Desert Hiking and Other Musings

Alive and Well...

2011-09-05T09:53:00.000-07:00

To anybody who's been by my blog lately, I'm writing this very short post to let you know that I'm alive and well. It's been too hot to hike in Phoenix this summer. With average temps hovering at 115º F and lots of humidity, I just haven't had it in me to get out and hit the trails this summer. Never fear, autumn will soon be here and I have plenty of hikes already planned that I will blog about. Looks like we should finally be in the low 100s in the next week and then the high 90s the week after. Can't wait for the cooler temps!

San Tan Mountain Trail

2011-04-25T07:11:00.000-07:00

On Easter Sunday, I went for a hike at the San Tan Mountain Regional Park. It's part of the Maricopa County regional park system (which means you pay $6/vehicle to park... or you can buy a yearly pass for $75). San Tan Mountain Regional Park is located in Queen Creek, Arizona (southeast valley).

At the Littleleaf Trailhead

I had never been there before, so I really didn't know what to expect. The trails are easily marked and are located just a short distance from the parking lot. After reviewing the map that the ranger gave me, I decided to hike the San Tan trail. At 6.7 miles (10.3 kilometers) long, this is the longest trail in the park. The majority of the trailheads start right at the parking lot, including the San Tan trailhead. Instead of hiking the trail directly, I started off with a detour on the Littleleaf trail. The Littleleaf trailhead is located to the right of the parking lot. The trail quickly traverses a dry wash and then you find yourself on a very slight incline for about a half mile. The scenery is classic rugged desert (I love it). One thing you quickly realize is that this mountain park is a veritable saguaro forest. They are everywhere and most are very tall, fat and old. When you reach the end of the of the Littleleaf trail, you'll merge onto the Goldmine trail. Veer to the right and continue until you come to the San Tan trail.

Beavertail Flowers

The San Tan trail meanders around the periphery of the park and you'll be greeted by every type of desert vegetation known to this part of the Sonoran desert. Look closely and you'll find pincushion cacti nestled under cholla and creosote bushes. Beavertail cacti are abundant. The creosote is thick in this area and it's odiferous leaves greet you whenever the wind kicks up. The trail itself is relatively flat throughout. Toward the end of the trail, there is a short uphill hike, but it's not too bad. One thing to keep in mind is that the end of the trail (beginning where the trail meets the Hedgehog trail) is located in a dry wash with lots of loose sand and gravel. This will add time and challenge to your hike. Due to the length of this trail, I would rate it as a moderate hike.

If you have the chance to go, go now. The ocotillo are still in full bloom, the cholla and beavertail are beginning to bloom, and the saguaros are budding and will be in full bloom by the time May comes around. Take plenty of water and wear sunscreen and a hat; there is precious little shade on this hike. Enjoy

Alta - Bajada - National Loop at South Mountain

2011-02-11T17:01:00.000-07:00

I haven't been hiking much in the last few months. Work has been crazy. Life has been crazy. You know how it goes. Nevertheless, I made hiking a priority this past weekend. I got my lazy self out of the house and went to South Mountain with a friend.

Truth be told, I have been hiking every weekend, but I've been tending to stay on the trails I always go on. I love them, but sometimes you just need a jolt to re-invigorate you. I got a jolt on the Alta-Bajada-National loop. It was fantastic.

To get to the trailhead, you enter South Mountain off Central Avenue. Take the road for about 2.5 miles until you see a t-split. Keep to the right and you'll find yourself on San Juan Road. Take San Juan Road to the very end and you'll arrive at the trailheads for both the National and Alta trails. Keep to the left and start the ascent up Alta to hike this loop.

Let me be frank, the ascent up the Alta trail is tough. Really. I had to stop numerous times just to take a breather before we got to the peak. This trail goes up, and up, and then up some more. At first the slope isn't too bad, but as you get higher up on the mountain, the slope becomes steeper. Take my advice, don't do this too quickly. Instead, go slow, and take breaks to look at your beautiful surroundings. To your left is a great view of downtown Phoenix. Directly behind you are the towering Estrella mountains. After about two miles, you'll finally reach the top. Take one more break and enjoy the magnificent view.

Once you get the first part of the trail behind you, it's all easy sailing. You'll head down the Alta trail on the other side of the mountain for a short way, and then you'll pretty much be hiking a ridge line for a couple of miles.There are lots of barrel, saguaro, hedgehog and pin cushion cacti and ocotillo on the route. If there's a breeze blowing for you as there was for me, you'll be treated to the scent of the abundant creosote bushes. It's a real treat.

At the end of the ridge line, you'll descend the mountain in a serious of switchbacks until you find yourself back on the desert floor. Hike this all the way to San Juan Road and cross the street to a small parking lot. On the left side of the parking lot is the trailhead for the Bajada trail. The Bajada trail is a relatively easy trail that skirts San Juan Road. There aren't as many cacti on the Bajada trail, but there are a lot of shrub bushes that dot the landscape here. I hear the Bajada trail is stunning during wild flower season. That's just a few weeks away so I'll go back and report what I find here. After a few miles, you'll see the junction for the National trail. Stay to the left and cross San Juan Road one last time. The National trail will gently ascend the mountain and, after a few miles, you'll find yourself back at the trailhead. Be forewarned that this part of the National trail is an active horse trail. We passed at least of dozen horses in about 30 minutes of hiking. If you're afraid of horses, you may want to avoid this trail.

If you can get through the first couple of miles on the Alta trail, you'll really enjoy this 9-mile hike. I highly recommend it. Happy hiking.

Hiking in Spain

2010-10-21T12:40:00.009-07:00

The Trailhead

I was in Spain last week. Madrid to be exact. Spain is one of my favorite countries in Europe, and I try to get there at least once a year. This year, I set out to do something new. I decided it was high time to go hiking. Stupid me, I didn't do much research before leaving the good ole USA. I figured I would easily find all the info I needed once I was there using this nifty search tool called Google. Well, I couldn't have been more wrong. About the only thing Google was good for in this search was telling me where Madrid's hiking hot spot happened to be. I will get to that more later in this post. Suffice it to say, I only happened upon the trail head after a couple of false starts and a lot of frustration. So, did this desert hiker enjoy hiking in Spain? Absolutely! In many ways, it reminded me of hiking in Arizona. In other ways, it was very foreign (no pun intended).

Rio Manzanares

So, let me first say that unless you are a fluent speaker of Spanish (I am not, I just know how to order tapas and find out where the rest rooms are), you may have as much difficulty in finding places to go hiking in Madrid as I did. I found a general spot and figured my friend and I would head up there and ask the locals for direction. That was a mistake. We got there, went to see an old castle, had some tapas, and then were ready to start our hike. We asked our waitress were we could find the trail head. She had no idea. We asked the couple sitting at the table next to ours. They had no clue. We went to the town's information center. It was closed. We walked down one street and up another looking for signs. Nothing. Discouraged, we headed back to Madrid.

