I hiked the Pine Creek Loop late on Wednesday afternoon…
Tag: Arizona (page 47 of 74)
Friday’s hike started at the Wagner Trailhead. We hiked out to Rock Knob and back for a hike of about nine miles.
The sun rose as I was driving to the park. I found a safe place to pull over to get this sunrise shot…
When I got to the park, the sun was well up; I got this shot of the sun behind a palo verde tree.
Seed pods:
Something we rarely see in the park is dew. I think it was either Linda or Patty who pointed out the dew in this low lying plant.
Storms in recent months have eroded portions of the Bluff Wash. The photo below shows the previous level of the wash alongside the new channel created by running water.
We used to scramble up the notch in the rocks behind Sarge (the dog). Erosion has lowered the starting point so much that Linda was unable to reach the starting foothold. I was able to get to it, but only barely. We found a different way to get to the upper part of the wash.
We had a great view once we found a way to the top of the rocks lining the wash.
I saw a bird sitting atop this rock as we proceeded up the wash.
More color as we hiked up the wash; there were a surprising number of flowers for this time of year.
Gary pointed out several places where moss was growing.
I think this might be Tamarisk. (?) If so, it’s pretty, but it’s not especially good for it to be here.
Gary, Patty, Linda, Sarge, and Bob:
We saw this unusual rock formation on our way towards Rock Knob.
More rocks…
A look back through the hole in the rock in the previous photo. The rest of the group was patiently waiting for me to finish my photography.
A saguaro with a droopy arm.
Sarge!
Time for a water break…
Cyclists on the Wagner Trail:
I got this shot of the Fountain on Thursday night.
Last Friday’s hike started at the Horse Staging Area. We crossed the road and hiked one of the service roads through the competitive track area. We eventually ended up in Stoneman Wash, which led us back to the Pemberton. We returned via Shallmo Wash for an 8.2 mile hike.
A saguaro in front of Red Mountain:
Bob removes cactus needles from Sarge’s paw while Gary and Linda wait.
A view of the McDowells from the service road.
I think this is a creosote flower (and plant).
I brought a macro lens along on the hike. I managed to do a little bit of focus stacking with this shot, but the depth of field is still really shallow.
Sarge!
Another flower, though I don’t know what it is.
A bank of Stoneman Wash:
Bob and Sarge hike ahead in Stoneman Wash.
The view of Weaver’s Needle from the intersection of the main park road with the Pemberton:
Entering Shallmo Wash:
I think that this is a Goldeneye blossom:
Turkey Vulture?
I got this photo of the Fountain on Wednesday evening. There are two photos here, but they’re the same except for some tweaks to the hue and saturation of the orange colors from the sky.
Marilyn and I hiked at Deer Creek on Sunday.
Bob and I hiked the Dixie Mine, Sonoran, Promenade, and Western Loop trails on Friday for a hike of about 10 miles with 2,000+ feet of total ascent.
I got this shot while walking through the Eagle’s Nest gated community. (A little over half a mile separates the parking area from the beginning of the Dixie Mine Trail.)
A view from the Dixie Mine Trail:
A view of the Fountain with Weaver’s Needle and the Flatiron far in the distance:
This is one of my favorite spots to photograph on the Sonoran Trail. I like it so much that I photographed it both on the way out (immediately below) and on the way back (further below). This photo was made from two exposures, one more or less as shown below, and another with my thumb placed between the lens and the sun. Blocking the light source with a thumb prevents lens flare which would either ruin the shot or (at best) make it extremely tedious to edit.
Views from the Western Loop Trail:
A view of part of the long uphill section on the return trip of the Sonoran Trail. Look for the trail in the wash at the bottom along with switchbacks at the bottom-right corner.
Another view of one of my favorite spots on the Sonoran Trail. The earlier shot was taking at 7:45am. This one was taken at around 10:30.
Back on the Dixie Mine Trail…
I think the flowering plant in front is Goldeneye with an ocotillo behind it.
I was taking close-ups of one of the flower clusters when this bee landed…
