Just returned to the Valley last week so I needed to get in some hiking time to get into shape for the winter months. I selected the trip to Hieroglyphic Canyon just to get going and see if the legs were going to work for another year.

The trail has lots of areas of loose rocks but is easy to follow and the uphill slope is gradual, just what I need for starters. The water pools in the canyon are pretty dry as expected following the exceptionally dry summer. There is the usual amount of hiking groups along the way as this is such a popular hike.

The Balancing Rock is still there, high up on the Eastern slope of the canyon and after my hike of last year when I climbed to within a couple hundred feet of the rock, I'm now satisfied to admire it from the floor of the canyon. I hiked up the canyon a short distance and found the brush to be as treacherous as ever and my bare legs need to toughen up, as I know it don't get any better.

It feels good to be back again and I'm looking forward to another busy winter