Discovering that my rudimentary Spanish wasn't helping me, I concentrated trying to find the hiking spot using English web pages. Again, I came up short in my search. At long last, I found what I thought would be a bright spot... but was again a big disappointment. The blogger told about going to Manzanares el Real (in the mountains about 45 minutes north of Madrid) and discovering that the tourist information office was closed. I gasped "OMG, that's what happened to me." I continued to read, knowing that what I wanted was within my grasp. The blogger went on to talk about how hard it was to find directions to the trail head without have a doctorate in Spanish ("just like me," I thought). Nobody in the town was helpful with directions. On and on the blogger blogged. At long last, they finally found the trail head. The hiking was good. The scenery was great. The end. WAIT A MINUTE! Where's the trail head? I couldn't believe the blogger would go through all the detail and then fail to deliver directions to the trail head for others.

Well, I won't be that blogger. I went back to Manzanares El Real with my friend via bus. It was the 724 that takes off from Plaza de Castilla. We got off the bus when it pulled up to the Visitor Information building at Avenida de Madrid #11. Walk west on that street (stay on the same side of the street from which you got off the bus) until you come to a street called Avenida de la Pedriza. When you come to this street (it's right before the bridge), turn right (which is north) and following it until it dead ends at the trailhead. That's it. The walk is about 2 miles. Just stay on that street and don't get off it until you can't go any further. This street will follow the Manzanares River the entire length of your walk. If you can't hear the water rushing by, you probably got off the street and need to get back to it. If you have a GPS device with you, the trail head is roughly located at 40.742057, -3.883355.

This trail isn't hard at all. In fact, it's very much like a walk in the park. But, it connects to many more trails and you can make it as long and hard or as short and simple as you like. Additionally, the spot is very popular with rock climbers. Bring your equipment if you want to do that.

Rio Manzanares

Most of the trail follows the Manzanares river. On the north side of the trail as you start out is a rugged granite mountainside. It's literally granite (I think). The rock is very polished in some places, so I found myself constantly watching my footing. The ultra smooth stone was just about as bad as the foot gremlins on Arizona trails. On the south side of the trail (across from the river) is a huge forest of pine trees. As if that didn't make the trail smell good by itself, I found lots of wild rosemary bushes growing along the north side of the trail. It was heaven.

On the day we hiked it (in mid October), the leaves were changing color. There were lots of reds and yellows mixed in with the lush green pine trees. The sky was also particularly clear and we could view the peaks of the mountain chain for miles. There are a few restaurants at the trail head, and even one about a half mile into the trail. If you're planning on eating, though, I would recommend making it a picnic because there are lots of places to stop along the river or a short climb up the rocks. We hiked for several miles along the river, discovering flowers we'd never seen before, spying on trout swimming in the clear water, and just enjoying the sun and clean air. All in all, it was a beautiful hike.

Being a hiker from the United States, one thing really felt "foreign" to me about this hike, and that thing was trail etiquette. In the US, there is an established trail etiquette the people follow (excluding the newbies). When I pass somebody along the trail here in the US, I always great the person with a hello or good morning, and they will, generally, great me back. In Spain, or at least on this trail in Spain, people did not talk to people outside the parties. I said "hola" a few times and just got blank stares from the people as they continued to push by. I stopped with the greeting and went into observation mode. I thought perhaps my accent discouraged them from greeting me back, but then I observed that nobody greeted one another like we do here. I also noticed that there is not right of way. Here, we usually give the right of way to the people on the ascent, letting them waive the right if they so choose. Not so on this trail. People pushed passed on another and it seemed like a general free for all. I probably shouldn't judge all Spanish hiking by this one experience, but having spent a lot of time in Spain, this "rudeness" on the trail really doesn't seem out of place. Spaniards, in general, are not good queuers so I suppose that would also translate to the trails. Spain, if you're listening, you should hire me to help you develop better trail etiquette and to help you attract the English-only speaking tourist to your beautiful trails. I'm just saying is all.

La Pedriza (Guadarrama Mountains)

Well, my readers know that my heart is in the mountains of the American west, but if I had to hike any other place, I would definitely pick Spain's Guadarrama mountain range. Partly because they sort of reminded me of my beloved Arizona mountains, partly because they had a beauty and personality all their own. If you ever find yourself in Spain, do yourself a favor and find a trail head ASAP. You won't regret it.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:40.742058,-3.883690

Sounds of Nature

2010-10-01T10:17:00.003-07:00

Back in the spring, I posted an entry about the sounds of nature. I wrote that I didn't wear headphones and listen to my iPod while I was hiking. I preferred the sounds of nature, instead. The beating wings of a hummingbird, the call of quail, the scuffling sounds of lizards making a hasty retreat from approaching people. These are the sounds I love to hear when I'm hiking. For me, it's like going to a movie: I'm looking to escape my urban life. I don't want to hear the beats of my favorite musician, car traffic, or loud humans. I can hear them all the time when I'm back in reality. When I'm out hiking, I just want to enjoy nature in all her raw goodness.

I got a lot of emails from that post with people agreeing with me. This morning, while I was reading up on National Park Service news, I came across a blog entry that reminded me of that posting. It stated that Zion National Park (one of my all-time favorite parks) just announced approval of a "Soundscape Management Plan." The purpose of the plan, they state, is to improve the soundscape of the park. In other words, visitors to the park would have a greater opportunity to hear nature in a natural setting while leaving the polluting sounds of civilization to the confines of the developed areas like the visitor centers and lodge. The NPS blog summarized it best by stating: "One reason people come to National Parks is to be able to hear the sounds of nature--wind in the trees, water babbling over rocks, or the song of the canyon wren."* I couldn't have said it better.

I think this is exciting and am looking forward to how they implement the plan. If it's successful, I'm hoping it will be a model for other national and state parks to follow.

*from nps.gov website accessed on 10/01/2010
http://www.nps.gov/zion/parknews/zion-announces-approval-of-the-soundscape-management-plan.htm

Location:N Cottage Terrace,Scottsdale,United States

The Curious Coyote

2010-09-27T16:09:00.003-07:00

I arrived at the mountain at first light. The sky was still a deep purple to the west as a thin line of gold slowly radiated larger and brighter on the eastern horizon. This was my first time to South Mountain so early. Despite the early morning, the wind was warm and dry. I decided to begin my hike by ascending the Ridge Line Trail. I knew that would get my muscles and lungs burning a little.

The sun arced upward and began to bathe the eastern side of the mountain in a clear, golden light. This was one of those mornings in Phoenix that is clear of smog and haze. I had the mountain to myself for the time being, or so I thought.

A climbed up the mountain at a leisurely pace. There was no need for hurrying. It was a Saturday morning, after all, and I had no where else I needed to be. This was my communion with nature, with God. Up and down, and up and down I went until I finally felt the need to take a rest. I stood to the side of the trail looking out at the mountain. From the Ridge Line Trail, you can spy the several other trails. I took this moment of rest to examine those other trails to see if there were many other hikers out this morning. To my surprise, there weren’t. As I was about to get moving again, a shadow passed before my eyes. Instinctively, I looked for the source and found a coyote about 30 feet directly off the trail to my right.

This coyote was sauntering through scrub bush, his back to me, but a sixth sense must have told him I was watching him. He stopped, turned around and looked at me. Then he did something incredible: he sat down and watched me watching him. He didn’t seem afraid of being so close to me. Perhaps, also like me, he had no where else he needed to be. I squatted down on my haunches and decided to see how long our moment would last. A Gambel’s quail screeched somewhere off to the coyote’s left. He stood and looked down the mountain in the general direction of the bird’s cry, then sat back down and continued to watch me.

