Friday’s hike started from the Lousley Hill Trailhead. Bob, Allen, Janet, Sarge, Bella, Savannah, and I hiked one lap on Lousley Hill. We then hiked up Lousley Wash to the Pemberton Trail and took the Escondido Trail back to Lousley Hill Trail, for a four mile hike. I went on to hike another four miles by myself, adding in another lap of Lousley Hill along the way. As I was hiking down Lousley Hill, I noticed that my total ascent was at around 700 feet. I hiked up and down a steep(ish) section of the hill two times to bring the total ascent up to 1,000 feet for the day.
A view of the sunrise from near the Trailhead:
Allen, Janet, and Bob, with dogs Savannah, Bella, and Sarge part way up the Lousley Hill Trail.
Lousley Wash:
A water break for dogs on Lousley Wash:
Hiking Lousley Wash…
A large, many-armed saguaro on the Escondido Trail.
A hedgehog cactus:
More saguaros on the Escondido Trail:
Another hedgehog cactus next to the remains of a cholla:
Rocks encountered along the Escondido Trail…
A view of Red Mountain in the distance.
Returning on the Escondido Trail:
A view of the overlook on Lousley Hill. If you look very closely, you can just make out a railing at the overlook.
A palo verde tree near the top of Lousley Hill:
