Friday Fitness Hike

Last Friday’s hike started at the Tom’s Thumb Trailhead.  Seven of us hiked up to Tom’s Thumb and back.  On the way back, we visited the Sven Slab climbing area where we saw a Gila monster.

A Goldeneye bush with Gardener’s Wall in the background.

This is a cholla flower:

We encountered this rock formation on the way up.

California Buckwheat:

A view to the west as we made our way up to the ridge leading over to Tom’s Thumb:

Amy is instructing her iPhone to take a panoramic shot.

Someone on the hike identified this purple flower, but I don’t remember its name. I can’t find it in my flower identification book either.

A view of Pinnacle Peak and Troon:

A view of Scottsdale and perhaps other nearby cities as well.

A small rock formation on the ridge line.  (I’ve photographed these rocks several times before.)

Another view of Scottsdale.

Linda and Amy hike up a steep trail on their way to Tom’s Thumb.

A view of the west side of Tom’s Thumb:

Bob, Marilyn, Amy, Linda, Cynthia, and Bill pose in front of Tom’s Thumb.

A view of the East End.  Glass Dome is visible near the center of the photo.

A view of the southeast side of Tom’s Thumb.

I think it was Bob who pointed out the numerous Globemallow flowers as we started our descent.

A better view of Glass Dome as we continue back on the Tom’s Thumb Trail.

This is a view of Fountain Hills from the intersection of the East End Trail and the Tom’s Thumb Trail.

Another view of Glass Dome:

Tom’s Thumb is still visible, though you do have to kind of look for it among all the other boulders in the area.  The side of Gardener’s Wall can also be seen at the far right in this photo.

Cynthia, Linda, Marilyn, Bill, and Amy do some scrambling on their way back.

This large boulder reminded us of Barney (from the children’s television series) head.  It’s in the sun in this photo, but often looks more purplish when it’s in the shade.

Another view of Gardener’s Wall:

The mushroom rock with the saguaro cuddled up next to it is another favorite on this part of the hike.

Four Peaks is visible in the distance as well as the back sides of the Sven Towers.  They don’t look much like towers here; they’re more impressive looking from the other side.

Morrell’s Wall:

I think this is Sandwash Groundsel:

Sven’s Slab:

A prominent mushroom rock near Sven Slab:

We saw this Gila monster as we were leaving the Sven Slab area.

Desert Marigold.  If you look closely, you can see an insect at the center of the lower-right flower.