Friday Fitness Hike

Friday’s hike started from the Four Peaks (Horse) Staging Area.  Janet, Linda, and I crossed the main park road and then hiked a service road from the parking area for the competitive tracks to the Pemberton Trail.  We then hiked Pemberton to Shallmo Wash and returned to the Horse Staging Area via the wash.  Total hike distance was 7.6 miles.

Sunrise – this was taken from the parking lot.

20140822-DSC05346-Edit-medium Another early morning photo taken from the parking area:

20140822-DSC05356-Edit-medium These shots were taken early on from the service road.

20140822-DSC05407-Edit-medium 20140822-DSC05429-Edit-medium Red Mountain, framed by a saguaro and some ocotillo plants:

20140822-DSC05444-Edit-mediumDespite taking bracketed exposures (of only +/- 0.7EV), the sky ended up being blown out in this photo of Janet and Linda.  I decided that I kind of liked it anyway.  Somewhere around this point, I had also inadvertently put the camera in shutter priority mode; as a consequence, all of the exposures were taken at 1/2000sec, which led to the camera selecting larger apertures (for a shallower depth of field) and higher ISO values (which results in more noise).  I didn’t notice that this happened until we were almost done with the Pemberton.

20140822-DSC05469-Edit-mediumThis photo was taken at the junction of the service road and the Pemberton Trail.

20140822-DSC05501-Edit-mediumA view of one of the clay pits along the Pemberton.  I’ve been told that clay was once mined here to determine its suitability for use in making pipe.  Clay in this area might have been extensively mined were it not for the invention of PVC pipe.

20140822-DSC05510-Edit-mediumA tank, which presumably once held water, near the former site of the ranch house.

20140822-DSC05525-Edit-medium A toppled windmill, also located near the site where the ranch house once was:

20140822-DSC05535-Edit-mediumI stitched together four exposures to form this panorama of the “pond”.  This is where wildlife in the area get their water.

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These cut ocotillo branches and gate have been placed to match an old photo of the entrance to the homestead displayed on a nearby sign.

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A dead tree along the Pemberton Trail:

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I don’t hike Shallmo wash very often.  The sand is usually very loose, but water from recent storms made the surface very firm for Friday’s hike.

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Linda and Janet in Shallmo Wash:

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More photos of Shallmo wash…

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