The Navajo (Dîné) call the coyote the Trickster, but I felt no fear of being tricked, only curiosity flowed through my mind. What was he thinking? Where does he live? Where’s his pack? What does he make of me? These and other questions floated through my head, but then I realized none of them mattered. All that mattered was this brief moment we were sharing.

After another minute or two, the quail (or perhaps another one) screeched again. This time, the quail's call was too seductive to ignore. The coyote got up and left me to find the noisy quail. Perhaps it was time for his breakfast. I arose, too, and started hiking up the trail again. He continued to glance back at me as he made his way down the mountain, and I continued to glance back at him as I made my way up and over the ridge line.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:South Mountain, Phoenix, Arizona

Autumn Has Arrived

2010-09-24T11:51:00.001-07:00

It's official! Fall is here. The days are getting shorter and the daytime high temperatures are starting to fall at or below 100 regularly now. Hiking in the desert in late morning or early afternoon is now something that can be done with much more comfort.

Tomorrow morning, I'm going to head out to South Mountain and hike a 15-mile loop. It's been far too long and I'm itching to put some miles under my feet again now that it's cool off a bit.

What are other desert hikers going to be doing? Any weekend hikes planned?

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:N Cottage Terrace,Scottsdale,United States

Worst blogger...ever

2010-09-16T15:36:00.001-07:00

I have been a very bad blogger. I apologize for the long absence. My love for desert hiking hasn't abated, but sometimes life gets in the way. Work has been busy, and I've had a sick little dog at home to take care of (who seems to be on the mend). The last time I blogged was back in July when the monsoon season was just starting. Allow me to tell you all about living through my first entire monsoon season in Arizona.

Things I Hated about the Monsoon Season
As the monsoon season started, the humidity increased fairly quickly. I knew this would happen, but still, I wasn't quite prepared. I love the desert heat and temperatures in the 100s and 110s really don't bother me. Well, they don't bother me until you ad the oppressive 30% or more humidity. Talk about uncomfortable.

As if the combination of heat and humidity weren't already bad enough, what was worse was that we really didn't get too much rain. When it's that hot and humid, and the cumulus clouds hang over your head for days on end, you just want it to rain to dry out the air a bit. Unfortunately, in the Valley of the Sun, rain wasn't too forthcoming. It rained about a half dozen times in the southeast part of the valley, two of those times was torrential. Still, I expected more rain, and when it didn't come, I felt deprived.

Things I Loved about the Monsoon Season

The smell of the desert. Even though it didn't rain much, the humidity and small amounts of rain we did get made the creosote bushes release their musky scent. This is the smell I associate with the desert. I wish I could share it on this blog because it is strong and lovely. If you find yourself in Arizona at any time of the year, take a little bit of water from a water bottle and pour it on the leaves of a creosote bush. It will almost immediately release the scent I'm talking about. During my morning hikes or my evening dog walks, the air was thick with the smell of the creosote bush.

Learning to Live with the Monsoon Season

Dealing with the monsoon season wasn't too difficult. I moved most of my outdoor activity to 5 or 6 in the morning. At this time of the day, the temperatures are in the high 80s or low 90s and the humidity isn't too bad yet. You can go hiking for a few hours, play tennis, just about anything. The problem is that most people don't want to get up that early so you may have to go on solo hikes. I was lucky and went hiking and playing sports with some friends who were equally motivated to be up and out at first light.

During the day, you just stay inside your home, go to the mall, or see a movie. Not so bad, but I'd rather be hiking during the day.

So, we're just about at the end of the season. Officially speaking, the monsoon season ends on September 30, but for all intents and purposes, it's pretty much over right now. The days high temperatures have fallen back to the low 100s (sometimes even maxing out in the 90s), and the air is becoming more dry. Nighttime lows are now generally in the 70s.

Now fall is in the air and I can't wait to get back out on the trails and trekking through the desert at most any time of the day. Autumn and winter are my favorite times of the year in the desert. I'll be hiking with gusto and bringing back photos (can't wait to try out my new Olympus 14-150mm lens) and stories to tell.

Monsoon Season Is Here

2010-07-10T22:08:00.003-07:00

The Arizona monsoon season is here. Today was the first rain I've experienced in the Valley since March or April. It wasn't monsoonal rain, but it reminded me that it's that time of year. The monsoon season brings spectacular, localized thunderstorms and sand storms to the Valley of the Sun. The hot humid air rises up off the valley floor and gets trapped at the mountain edges. After several days of this phenomenon, violent storms form and bring flash floods to the area. Our cobalt blue skies have now been dotted with clouds for the past few days. Another reminder that the season is upon us.

It's been dry and the temperature has been in the triple digits since June. Until recently it's been hot, but comfortable. Over the past week, the humidity level has steadily risen to a point where the air is beginning to feel thick with moisture. Just to be clear, 15% humidity in most places would be considered dry. Here in the Sonoran desert, it feels very humid because it's mixed with triple-digit heat.

Until 2008, the monsoon season has been defined as starting when there are three consecutive days of the average dew point hitting 54ºF (today it hit 51ºF). Now there is a calendar-based method for determining the monsoon season. The National Weather Service has made it easy for everybody by defining the monsoon season as starting on June 15 and ending on September 30.

For hikers, you need to be very careful. Normally, the thunderstorms start in the afternoon. They are highly localized. There can be a downpour on one side of a canyon, while it's hot and sunny on the other side. So, for starters, avoid hiking in the later afternoon during the monsoon season. It's impossible to predict where a thunderstorm will hit and flash flooding is a very real threat to your safety (and life).

Another worry for hikers is lightening. Lightening storms are plentiful during the monsoon season. Much of the rock in our canyons and mountains have large iron and mineral deposits, making the very ground you're hiking on very conductive. Keep in mind that you're basically a walking lightning rod when you're out hiking.

Lastly, the dust storms can be treacherous. If you hike during this part of the year, wear pants and long-sleeved shirts. This will protect you from the sand that blows at several miles an hour during the dust storms. Wear a hat and glasses for further protection, and take a bandana along, even if you don't wear it. It will come in handy for covering you ears and nose if you find yourself caught in a dust storm.

What can you do to minimize your risk while hiking? Here are a few tips:

Hike in the early morning. Monsoon storms normally happen in the later afternoon.
If you hear thunder, seek shelter as soon as you can. If you hear thunder before starting your hike, plan on postponing the hike. It's better to stay indoors than risk your life.
Continuously scan the skies in all directions for the tall, fluffy clouds (cumulonimbus clouds) or a darkening sky. If you see these clouds or a darkening sky, end your hike immediately.
Check your local weather before starting the hike and look at the radar for cloud movement in your area.

It's still fun and safe to hike during the monsoon season. Just take a few extra safety precautions to keep you and your hiking party safe.

