The desert in bloom

The post immediately prior to this one was of a trip I did to the Siphon Draw/Flatiron trial 2 weeks ago (3/12/05). A friend of mine had never done the trail before and wanted to go - so, being the generous person I am, I offered to be his guide for the day.

I'm just nice like that.

Anyway, the Superstitions were even more awash in color than 2 weeks ago. It was spectacular. So, without focussing to much on the actual trail, here is a photo essay of spring flowers in the desert.

We left at sunrise so the flowers weren't out at the bottom of the mountain, so the images will roughly go from the top of the mountain down.

Near the top of the mountain you saw a few of these little fellas:

Apparently called the Desert Penstemon. They weren't very common, but they sure brightened up the area when they appeared.

Also at the top we saw a few Wooly Daisies.


Usually near the daisies were some Eaton's Firecrackers

We were even lucky enough to see a few hummingbirds out and feeding on them.

Another very pretty but not terribly common flower we saw was the Doctorbush. A very pretty, and very delicate looking flower.


As you get closer to the bottom of the mountain, you start to see the intensity and amount of flowers increase. It turns into a real bonanza of color.


Lots of little purple flowers (these, I think) start popping up in the undergrowth.

Then things start to get interesting. You start seeing sights like this:


And this:


Where these and these start cropping up.
Now the dominant flower becomes the Brittle Bush.




Then, these wonderful purple flowers start to appear, the Mojave Lupine (similar in look to a Bluebonnet flower for you Texans out there).

When they start to appear you get to see things like this:


The last thing to appear as you descend the mountin are the California Poppies.

They're just such a happy little flower.


Some other flowers that I saw, but was unable to get a descent picture of can be seen here and here.

Following the wet winter, this year has lived up to the hype.

The brittle bush have just reached their peak, so the base of Superstition is a lovely gold in color:


The poppies are starting to thin out a little, but I managed to catch them at their peak (2 weeks ago). And now is about the best overall mix of flowers you could hope for.

My next trip is to go and see the Hedgehog and Prickly Pear cactus in bloom - that should happen in the next 2 or 3 weeks.

After all this blooming following a near decade long drought, the best thing in the world would be to have another wet winter next year. That scenario would provide one of the greatest spring blooms of all time.

I get excited just thinking about it.

Siphon Draw / Flatiron in spring 3/12/05

I had the pleasure of going out for a solo hike up the Siphon Draw trail to the top of Flatiron. It was a beautiful spring morning, the weather was cool and the air clear. I haven't hiked solo in so long that I had forgotten how truly liberating it can feel.

Not only was the weather great, but the desert was as green as I've ever seen it. The picture below has the lighting adjusted up since it was taken before sunrise, but you get the idea of just how green it was out there.


I'm farily certain you can only truly appreciate the wonder of that photo if you're from the desert.

In the middle portions of the trail you got to see something that is quite a rare site: Miner's Lettuce


It only grows in shaded areas around the 4,000 ft level, and only when it is nice and moist. And we've certainly had moist conditions this winter.

If you're familiar with the Siphon Draw trail, you certainly won't recognize this:


That's how green it is out here this year. That section of the trail is usually just a few bushes. You can't even see the rocks.

Of course, the real reward is the spring flower show:


The desert isn't in full bloom yet, but it will get there in the next few weeks. And when it does, the whole desert floor will be covered with poppies:


The desert in spring is always a beautiful thing - but the desert in spring after a wet winter is a treasure beyond price.

Devil's Chasm - 2/12/04

We did this hike with a group of about 12 people. Only 2 had done the hike previously and they served as our "guides." I put guides in quotes only because the trails were so hard to locate and so rugged that we were basically picking our way throught the terrain based on guesswork and the occasional cairn placed in particularly difficult spots.

Overall the hike was absolutely spectacular. We've had an unusually wet winter so there was lots of water flowing down falls, streams, seeps and so forth. The trail was quite sloppy with mud in a few places, but that kind of added to the fun cause you don't get to hike in the mud very often in Arizona.

The last 1/4 of the hike was the most brutal. The total distance is just over 2 miles in - but it took us 4 hours. The last ascent before you reach the ruins is the worst portion of the trail and the most difficult portion of the hike, and that's what is on display in the picture I included at the start of this set. The goal of the trail made it all worth it though.

There is a very special feeling you get when you reach remote and isolated locations with striking beauty such as we found that day. The feeling of seeing something that not many people will ever get to see, and the general communing with nature in a relatively unspoiled area.

Good friends and good trails make for a great day.



This is a view of what a good portion of the trail looks like on the way into the ruins. Yes, that is someone standing on the cliff, and yes, we all had to traverse that section of the "trail." Although, to be fair, it didn't feel quite as hairy as it looks.



Honestly - who in their right minds hikes stuff like this willingly? Look carefully - there is one gentleman on the right about 3/4 of the way to the camera, then WAAAY at the bottom are 2 more people just beginning the ascent.



This is what we're trying to get to. You honestly cannot catch one single view of the ruins till you are right where I took this picture. At this point you're about 200 yards away.



Isn't it beautiful? Look at that spectacular curve to the front wall matching the cliff face.



It looks a little bigger on the outside than it really is - apparently these folks weren't very tall.



And they liked to live on the edge. Literally.



The site is plundered pretty badly. People have even taken the support posts out of the walls.



But there are still a few artifacts left behind.



And if you look closely you can still see the imprint of the hands that built this wonderful structure around 6-800 years ago.



Looking into the doorways to the past.

There were 4 rooms still standing in the structure. 3 were "inside" and one was on the front edge, but the walls were pretty damaged so it was much more open to the elements. That picture is taken from the open room looking through to the other 3.

The view from the back porch was asl pretty spectacular. Those native Americans sure knew how to pick a spot. Apparently the whole area is just littered with ruins. I'm planning on heading back to try and spot some more.

Just hangin' out with the boys.

The beginning

I do a lot of hiking, and I wanted somewhere to post the pictures from my hikes where everyone could view them. I have other places where photos are stored, but they aren't public doman (registration required).

Anyway, I hope you enjoy looking at the beauty I see in the desert where I hike.

If you want to see some photos by other, more tallented, photographers who find the desert beautiful, spend some time and log into arizonahikers.com (registration required), or hikearizona.com (also requires registration).