There was a get together at the pool for "Fat Tuesday" where I met Ray, the founder of the Photography Club. He invited me to join the group for an outing to Sabino Canyon. I believe there were 8 of us in all. I opted for the hike up Bear Canyon to Seven Falls with Darrell and Laura (I apologize for any misspelled names).
Just after starting out we came across the sign below. I have seen a lot of wildlife in the past two years on the road, but no Mountain Lions. I am just fine with saying I have still never seen a Mountain Lion. Oddly enough, there were no notices of bear sightings in Bear Canyon.
The tram was not running until later, so we walked from the Visitor's Center to the trailhead - a nice little 1.5-mile warm-up.
Desert hiking is not like anything that can be experienced in the East. There is a beauty here that is unique to the Southwest. It was a nearly perfect day for hiking and the trail was well used (especially considering it was a Wednesday). I felt a little bad for all of those stuck in the cold and snow while I found myself a touch sunburned after the hike!
The Photo Club assignment was "Tall." Their challenge was to find a composition that evoked a sense of tall. I believe that anyone viewing the picture below would immediately think "look how tall those Saguaro are!"
Doesn't the Saguaro below look like it is trying to get me to go left? I didn't fall for it and stayed on the trail.
The Staghorn cactus looked like it could have been the inspiration for barbed wire.
The trail crossed the creek at least a half dozen times and as you could probably guess, I put my foot in the water a couple of times.
The falls made the hike worthwhile. I didn't actually count seven falls, but I am sure they were all there. After two and a half miles of pretty strenuous hiking, it felt good to pull off shoes and socks and soak our feet in the cold water.
On the return hike, I saw this Saguaro long past its prime and it made me think of Kokopelli.
I guess I was a bit dehydrated from the hike. Later that evening, I had a little bit of cramping in my legs (I was probably just a little out of shape to just jump right into 6.5 miles of desert hiking). Plenty of water, a few Advil and a good night's sleep and I was ready for another hike - maybe the next one could be a bit less strenuous.
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