A Close Encounter

2010-06-13T14:28:00.001-07:00

After several weeks of not hiking due to work and personal commitments, I finally found time to go hiking on my birthday back in May. I had committed myself to the hike but was unable to get out first thing in the morning, so I told myself to wait until a few hours before sunset and then head out so I could avoid the upper 90-degree heat. At about 4 pm, I found myself (with a friend) hiking through South Mountain, but it was a different world to me. I've hiked at South Mountain so many times I can't keep count any more, but all my hikes have been in the morning or early afternoon. I had never done a "sunset" hike there. I will remember this hike as the hike of many encounters with wildlife.

My first encounter happened as my friend and I where hiking up the Javelina Trail and crossing the Ridge Line Trail. Out of the corner of my eye I spied a coyote. Coyote's are magical animals to me. I have read all the Navajo trickster legends and that only makes them more magical to me, so I was quite happy to spot one. Then I realized there wasn't just one: there were two on a bluff just to my right. We quickly (and quietly) moved down the Javelina Trail toward the Mormon Loop Trail. This part of the Mormon Loop follows a dry wash for a few hundred yards. I kept my eyes open, but just couldn't spot the pair of coyotes. I had all but given up when my friend tugged my shirt from behind and quietly told me there was a coyote looking at us from across the wash. I saw it, and to my amazement, I realized a whole pack was there. We counted eight in all. Most of them didn't seem interested in us, but two of them kept a sharp eye on us. It seemed as if they were as curious about us as we were about them. We stood there for several minutes, just staring at each other. Then my friend and I moved on so we wouldn't disturb them. I glanced back a few times, and each time I did, I noticed that one of the coyotes continued to keep an eye on us.

As we ascended the mountain on the Mormon Loop trail going west, we saw several broods of Gambel's Quail. The youngsters look just like their parents. Most of the time, I couldn't see them, but I could hear them scurrying past us in the brush behind rock piles or creosote bushes. As we were heading toward the National Trail, we spotted a chuckwalla. The chuckwalla is a large lizard found in the arid desert southwest. It has dark banded body that looks like it got flattened. It also has a large belly, and looks like it had lost a lot of weight too quickly because its skin sags. The chuckwalla has a distinctive pushup it does when it feels threatened (or when it's looking for a mate?). Upon seeing us, the chuckwalla started to do the pushups and puffed his body out as if to tell us to back off. We didn't hang around too long and kept hiking up the National Trail.

A few more miles on the trail brought us to the Hidden Valley. My friend had never been there and I was only too happy to be his guide through this area that gets very little foot traffic (relative to the other trails at South Mountain). We carefully climbed down into the valley and I started hiking a little bit ahead of my friend. The black flies were thick on the trail in general that day, and in particular at Hidden Valley. As I was hiking, I quick looking at the trail and started to swat the swarming flies away from me when I heard my friend scream at the top of his lungs, "WATCH OUT! IT'S GOING TO BITE YOU!"

At this point, I froze. I had no idea what was going to bite me or where it was at. My poor friend was so scared I was going to get bitten, that he couldn't get any more coherent information out of his mouth. Should I step forward or backward? To my right or to my left? I took a deep breath, said a little prayer and stepped backward. The moment I did, I finally saw the Gila monster looking at me, mouth wide open and wagging his tongue at me. This guy was about 24 inches long and probably weighed about 10 pounds. He was no little lizard and he was not going to back down. I took another step backward. When I did, he moved forward. I quickly glanced behind me to make sure I wasn't going to step on anything else, then I took another couple of steps backward. All the while, the Gila monster continued to move toward me. Finally, we he moved off to his right into the brushy undergrowth near a rock. I stayed planted to the spot just watching him move off. I was thrilled to have seen one of these rare animals. The Gila monster is the only venomous lizard native to the United States (there are only two venomous lizards in North America). The Gila monster produces a neurotoxin that is similar to that of a coral snake, but it doesn't produce it in large quantities. What's worse is the Gila monster's bite. It will tenaciously hold on to whatever it bites. I'm glad it didn't attach itself to my ankle. While the Gila monster's venom probably wouldn't have killed me, the bite would have been very painful. I'm glad my friend stopped me from getting any closer to the lizard.

So, next time you're out on the trail, make sure you watch where you're going. Don't let the flies bug you enough to take your eye off the trail. If you should run into a Gila monster (or a rattlesnake), just give it a wide and respectable berth and you'll both be OK.

Happy hiking!

Time Flies

2010-06-12T13:42:00.000-07:00

It's been forever since I last posted on my blog. It's not that I haven't wanted to, it's just that life sometimes gets in the way of one's interest. I got a new 9-5 job shortly after my last post and, well, work's been busy. I'm not complaining at all, but I have missed blogging (and hiking).

Since getting the new job, I have been out on the trails a few times (I'll blog about one of the hikes because something cool and unexpected happened), and I've started writing a book on desert hiking. I'm hoping to publish it digitally to Amazon's Kindle and Apple's iBook formats in the next few months.

So... stay tuned to read about my recent hike and the creature I ran into (literally) while on the trail.

Arizona Desert Wild Flower Watch 2010 Update III

2010-03-21T14:11:00.000-07:00

Well, if you haven't been out, I would suggest you get out soon. The wild flowers are everywhere. Some mountains have more than others. For instance, at South Mountain, the mountains have turned yellow, purple and green. The Mexican poppies are all over the mountain side, as are lupines, sweetbush, rose-heath and others. Of course, we can't forget all the cacti and bushes that are flowering now. Pin cushion and hedgehog cacti are beautiful right now. The photo to the right is of a flower on a pin cushion cactus at Dreamy Draw in northern Phoenix. I think we're going to hit peak season within the next 7 to 10 days. Get out there, take a camera, and enjoy a leisure hike in Arizona's rugged wilderness.

Arizona Desert Wild Flower Watch 2010 Update II

2010-03-08T07:29:00.000-07:00

I'm excited to report that the Arizona Desert Wild Flower 2010 season is up and running. I was hiking at South Mountain in southern Phoenix on Thursday of last week when I spied the first Mexican poppies of the season. This weekend I went hiking at Dreamy Draw in northern Phoenix and spied some more Mexican poppies coming up. There are also some very small red, yellow, white and purple flowers beginning to pop open, too. In another week or so, we should see the mountains and deserts blanketed in the wild flowers. We've also been getting very healthy amounts of rain in the last couple of weeks so that should help us get a real explosion of color this week. If you haven't been out in a while, now's the time to go and see the beautiful flowers for yourself.

Desert Myth Busters

2010-03-01T15:51:00.001-07:00

I haven’t lived in Arizona very long, but I’ve been here long enough to know that there are a lot of myths and misconceptions about my new state. What makes matters worse is that a lot of these myths and misconceptions are perpetuated by natives and snow birds alike. This series of posts is intended to dispel some of the misinformation that abounds. I’ll break it down into a few different categories. This blog entry will focus on desert myths. Just a word of warning, I believe the information that I’m trying to provide is accurate. If you know better, please correct me.

Myth #1: Arizona is one big desert.

Actually, Arizona contains four big deserts in addition to alpine forests, snow-capped mountains and deep gorges. The four deserts are the Sonoran, Chihuahuan, Mojave, and Great Basin. These deserts can be further subdivided into smaller regions that contain unique flora and fauna to that particular region. Phoenix is located within the Sonoran Desert.

