, and the view from the car to where you were headed seems pretty darn far!
ReplyDeleteI wonder what would knock over a cactus like that- they just get too tall or maybe infected? The woodpecker is cool! I wonder what they eat?
What a bunch of pretty little wild flowers too! How in the world they can thrive in those conditions is pretty amazing.Everything is just so different in texture and shape, well except for the poppies! How pretty and sunshiney!
The walking sticks really are a smart idea I think at the best of times, but especially for a place like this where a mis-step could sure land you in some unfriendly landscape. No doubt those rocks are super sharp, and falling into a cactus ebd would be a bit ouchie. How did you keep on the trail- it doesn't really look much like a trail at all? Were there signs? That is a really cute pic of Don resting on his resting stick. Looks like a mountaineer from way back!
Holy! The view from that cave ledge is amazing!!! That is a completely fabulous shot of the two of you! You guys look awesome!
Now... you said... everyone is starting to pick their fruit as the trees are starting to blossom. WHAT?? Are you saying there is fruit on the tree from last season and now they are beginning to start the cycle again?
it was really awesome, I wish we would have done more of this here but we will be doing a lot of hiking in the next month and we move north. You are right , sometimes we had to stop and try to figure out where the trail actually was. Yup the citrus are starting over for next year! The ones that have been picked are blooming more than the ones that have fruit. I am hearing conflicting things on how that works exactly but some say they wont make fruit if they already have fruit. But I do see some with fruit and blossoms. I just think the tree has to concentrate on one thing or another and if you pick the fruit it can do a better job of blossoming. Plus the fruit is ready, not gonna get any better and will probably start to dry out if not picked soon
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