Fremont Saddle revisited

Way back on March 8 I ventured back up to Fremont Saddle.  This time I had JC in tow as I had told him of the spectacular views and he couldn't wait to capture them.  While he had been playing pickle ball all winter this was his first real hike and you use totally different muscles.  He was one tired puppy when we were done.  

As we approached the parking lot on our return we heard a loud whoosh and looked skyward to see some parachutes opening as 3 base jumpers leapt off the towering cliffs and landing safely in the parking lot.  

Fremont Saddle is the hike that just keeps on giving.  Jaw dropping views every time.

Saguaros growing right out of the rock all the way up the cliffs

Weavers needle is the prominent feature on the horizon with the lone pine off to the right.  

Buds just starting to come out on the cactus.

Last time out we didn't hike the extra half hour out to the lone pine.  This time we made the extra trek.  Just to the right of the tree you can see a couple of hikers.  There were 4 guys who were making camp and spending the night.  Views at sunset and sunrise would be fabulous.

Proof that we made it. 

That's it for Fremont Saddle for this year.  

Massacre Falls Trail

Another one of our favourite hikes which we took back on March 11 with Neil and Lynne.  Total of 6.1 miles with 1138 ft elevation gain.  It was a little chilly when we left GC but by the time we drove around to the north side of the mountain I had wished I had put on another layer and perhaps brought some gloves.  The cool air combined with the wind made for a brisk morning hike.  After an hour or so all was good as the Az sun and a little exertion warmed us up nicely.

Onwards and upwards

Looking back to where we started out.  

Neil leading the way

Burned out tree skeletons from a fire a few years earlier. 

Apache Junction below and way off in the distance downtown Phoenix

We each took this shot and had to get down on our belly to get the mountain in the background.  

Bird nest built out of sticks and stones in a crevice between 2 boulders.  Mama was not happy with us getting this close.  Never seen a nest built out of stones before.  

Another burned out tree.  

Lynne on a rock shelf which in wetter years would have been behind a waterfall.  Now it's just a trickle.

Me up on the rock shelf with Lori gazing up hoping I am able to get down with all my bones intact.  

Poppies out in full force. 

As the end of March draws near many activities are winding down as people, especially RV'ers, prepare to head for home.  We have hosted 3 year end parties this past week and on our morning walk we noticed lots of empty RV spots and vacant park models.  By this time next week it will be a ghost town with only the 100 or so permanent residents plus a few of us die hards left.     

Big rain storm last night complete with thunder and big winds.  Today its cool and rainy so perhaps I get a few more blogs done.

Dutchman 104 in Bloom

  We had never been on the Dutchman 104 trail before this year.  Now we have been on it 3 times.  The first trip was a a part of the Miners needle marathon we did with Neil Havers.  We were taken with the grand vistas in what seemed like a hidden valley.  The second time out we went with our usual Monday hiking group, Barb, Sue and Chewie.  The flowers were really starting to make a statement on this trip and we followed it up with a return visit a few days later with Gary, Margo, Jan and Mark.  Each trip the blooms were more plentiful.  This will definitely become part of our regular hiking outings.

Using technology to identify the flora can be problem when the mountains block the signal.  No signal.  No problem.  Go old school.  

Walking along the trail we heard a constant buzzing.  The flowers and the bees were out in full force. 

The fairy duster was almost at the end of its bloom but the poppies and lupins were just getting into form.

A victim of a fire some years back this saguaro was struggling to stay erect.

The bees are so busy flitting from flower to flower it is hard to catch them stationary for even a few seconds.   

The grand vistas are still amazing with a hint of colour on the desert floor. 

 

The ocotillo look like dead sticks and then the leaves start appearing, first red, then turning to green and then covered in red flowers.  

Our hikes going forward will be restricted to Boyce Thompson and the Riparian Preserve plus a trip to Tempe Festival of the Arts and lunch in Fountain Hills.  I'll start working on those tonight but right now its just too hot sitting in our Az room.  Time to grab a cold drink and head out to find some shade and a breeze.  

Siphon Draw

 Our hiking days are now done for the year.  Temperatures are getting a bit too warm, 94F today, and the heat brings out some unsavoury characters in the desert.  Snake sightings happen all year but become much more frequent when it heats up.  Besides, trekking out in the hot sun when its 65F is very enjoyable.  Not so much when the temperatures break 80F.  

We did Siphon Draw trail with Neil and Lynne about 2 weeks ago and while not the longest or the most elevation gain it was definitely a consistently steep hike which proved to be the best cardio workout of the year.  The trail is a little over 4 miles out and back with an elevation gain over 1000 ft.  Im not sure of the exact numbers as I didn't turn my All Trails off until we got back home so the numbers were skewed.  It was definitely a heart thumper but the views are among the best.  

Our first sighting of a roadrunner this year.  Shot is a little blurry as they don't stand still for long.

On our way up we stopped to catch our breath in the shade of a large boulder.  

This flat steep channel of rock through the canyon is called the bowling alley.  That's Neal on the right.  He looks pretty tiny compared to the rest of the scene.  I made it a little past where he is at in this picture.  The rock is very smooth from centuries of water pouring down this channel in monsoon season and in the last few years hikers scrambling up the rock.  Good hiking shoes provide the grip needed but lots try it with running shoes and they are sliding all over the place.  

That's my shadow in the foreground.  This is as far as I went. Top of the bowling alley.  Lynne was above me but getting down is always a bit more difficult than the ascent and I decided that this was enough.  

You can see some small figures behind the hiker in the foreground.  That is about where Lori was waiting for me.  

Another shot of the bowling alley.  The rock projectile in the top middle of the picture is Flat Iron.  A very popular but very difficult hiking destination.  We have not been there and will not be attempting it.  

A young avid hiker made it to the top earlier this year and while taking a selfie he lost his balance and fell to his death.  Lots of people were heading to the top on the day we were there.  We saw one coming down later with a gash in his arm from a fall he took.  Thanks but no thanks.  

That smooth stretch of rock in the middle of the picture is the bowling alley.   I made it to the top of the smooth part but then the rock scrambling and climbing begins.  Flat Iron isn't that far away but it is straight up.  

Lori and Lynne making their way down the trail.  

Didn't see any poppies but lots of yellow brittle bush and orange globe mallow flowers in full bloom

Always nice to look back at where we have been.  Gives one a sense of accomplishment.

The Superstition Mountains look so much different from the back side.  Our RV Park is on the other side of the mountains.  Need to get back here before we leave to get a shot of the light on the mountain at sunset.  It turns a nice soft pink.  

Lots of pictures to edit and post and I hope to get mostly caught up before we head home.  We are leaving GC on April 17 but our route home will be kind of indirect.  We are heading to Vegas for 2 nights.  Not because we have any desire to see the Strip but rather I want to take in the Valley of Fire State Park in eastern Nevada.  Its about an hour drive from Henderson where we will be staying and its supposed to be breathtaking.  

Next up will be a drive through Death Valley with a 2 night stay in Lone Pine, CA.  Then on to Port Angeles, WA for a couple nights to see the the Olympic National Park which is designated a rain forest.  That should be a little different than the desert climate we have been enjoying this past winter.  Then we take the ferry over to Victoria and we have booked a place for 2 weeks in Nanoose Bay.  Its a central location to explore the island.  From there we make our way east with stops at Shuswap Lake, Lake Louise and Lethbridge.  If the snow is gone in Manitoba we will then head home.  If not who knows.