Myth #2: Deserts are designated by how hot they are.

A desert is not defined by how hot it is. Instead, a desert is defined by how arid the area is. In general, a desert region is defined as a place that gets less than 10 inches of precipitation in a year or as a place where more water is lost as evapotranspiration than falls as precipitation. Antarctica is the world’s largest desert, despite being a very cold place. Just because a place is cold doesn’t mean it can’t be arid. Likewise, the tropics are very hot, but the air is saturated with water in the form of humidity. The Great Basin Desert is North America’s largest desert.

Myth #3: Deserts are barren, lifeless places.

Deserts are harsh places to live (the Sonoran desert is the hottest desert in North America), but they are certainly not barren. In the Sonoran Desert alone, life abounds in a multitude of shapes and sizes. The Sonoran is considered lush by desert standards. It is home to more than 2,000 species of plants, including the iconic giant saguaro cactus. There are 60 mammal species (including large mammals like the wolf, mountain lion and bighorn sheep), 350 bird species (including the condor, owls, golden eagles and bald eagles), 20 amphibian specials, more than 100 reptile species (including the gila monster), 30 native fish species and more than 1,000 native bee species. Life, big and small, is rich and abundant in the desert. Life has also evolved to take best advantage of the harsh desert conditions.

Hopefully this has dispelled a myth or misconception about the nature of the desert you may have been told. If you know any other facts about the desert you'd like to share (or any corrections to the three myth busters I provided), please leave a comment. Next time I'll talk about the animals of the desert. Stay tuned.

Arizona Desert Wild Flower Watch 2010 Update

2010-02-20T18:52:00.003-07:00

This will be a short entry. I went out for a hike this morning on South Mountain, but I didn't get much mileage before being turned back by the rain. It started raining this morning (as soon as I got on the trail, of course). The rain with the "cold" temperature (it was in the 50s) made me wuss out and hike back to my car. While I was out on the trail, I was impressed with the grasses and wildflowers that are popping up. The mountain was literally green with little plants sprouting everywhere I looked. Even from a distance as I was driving to the trailhead parking lot, I could tell the mountain was green. I'm really getting excited about the wild flowers this year and I'm predicting it's going to be a good show. In March we should see some spectacular color.

Last year was one our our driest years on record, but we've gotten record amounts of rain this January. February has been rainy, too. It has rained most of the day here today, and meteorologists are predicting a wet week ahead. Normally, the precipitation amount for the year prior and for the beginning of the current year influences how spectacular the wild flower explosion will be. I'm hoping this wet 2010 will more than make up for our dry 2009.

If you want to see a preview of what to expect in the next couple of weeks, check out this excellent Arizona wild flower web site run by George and Audrey DeLange. It's an excellent resource on Arizona wild flowers and includes great photos, common names of the plants and scientific names.

Be Safe, Even While Hiking Well Trodden Trails

2010-02-16T19:04:00.001-07:00

I mostly hike well known desert trails. I wish I could be out in the back country on long treks, but with the rigors of life, I take any hiking I can get. I'm really lucky because the city of Phoenix has an awesome network of hiking trails for the hiker of any skill level. Some are long, some are short, some are difficult, some are easy... well, you get the idea. Even though these trails (and others like them throughout the southwest) are well used and, sometimes, heavily trafficked, you still can't take hiking in the desert for granted. The desert is beautiful, but it is a harsh place and can be exceedingly unforgiving. Here are some things everybody who hikes in the desert should keep in their backpacks.

If you've ever read this blog before, you know you have to take water. A lot of it. Before heading out in hotter weather, drink as much water as you can, relive yourself and then fill up on water again. This will saturate your tissues with water and can help you with evaporative cooling. Still, you need plenty of water so get a Camelbak Hydration System (or something similar, they come in all sizes, styles, and prices) or a couple of large-sized aluminum bottles and fill them with as much water as they can carry. Regardless of whether you prefer a tube-style hydration system or bottles, just make sure you always have easy access to the water. If you have to fish it out of your backpack, I guarantee you won't be drinking enough water on your hike. NEVER go hiking in the desert without carrying water. The rule of thumb is that you should take more than you need and you should NEVER ration your water. Drink whenever you feel thirsty. If you wait to long to drink, then dehydration can already be taking its toll on you body and your decision-making abilities. Most trailheads and trails do not have potable water so take what you need and extra. I know, water is heavy, but there's no way around carrying it with you. Every desert rat has heard stories of people just yards from their car who have collapsed or died of dehydration while on the trail. I hear time and again about people are are hiking and only have one 20 oz bottle of water with them. I've even seen people like that. This will kill you.

Now on to the other things you should have in your backpack. If you do any hiking at all in the desert, get a cheap pare of needle nose pliers. Believe it or not, these could become your best friend. If you're not paying attention to where you're walking, you could end up walking into a cactus. The worst kind of cactus you can stumble into in the Sonoran desert is the teddybear or jumping cholla. Don't believe me? Just watch this YouTube video. This is a pretty but nasty cactus that will leave you in pain and bleeding. To get it off you, first calm down, then find two sturdy sticks (saguaro skeletons are great for this). Use the two sticks (one on either side of the cactus embedded in your leg) and push it off quickly. Now the pliers will become your best friend because you will find several needles embedded in your leg after pulling the cactus off. Get our your handy pliers that you now keep in your backpack and pull the needles out in quick pulls. You will bleed and will want to spare some water to wash the area. Now aren't you glad you always bring extra water with you?

That jumping cactus brings me to my next item. Even while trail hiking, you should always have a little first aid kit with you. It doesn't have to be big and heavy. I have a small, water tight box. In it I keep a little gauze, some bandages and a few alcohol wipes. I also have a book of matches, just in case I need to sterilize something. You can also buy an inexpensive first aid kit online or from REI or other outfitter stores.

This one is very important, especially in hotter weather. Always wear a wide brimmed hat that will cover your head and neck. I use Columbia's Bora Bora hat and am really happy with it. The hat will keep you cool, will help keep sweat out of your eyes and will save you from leathery skin on your face from too much sun exposure. It's a must have and must use when hiking in the desert.

Here's an easy one: Food. Yes, even if you're just on a trail, take some food with you. I usually keep granola bars in my backpack because they're easy to tote around with you, convenient when a hunger pang hits you, and they last a long time. Just last week I was hiking an exceedingly easy trail with my friend Diana. The trail was short, too, but all of the sudden, my blood sugar must have dropped (who knows why) and I felt light headed. I pulled a chocolate chip chewy bar out of my backpack and within minutes I was feeling better again. You don't have to take a lot, but you should have a little something just in case. I was glad I did.

My last suggestion of things you should always carry with you while hiking any trail is sunblock with a minimum SPF of 30 and lip balm. When you're sweating a lot, you will need to reapply sunscreen while you're on the trail, especially if you've got a light complexion like I do. The sun and dry desert air will quickly chap your lips so make sure you have lip balm, too. It doesn't matter what brand, but if possible, get a lip balm with sun block in it. You can get either at a Walgreens or CVS. I buy a travel size spray-on sunblock just for the convenience factor.

