Starting in mid-afternoon on Sunday, I hiked the Pine Creek Loop and then, once I got midway through the loop, Ballantine out to Boulder Flat and back, finishing the loop on my return. Trail conditions were better than when I was last there in September. Temps were in the high eighties, good gradual acclimation for summertime hiking here. Total distance was 7.7 miles with 1700 feet of total ascent.
Prickly Pear blossom:
A boulder pile near Boulder Flat.
Linda, Nora, Heather, and I hiked a little over 10 miles in the McDowells. We hiked the Dixie Mine, Sonoran, Promenade, and Western Loop Trails.
We saw three snakes on our hike. We have photos of only two of them. The last one, which was too quick for me to get a photo, was a coachwhip.
Shortly after sunrise…
Two barrel cacti – note the two small “arms” on the one on the right.
Despite not being able to see its nose (due to having partially gone into a hole), one of Linda’s friends identified this as a long nose snake. (Photo Credit – Linda Kalbach.)
The thing that surprised us most about this snake was its greenish tinge. We all thought that it might be a Mohave rattlesnake, perhaps even a Mohave Green Rattlesnake, but Heather contacted Mark, the ranger at the Cave Creek Regional Park, who identified it as a Black Tailed Rattlesnake (Crotalus Molossus).
Ocotillos on the Upper Sonoran Trail:
We paused at the Western Loop Overlook, where I got this photo:
Heather, at the overlook:
Descending the Western Loop Trail…
Sadly, we didn’t have enough time to also hike the Andrews-Kinsey Trail.
The Western Loop Trail eventually splits. We took the right fork where we passed this rock formation first from above and then later on (pictured) from below.
As we neared the Promenade Trail, we got a better view of some new construction. We think this might be construction for a new trailhead at the end of the Promenade Trail.
We saw this flowering saguaro just off of the Lower Sonoran Trail.
Linda and I hiked a little over eleven miles starting from the Four Peaks / Horse Staging Area. We hiked part of the Technical Loop and then hit the washes for many miles, returning on the Pemberton and Shallmo Wash Trails.
For Friday’s hike, Kay and I hiked a combination of the Hog Heaven Loop and the Lost Wall Loop.
We started on the Marcus Landslide Trail and then turned right onto Feldspar. To the left are some low angle (third class) slabs which lead to the top of Sven Tower I. We summited there and then continued on the climber’s access trail leading past Sven Towers II and III. This soon joined the standard route for the Hog Heaven Loop. We hiked past Hog Heaven and the Thumbnail Pinnacle and then continued onto the East End (summit) where we also went to that summit.
Continuing on, we descended the climber’s access trail to Tom’s Thumb Trail. From there, we hiked over to (and then on) the oft used climber’s access trail going to Tom’s Thumb. We continued past Tom’s Thumb and then down past Lost Wall, Half & Half Wall and the Fort McDowell climbing areas. This eventually led us back to Tom’s Thumb Trail and then back to the parking lot.
Total distance was just over five miles with nearly 2300 feet of total ascent.
Sunrise from the parking lot:
Kay, ascending the granite slab adjacent to the Feldspar Trail:
Morrell’s Wall and Tom’s Thumb:
Three views of the Thumbnail Pinnacle:
Looking back along the ridge, on the left, that got us to this vantage point. On the right is Thompson Peak and some other lesser peaks in the McDowell Range. Of course, the East End, the highest point in the McDowells is not visible in this shot as it’s just behind us.
Kay atop the East End (Peak), the highest point in the McDowells.
Chuparosa; we saw this plant on the ridge northwest of Tom’s Thumb.
Marilyn and I hiked near Flagstaff on Sunday.
The Sandy Canyon Trailhead is near Flagstaff off of Lake Mary Rd. I had been to this area many years ago when I climbed at The Pit.
We hiked Sandy’s Canyon Trail which descends to Walnut Creek. We then continued up Walnut Canyon until the way started to become slightly overgrown. I think we could have continued on for a good while, but we had time constraints, so I opted instead to pay a visit to the Fisher Point Overlook on the way back.
This is Fisher Point. Up high and to the left is the overlook. Walnut Canyon is ahead of us in this photo. There is a small cave at the base of the rock formation.
This is another somewhat deep and narrow cave that we encountered as we hiked up Walnut Canyon.
A more or less typical view of Walnut Canyon:
Marilyn, hiking in Walnut Canyon:
This was the most expansive view that I could find from Fisher Point Overlook. Marilyn is waiting for me under the tree just beyond where the trail forks to the left. I took the right fork to hike up to the overlook.
I was hoping to get a view up Walnut Canyon, but trees at the top blocked my view. This was the best view that I could find…
Friday’s hike started at the Wagner Trailhead. We hiked Wagner, Granite, Delsie, Pemberton, Bluff Trail Wash, Granite, Bluff, Granite, and back on Wagner. Total hike distance was 10.2 miles, but with only 640 feet of total ascent.
Mike, Sara, Tracy, Kay, Kevin, and Bob:
Ranger Amy joined us for some of the hike on her bike.
The skeleton is now sporting a sombrero!
This is the crested saguaro that’s south of Granite Tank.
One of the few flowers – this one is a hedgehog blossom – that we saw on our hike.
Some of the rocks in the wash adjoining the Bluff Trail.
Tracy, Kay, and Sara in the Bluff Trail Wash:
I took this photo from the Shallmo Wash Trail during Tuesday evening’s hike…
I hiked the Black Ridge Loop in the Mazatzals on Sunday. Total distance was about 7.6 miles with over 1900 feet of total ascent.
Indian Paintbrush:
This is Brunson Tank. When I visited it at about this time of year in 2016 and 2017, it was full of water – I had to skirt the edge to avoid getting my feet wet. No such problem today. I did encounter some water when I got to the drainage that runs along Little Saddle Mountain Trail. It seems to be spring fed.
Heading down the Little Saddle Mountain Trail…
New sign!
