Category: Hiking (page 39 of 68)

Hike descriptions and/or photos.

November 21, 2015 / 3 Comments

Friday Fitness Hike

We hiked 11.8 miles on Friday starting at the Wagner Trailhead. We hiked these trails (in order): Wagner, Granite, Delsie, Gooseneck, Rock Knob, Pemberton, Bluff Trail Wash, Granite, Bluff, Granite, and Wagner.

Christmas Cholla on the Granite Trail:

Mike and Amy on the Delsie Trail:

Mike, Kelly, Bill, Laura, Amy, Bob, and Linda:

A view of Four Peaks from the Gooseneck Trail:

Some flowers are already starting to bloom!

More views from the Gooseneck Trail…

A view of Rock Knob from the Rock Knob Trail:

I think we were still on the Rock Knob Trail for this shot:

A view of Rock Knob from the Pemberton Trail:

Views from the Bluff Trail Wash:

Linda spotted this Queen of the Night plant on the Bluff Trail. She saw another one perhaps 200 feet later.

Earlier in the hike, Amy spotted this hawk:

It’s not a very good shot, but here it is shortly after taking flight:

November 16, 2015 / 0 Comments

Sunday Hike: Spur Cross to Cave Creek

On Sunday, Linda, Bob, and I hiked 11.6 miles between the Spur Cross Ranch Conservation Area and the Cave Creek Recreation Area. Marilyn hiked out 4.5 miles with us and then returned to the car for a 9 mile hike. According to my GPS watch, we ended up with 1,070 feet of total ascent and 1335 feet of total descent.

A view from near the beginning of the Spur Cross Trail:

Linda spotted this heart shaped prickly pear:

Another view from the Spur Cross Trail:

Bob, Linda, and Marilyn:

Brief periods of light rain made for interesting views:

Another group ahead of us – they hiked to the park boundary and then returned.

Looking up at Elephant Mountain:

We encountered a watering hole shortly after leaving the park. Marilyn told us that she saw cows on the way back.

Views from the Maricopa Trail…

This is a view from the Go John Trail in the Cave Creek Recreation Area:

This dog has its own pack and boots, too!

We’re done! This is a view from above the amphitheater outside of the Nature Center at the Cave Creek Recreation Area.

November 14, 2015 / 3 Comments

Friday Fitness Hike

Friday’s hike started from the Horse Staging Area. We hiked a 10.1 mile loop consisting of the Escondido, Cinch, Scenic, Pemberton, and Escondido trails.

There will be an equestrian endurance ride over the weekend – it’s called Lead, Follow, or Get Out of the Way. We saw a number of horses as we walked through the parking lot on the way to the Escondido Trail.

A view from midway up the hill on the Scenic Trail:

A view of Four Peaks from the Scenic Trail:

Laura, Nancy, Bob, Linda, Janet, Sue, and Jerry:

Yet another view from the Scenic Trail:

Saguaros on the Escondido:

Sue, Linda, Bob, Janet, Kevin, Nancy, and Laura:

Still on the Escondido Trail…

When we got back to the Horse Staging Area, we noticed that even more horses had arrived.

November 9, 2015 / 4 Comments

Lake Pleasant Hike

Marilyn and I hiked 8.6 miles at Lake Pleasant on Sunday. We hiked the Pipeline Canyon, Yavapai Point, and Wild Burro trails. We both liked the Pipeline Canyon and Yavapai Point trails. The portion of the Wild Burro trail that we hiked wasn’t quite as impressive, though we did see some wild burros as we made our way back; this made it worthwhile.

The view from one of the picnic sites near the parking lot:

A view of the floating bridge on the Pipeline Canyon Trail:

A view from the bridge:

Marilyn, on the Pipeline Canyon Trail:

A view of the lake from the lower portions of the Yavapai Point Trail:

Saguaros on the Yavapai Point Trail:

Marilyn on the Yavapai Point Trail. This trail leads to the top of a hill overlooking the lake.

Several views from the Yavapai Point Trail…

A view from the Wild Burro Trail. The yellow vegetation are plants that are drying up. It’s somewhat more yellow in this photo than it was in real life.

Two shots of the wild burros that we saw on the way back…

Marilyn on the Wild Burro trail:

Marilyn took these photos of the burros with her Sony RX10:

I got these photos with my HX90V. (I used the A7RII for the earlier photos.)

November 7, 2015 / 4 Comments

Friday Fitness Hike

Friday’s hike started at the Dixie Mine parking area at the end of Golden Eagle Blvd. We hiked the following trails: Dixie Mine, Coachwhip, Windmill, Bell Pass, Prospector, (road), and Dixie Mine for a total of 10.4 miles with nearly 1500 feet of total ascent. (This distance includes our walk through the gated community, 0.6 miles each way.)

After processing these photos using the PPW (Picture Postcard Workflow), I ran Topaz Impression on a few of them.

A view from the Dixie Mine Trail:

Recent rains have made the moss especially green.

We bypassed the mine and continued up the Dixie Mine Trail to the ridge. This is a view from partway up the hill to the ridge.

Bill, Linda, Denise, Bob, Nancy, Janet, Laura, and Kevin:

A view of the large cottonwood tree and the windmill on the Windmill Trail:

A version of the above filtered through Topaz Impression:

Views from the Bell Pass Trail…

Saguaros on the Prospector Trail:

November 1, 2015 / 0 Comments

White Canyon and Vicinity

On Sunday, Nick, Bob, Marilyn, and I tried to do a hike in the White Canyon. We didn’t get very far – there was a lot of brush in the canyon and some of the brush was flowering, which attracted more than a few bees. We ended up exploring a nearby box canyon. Later on, Bob and I found a trail that we think would be worth doing some other time.