So there you have it. Pretty easy list, really. You'll be thankful for all these little items and the extra water so outfit yourself properly and have fun on the trails. I'll write another blog entry later about how I outfit my backpack when I go on long distance hikes.

An Urban Hike in the Sonoran Desert

2010-02-14T11:08:00.004-07:00

Hiking through the streets of Nogales, Sonora, Mexico

Yesterday I went to Nogales, Mexico, with my friend Rob. It's just under a three-hour drive from Phoenix. We left at 6 am and got to the border just before 9 am. On the American side of the border we found several parking lots where you could park you car for the day for $4 or $5 (depending on which lot you choose). We parked and then walked across the border, which is a mere two blocks from the parking lot.

I wasn't sure of what to expect at the border. I've been watching Border Wars on television and thought that it would be a rough crossing. I was wrong and crossing into Nogales is nothing like what you see on TV. There were two border guards who we tried to show our passports to, but they looked disinterested and, without even looking at our IDs, waved us through the border. As you walk through the tunnel, there's a "check point" where you have to press a button. Pressing the button activates a light that will be either green or red. If you get green, you pass through with no questions asked. If you get a red light, the customs officers will check quicky check your bags. We both got the green light.

As soon as you walk out of the tunnel and find yourself in Nogales, you realize you're not in the United States any more. First, you're immediately bombarded by guys trying to get you to ride in their taxi. Unless you're old or unfit, you really don't need a taxi. The shopping district is an easy, short walk from the border. Next, you'll be molested by guys trying to get you to buy pharmaceuticals, buy a dog, get a "massage" from a local hooker, or buy drugs. They're pretty open if you ask for something. We kept telling the person who followed us down the street that we didn't want anything. Finally, Rob said, "do you have crack?" He was just joking, but the guy said, "yes, I can take you to get some now." We finally ditched the guy and made it to Calle de Obregon, the main shopping street. We were a little early so most of the shops where closed, but people on the main street were friendly. We walked around just getting a feel for the city while we waited for the shops to open. While we walked around, I was taken by the bright colors. Houses on the hills are painted brightly, as are advertisements, fast food places and convenience stores. They use a lot more bright colors than we do.

The shopping is good and bargaining is expected. Always offer half of the first price they give you. You'll find beautiful ceramics, tiles, wool blankets, ornaments, jewelry, and a plethora of pharmacies that have over-the-counter things like penicillin for dirt cheap. They also have prescription items for very cheap prices, but you have to have a "prescription" from the doctor. Don't have a prescription? No problem, you can go to any "doctor" down the block, pay a small fee and get a prescription to take back to the pharmacy.

As lunch time rolled around, I was really wanting to get some authentic Mexican food. Rob had other ideas. He wanted pizza and there's no changing his mind once he makes it up. We hiked a mile down the road to a little pizza place called Rin Rin Pizza. It was set up in what looked like an old garage. The woman at the cash register couldn't speak much English and I don't speak Spanish, so Rob took over ordering a pepperoni pizza for us. When I asked for a Coca-Cola Light (a Diet Coke) she indicated she only had Pepsi products. Not to be deterred, I requested a Pepsi Light only to find out that this is the only restaurant in Nogales that doesn't serve diet drinks. I said nothing for me to drink, then, but she pointed out some other sugary drinks she thought I might like. I declined all of them, then she excused herself, ran across the street and came back with a can of Diet Coke for me. Can you imagine somebody in the United States doing that for you? Like I said, you knew you weren't in the US any more.

I was a little worried about all the drug wars going on in the border towns, so I was on high alert the entire time we were there, but overall, I found the people to be friendly and helpful. Most of the shopkeepers speak English, but people at restaurants and the locals really don't. If you go, learn a few keywords and remember to say gracias to thank people.

On the way back to the US, we had to wait in the line for about an hour. The state of our economy has caused even the border to cut staff. There were only three people processing hundreds of people trying to get through the border. While we were talking to the official, the phone rang across the room. He had to get up, answer it and didn't come back for five minutes. Come on, Obama, send some stimulus money to the border (and to the national and state parks while you're at it).

Should you go? Definitely. It's a lot of fun... just try something other than pizza if you stay for lunch or dinner.

Beware of Venomous and Poisonous Animals and Plants While Hiking

2010-02-07T15:53:00.007-07:00

I went hiking with my friend Diana yesterday. We went up to McDowell Mountain Regional Park and hiked the Scenic (SN) loop trail. Diana had never been to the park before so we decided to stop at the visitor center. The small center is home to a gila monster lizard, and three snakes, one of which is a western diamondback rattlesnake. Diana is afraid of snakes; it's a healthy fear, not a phobia. I was bit by one when I was a teenager, so I'm not too keen to go finding any in the wilderness for a round two (let's face it, the the snake would win). Snakes creep me out a little, but I also think that they're really fascinating. As we entered the small room in the visitor center where the rattlesnake lives, his little rattle started shaking a mile a minute. After a few moments, he got used to us and calmed down. An interpretive ranger heard us in the reptile room and came in to see if we had any questions. We learned that it's still to cold for the snakes to be active (so a great time to go hiking), and we learned that nobody in the state of Arizona has been killed by a rattlesnake bite in the past 20 years (I didn't ask for sources, I took his word at this). We also learned one other interesting fact. Snakes (like the rattlesnake or the coral snake) aren't poisonous. Instead, they're venomous. Diana and I looked at each other and weren't quite sure of what to make of that information. Was this just a case of "semantics" or was there a difference -- I didn't know. "But they're not poisonous, they're venomous," the ranger continued for the second or third time. He was adamant about making the distinction, but couldn't tell us what the difference between the two things were.

Diana went to buy a book and I went outside to wait by the car and take off my sweater (the day was warming up quite nicely). She came out and said that while checking out, the "head" ranger also mentioned that the rattlesnake is venomous, not poisonous. We hiked the Scenic trail (it's a four and a half mile loop) and for the next couple of hours we pondered what the difference between the two things could be. To us unscientific folk, the two where the same, but the rangers were quite clear that they were not. I would have pulled out my iPhone and checked there and then, but I didn't have a signal (thanks, AT&T).

After the hike, we headed back into Phoenix, stopped for lunch/dinner, and did a little shopping. By the time I got home, it was time to take the dogs out and then I just crashed. This morning, Diana called me to ask a question and it reminded me to look up that info. So, for those of you who don't know any better, here's the difference between poisonous and venomous:

Poisonous plants and animals spread their poison to you via touch or ingestion (eg, the poison of a poison dart frog or poison ivy is transferred to you when you touch it with your bare skin; if you eat a wild cucumber, then you've ingested the poison).
Venomous animals are safe to touch and eat, just so long as they don't inject their venom into you, usually through fangs or mastication (eg, a snake or spider bites you with its fangs to inject venom into your blood stream).

So there you have it. Poison is transferred via touch or ingestion. Venom is transferred via injection. Next time you're out on the trail, beware of the poisonous plants like poison ivy or poison oak. Make certain that you watch your step and where you put your hands so that you're not bit by a venomous snake or spider.

Happy and safe hiking!

