Monday First of March - Cliff chipmunk

It was fresh out with not a cloud in the sky that morning. The sun was coming up and the moon was going down. If I had a big enough wide angle lens I could have got both in.

I met one of the neigbours when I went out to get the paper. Scott and his wife were having a block party on the 21st of March and wanted to know if we had received the flyer in the mailbox. well we never check the mailbox so of course we had not. He took it out and it was very soggy. I told him we would not be in town then and were sad to miss it.

Then we talked Olympic hockey game. He was from Pittsburgh so was not so sad that the US had lost as the winning goal was by a Canadian playing for Pittsburgh.

After bloging and a yummy breakfast of waffles, I went on a hike up the hieroglyphics trail.

Ron and Mary dropped me off at the trail head which is about a 25 minute drive from here.

We decided on a pickup time of two hours after consulting with a group of people who had just come back. They said it

could be done an easy two hours. That would give me one hour up and one hour down. plenty of time. We had a plan.

I was expecting a gravel trail but this trail was more rocky and rugged than just plain gravel. I probably took twenty pictures of wildflowers in the first 100 feet.

The Desert was in bloom and

was getting ready to explode into more bloom with all the buds that I saw.

It was a steady incline up and was always clearly visible. It got rougher the higher up I travelled.

I came to a couple of trail markers. I took the left trail up the hieroglyphic trail. It was a good workout, watching

where you put your feet and at the same time trying to look at the scenery.

I tried not to stop too often as I wanted to get as far up the trail as I could in one hour.

As I was walking, whenever a group coming toward me would pass, if the path was too narrow, I always felt just fine stopping and letting them go on. That gave me a minute to rest and take pictures guilt free.

I came to a gate, the entrance to Superstition part of Tonto National park. It made me wonder what they were trying to keep in or out as the entire area was fenced. back at the trail head someone had mentioned cattle but I certainly never saw any cattle in this country. Poor cattle if there were any.

At about the halfway point up the trail I saw a group of folks just sitting around. My first thought was that they were on a group hike and the guide was telling them something interesting. As I drew closer I saw that there was someone hurt and they were administering first aid. A lady had somehow tripped, fallen and hurt her arm and they were putting a splint on it. Ouch.

I could see that it would be easy to trip on the trail if you were not careful as it was very rocky and

uneven.

There were lots of people

going both directions on the trail. Some would say to me in passing 'are you all alone? and in reply I would answer 'I'm never alone, there are lots of hikers on the path'.

In a few places it was wet and mucky due to the heavy rain that we got yesterday.

In preparation for the hike I had put on lots of sunscreen, brought

two granola bars, an apple and a bottle of water. My camera goes without saying. The jacket I was wearing was not really a hiking jacket but each of its pockets were filled with something and it all worked out. I wanted to wait until I got to the top to eat anything but I had water as I went. The sun was out and it was lovely.

At one point the trail comes to what appears to be an end at a large outcrop of rock but as I got closer I realized that the trial did in fact go right around and over the rock. I made me think of Indians in the old days who would seemingly disappear into the landscape.

after that the trail got more rugged. the trail became more rugged and more closed in.

The shrubs and bushes were bigger and closer to the trail and the sides of the mountain were steeper here. I could hear water down in the ravine, (do they call it a canyon?) but could not see anything. One consolation was that if you fell, which would be difficult to do, you wouldn't fall far as some bush, cactus or rock would stop your downward motion. Ouch.

A young boy in one group that passed me coming back down told me that there was a lot of water at the top. A big waterfall that was scary to walk around. I had visions of Athabasca falls. Then I thought, no, there was not that much rain yesterday and it would take a pretty big spring to create a falls that large. It was probably a good size waterfall for this area.

I climbed and clambered over rocks avoiding the woman eating prickly bushes and mucky spots on the trail. I could hear water on the left of the trail but cold not see it. Finally I went around a bend and there was a tiny stream tumbling over the rocks

below. It was very cute. hardly a raging torrent but I could imagine that there was a lot more of it yesterday during the rain.

The trail continued up and then you get to the falls. Impressive waterfalls in that they are in the desert. Refreshing definitely.

The trail was across the rocks that were more worn and sloped.

I did not go any further. It would have taken me a little while to work my way across and so I stayed at the end of the trail that was easier to walk on.

While I was there eating my apple I saw a chipmunk running toward me in the rocks. I quickly dug out my camera and when he got into a place where I could see him clearly I shot him, twice, with my camera. I hoped that the pictures turned out.

I took some more photos of the steep slopes and ridges with balancing rocks on them.

I wondered when it would fall and if anyone would be lucky enough to see it.

I checked the time on the watch that Mary had loaned me. It was 1245 so I was right on time. I headed back down the trail eating my apple as I went. It was a good apple.

The hike up the trail had been a good aerobic workout

and the hike down although a much easier workout, was still difficult in that you had to watch where to step so as not to twist an ankle.

On the way down I thought of the poor lady who had been hurt on the trail and I hoped that she had at least gotten to see the waterfalls and was on her way back when she got hurt.

There were some gorgeous views of the valley below. I made it back with a little time to spare and so went down a little path along the parking lot. There were more wildflowers blooming now that there had been when I first got there. Amazing.

Right by the trail sign there was a stone bench to rest on in the shade of a big saguaro cactus and a tree. Mary and Ron came just as I was getting another photo of a Gambels quail. They really are everywhere. when I got home I looked up the wildflowers and the chipmunk and found out that he was a cliff chipmunk and was very numerous in the Grand Canyon area.