Desert Photography

2010-02-01T16:40:00.004-07:00

The Sonoran desert is a beautiful place at any time of the year. I always take a camera with me when I go hiking. Many times I won't use it, but you never know what you're going to see and I'd rather lug a camera around just in case rather than regret that a shot got away. When I hike a place for the first time, or if it's a place I think is particularly attractive, I will always take my "big" camera (a dSLR). Don't get me wrong, point-and-shoot cameras are great, but I like the flexibility and image quality that a dSLR offers. Over the past several weeks, I've seen more people hiking the trails toting their dSLRs with them. I've seen just about every brand and every model by now. My "big" camera happens to be a Nikon D300, but these general rules about shooting in the desert can apply to any dSLR (or SLR for those of you still using film; or even some advanced point-and-shoot cameras like the excellent Canon G11).

Michael Aaron Hansen's Desert Photography Tips

Take your camera with you. I know this sounds funny, but you can't take photos without your camera.
Charge your battery. I can't tell you how many times my hiking companion's have run out of juice in the middle of nowhere. That's not fun. If you have a spare battery, charge it and take it with you in addition to the fully charged battery already in your camera.
Wear a hat instead of wearing sunglasses. Constantly removing your sunglasses to focus your camera and take a photo can be a pain. If you're like me, you love your sunglasses and don't want to go wondering around in the desert without them. If that's the case, get a cheap neck strap for your sunglasses. You can thank me later for this tip.
If possible, go hiking just before sunrise or before sunset. The yellows and oranges will be beautiful and some of the rocks will glow or look like they're in fire. All the colors in your photos will be more saturated.
If shooting at the end of the day, don't wait until dark. You'll want to shoot before you lose all the color in the sky. The twilight hour will reward you with beautiful crimson, orange or purple skies. I like to shoot about an hour before sunset to get this effect.
There's a sunset rule you can follow to get beautiful photos at dusk. Point your camera to the sky above the sun (but not including the sun) and take a meter reading. Now, set the camera down 1 F stop from whatever the meter indicated.
Sometimes you find yourself out in the middle of the day. Should you just put the camera away? No way! Keep in shooting, but follow the ancient photographer's rule of Sunny 16. Sunny 16 says, when it's bright and sunny outside, set your aperture to f/16 and your shutter speed equal to 1/ISO (this means if you're shooting at ISO 100, you'll set your shutter to 1/100). This simple rule will give you tack-sharp photos and a beautiful color.
Take an all-purpose lens with you. You really don't want to change your lens in the desert. You will get sand on the sensor and you will spend hours in Photoshop, Aperture or Lightroom removing the dust bunnies from your photos.
If you see a scene, but it's heavily backlit, take the photo anyway. When you get home, convert the photo to black and white to get a beautiful, artistic photo. Some you won't be able to save with this technique, but this tip will save a lot of photos.

I'd love to hear from you and get your hiking photo tips. Here's a brief list of photography blogs I find helpful. Check them out for more tips: Luminous Landscapes, The Heart of the Image, Moose Peterson (an awesome wildlife photographer), Thom Hogan.

Feel free to post comments or your own photography tips below.

Mexican Gray Wolves in Arizona

2010-01-31T18:55:00.003-07:00

The Mexican gray wolf in Arizona was nothing more than a mere ghost until the species was recently re-introduced into the region. While reading one of my favorite blogs, Arizona Hiking, I came across a post on the blog in which the blog's writer (Mare Czinar) mentioned having seen one during one of her hikes in the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest. I've personally never seen a Mexican gray wolf in the wild. It must have been quite exciting for Mare to have actually seen one of these secretive and rare animals.

Her post got me thinking that I really don't know much about wolves so I started delving into the subject to educate myself a little. Here are some interesting tidbits of information I thought I'd share:

The Mexican gray wolf is a subspecies of the gray wolf found in northern climates.
It is the smallest of the gray wolves (they are about the size of a German shepherd).
In the USA, wolves were nearly eradicated in the early 20th Century. Only in the southwest where they actually wiped out. Today's population comes from Mexico.
The Mexican gray wolf is the most endangered and genetically distinct of all the North American wolves.
Today about 50 wolves are living in the wild in eastern Arizona and western New Mexico.

There are many very useful and interesting web sites to investigate if you would like more information about this endangered species. Here are a list of the ones I found particularly useful:

If you've been lucky enough to see one in the wild, let me know by posting a comment.

Desert Hiking Trails Are Turning Green

2010-01-30T20:05:00.000-07:00

Here's a quick update for Desert Wildflower Watch 2010 (DWW '10). I have a friend who's been wanting to go hiking with me for a while. It's not that I didn't want to go hiking with her, but our hiking styles are very different. She likes short relatively flat trails while I like long trails that gain and lose elevation throughout the trail. I thought that maybe going with her would make me slow down a little and help me to really pay attention to the details that I sometimes miss while I'm hiking. I was also secretly hoping some little flowers would have budded by now (no such luck). We agreed to meet up this morning and go on a short hike at Dreamy Draw Dam just north of Central Phoenix.

What I saw on the hike this morning re-affirmed that the desert is on the verge of what I'm predicting will be one of the most spectacular wildflower seasons the Sonoran desert has had in years. We continue to get record rainfall and temperatures in the 70s during the days. Last week when I was hiking on South Mountain, I noticed small blades of green coming up everywhere. This morning, the blades have become a literal carpet of green on the desert landscape. As you can (hopefully) see in the photos I took this morning, the ocotillo has leaves sprouting all over it's normally dead branches and the normally brownish/reddish/tannish soil has a distinct green to it. By the third week of February, we should start to see golden Mexican poppies, blue and violet lupines and the spectacular desert mariposa, among many, many other species of wildflower.

My friend really enjoyed our short hike. It was just right for her... and a good little warm-up for a much longer hike for me tomorrow. I spend more time on South Mountain because it is closer to where I live, so it was nice visiting one of Phoenix's sky islands. If you haven't been to Dreamy Draw, check it out. From now through April you should have really good weather and, soon, see some beautiful flowers.

Drinking Enough Water on Your Desert Hike

2010-01-28T18:30:00.000-07:00

You know. It's the desert. It's hot. You had better drink plenty of water. Right? Right! But when you're in the desert, you should always have more water than you think you'll need. It's true that you'll be more thirsty because it gets very hot here. Did you know the Sonoran desert is the hottest of the North American deserts? But that isn't the reason why you need to drink plenty of water when you're hiking in the desert.

The desert is an arid region. The air is very dry most of the year. When you exert yourself you'll sweat, but because the air is so dry, the sweat will dry very quickly from your skin. This has the effect of "hiding" your true water loss through perspiration. You may be profusely sweating (and losing a lot of your body's water) and not even realize it. So, though it's hot, it's also the dryness of the region that can be harmful to you when you're hiking.

So just how much water should you take on a hike? That depends on several things. It depends on you, it depends on the trail you're hiking and it depends on the time of the day. In the desert, when in doubt, take more water with you. If you think you'll need two liters of water, take three just to be safe.

Here are some tips you can follow to help you hike safely in the desert:

If you can, wet your shirt and/or hat before hiking. This will have a cooling effect on your body and you won't give up water through perspiration as quickly.
Don't hike during the hottest part of the day. Even if you have a lot of water, your body can only process so much water at a time. It's still possible to overexert yourself and dehydrate.
Try limiting longer or more strenuous hikes in the summer. Spring, autumn, and winter are cooler times to hike, even in the desert. (Don't be fooled, even when it's cooler, you still need water... remember, it's very dry in the desert and you will dehydrate).

The desert is a beautiful place and hiking in it is very rewarding. Just take care. Listen to your body and practice a little common sense if you don't want heatstroke to ruin an otherwise perfectly good hike.

Trail Etiquette

2010-01-26T18:28:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday I was out hiking on South Mountain. The cooler weather and recent rains kept a lot of people off the mountain that afternoon so I felt like I had the whole mountain to myself. As is usual when I go hiking, I got lost in my thoughts. I had no epiphanies or sudden realizations. Truth be told, I don’t remember what I was thinking about, but whatever it was, it put me in a good mood and a good frame of mind.

As I was descending the ridge line trail, some snow birds were hiking up the trail. I was to the right of the trail going down, she and her crew were on my right. At this point so close to the trail head, the trail was plenty wide for both of us to be on the trail moving in opposite directions. When she saw me, she froze, looked me straight in the eyes and then apologized! I was a little taken aback. Before I could ask her why she was begging my pardon, she explained that she wasn’t from “around here” and didn’t know the rules of trail etiquette. I just laughed and told her she was fine.

After I got to my car, it made me think that a lot of people on the trail who are from “around here” could use a trail etiquette refresher. Here’s my quick list of general hiking etiquette that I try to follow when hiking:

If a hiker is hiking uphill and another is hiking downhill, the person moving downhill should yield to the hiker going uphill. Often, but not always, the uphill hiking will waive the right because it gives him/her a minute to get a breather. Still, it is courteous to give the uphill hiker the right-of-way.
Greet people you meet on the trail. You don’t have to become best friends. A simple hi, hello, or good morning is more than enough.
When hiking in a group or a pair, be aware of your surroundings. If a single hiker appears you and your group or partner should hike in tandem until the single hiker has passed.
When passing, pass to the left.
Yield to horses and stand quietly on the downhill side. Sudden noise or motion (such as a wave of your hand) could spook the horse.
If you pack it in, pack it back out. Don’t leave litter on the trail. It doesn’t take that much effort to put your trash in your backpack or pockets until you can dispose of it properly in a trash can or recycling bin.
When you decide to take a rest, move off the trail. Nothing is a bigger pet peeve of mine than a bunch of hikers or bikers resting smack dab in the middle of the trail. This is the very height of rudeness. Don’t be one of those people.
Bikes are supposed to yield to hikers, but this rarely happens. For your own safety, when you hear or see a biker coming down the trail, move off to the side and let the biker pass. If they are nice, they will thank you.

At the end of the day, enjoy your hike and help others to enjoy theirs by being courteous and following a few of these guidelines.

My Passion for Hiking the Desert Trails

2010-01-25T21:10:00.000-07:00

What makes a person like the things he or she likes? Why do some of us love Coca-Cola but others won't drink anything but Pepsi-Cola? I think there's definitely some nature and nurture going on. When I reflect on how I got started hiking, I realize it started at a very young age. Even when I wasn't hiking, I was hiking. Let me explain.

When I was very young, my first exposure to hiking came from my parents taking my sisters and me to the Cook County forest preserves near our suburban Chicago home. We never called it hiking, we considered our treks through the forest as a family walk. We would go on loop trails (to us it was just the path) that would wind through forest, prairies and ponds and I knew from that very young age that this was something I really enjoyed. As we got older, we stopped doing those family things. My siblings and I were exploring our own independence and couldn't be bothered to go on a family walk through the woods any more.

I grew up and moved to the city. I lived in a northside neighborhood (Lincoln Park) about five miles north of Chicago's Loop (where I worked). For a few years, I got into the habit of putting a backpack on and walking those five miles to and from work. Still, I never considered it hiking. That part of me just wasn't awake yet. I loved "walking" and exploring, but hiking was "foreign" to me. I never considered myself a hiker.

About 10 years ago, my friend had to go to Phoenix for work. He suggested I come when his project was done and then the two of us could do some "hiking" in the desert and then drive up to the Grand Canyon. I had never been to a national park before so I jumped at the chance. Our first hiking trip happened in Sedona. I was hooked. We hiked up the relatively easy Bell Rock and I knew this was made for me. A day later we found ourselves at the South Rim. We had no experience hiking, let alone hiking in the Canyon. With a bottle of water each and a bag of goldfish crackers between the two of us, we hiked down to the river and back in about six hours. We thought we were going to die. Fortunately, lady luck was on our side and we found ourselves back on the rim starving and exhausted. Since that time, we've both become pretty experienced hikers.

It's funny to my ears when I tell people that I've only been hiking for 10 years. It sounds like a lie to me because even before I was hiking, I guess I was hiking. I guess we're born into the things we love to do and that love helps us to nurture our abilities.

Happy hiking!

Out on the Trail

2010-01-24T17:27:00.000-07:00

After the torrential storms that moved through Phoenix (and northern Arizona) this past week, I finally got the nerve up to do a hike on South Mountain. I was a little disappointed at just how fast all the water evaporated or soaked into the ground. We got more rainfall in one week than we normally get in two years and there were precious little sign of it... unless you looked for the signs.

There was a lot of new debris in the arroyos and washes beds than normal. Some patches of some of the slopes on the mountain were more bare than usual. This is caused by erosion and, unfortunately, people are most likely the culprit. The plants in the Sonoran desert have adapted to survive in a very harsh environment where there is little water available. Most people accurately recall cacti, legumes, mesquites and other large desert plants. But what most people forget about are the very small organisms and plants that live in the soil. They, too, have adapted to the harsh desert environment and actually thrive in it, but when humans go off trail and step on the soil over and over again, these plants and organisms will die. Even though they can survive harsh desert life, they are extremely fragile. When they die, the soil becomes unstable and the larger plants like the cacti, shrubs and trees also become vulnerable.

Case in point, along the trail I saw at least a dozen or so barrel cactus plants uprooted. The uprooted barrels I saw from the trail ranged in size from three to five feet in length. The barrel cactus is a slow growing cactus. At four years of age, the normal barrel cactus is usually no more than three inches tall. It will take many, many years to replace the fallen barrels I saw today. I know this is life (and death) in the desert, but I want to stress the importance of not adding to the the stresses of the environment any more than we do. I will not cry for a fallen cactus, but I will be sad if I knew it could have been avoided by just staying on the trail.

One more thing caught my eye today. I almost missed it, but once I saw it, it was hard not to see it. Tiny green grass-like blades are emerging from the rocks in the sandy soil. It’s carpeting the canyon floors. This will be my first late winter/early spring of living in the desert, but I think these are the beginnings of our fantastic wildflower season. The Sonoran desert usually blooms from February through April. I’m told the best colors and flowers are seen in March. If what I saw is what I think it is, then the canyon’s will be alive with color in a few short weeks. I can’t wait to go back and keep on eye on this. I’ll keep a camera with me and report news of the flower outbreak live :-)

Happy trails... Don’t forget to get out there and hike!