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| Hiking | 7.50 Miles |
2,350 AEG |
| | Hiking | 7.50 Miles | 6 Hrs | | 1.25 mph |
| 2,350 ft AEG | | | | |
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| partners | | Today was definitely the story of Houston, my friend Dustin's dog. In a scenario way to complicated to explain in depth, Dustin and I were displaced by my fiancee's bridal shower, and we decided it was a good excuse to hit up a good Superstitions hike. Despite my constantly uncertain transportation arrangements that plagued me for the week, we set the plan for Dustin and I to meet up with Joel as well for a early morning sunrise shoot then a hike with Bluff Spring Mountain as the goal.
Despite none of us really getting an sleep, we managed to meet at the McDonald's in Gold Canyon at 6:00 AM. Joel jumped in our vehicle, sharing the backseat with Houston, a chow - rottweiler - pit pull mix. Don't let breed fool you, Houston is one of the nicest dogs you will ever meet. We pulled into the Carney Springs Trailhead at 6:15 with just enough time to stroll out into the desert and setup.
Not ten minutes from the car, I look over and see Houston with clumps of chain fruit cholla hanging from his lip. I fished a comb out of my car and tossed it to Dustin for the necessary cactus removal.
Joel went off to find his own scene while I setup my camera and tripod at a nice saguaro scene and waited for the light. Definitely snagged a good shot there, then found a nice backlit cholla ripe for the shooting before reuniting with Joel, Dustin and Houston and heading out for the big hike.
Joel has been telling me for months about how much better the Peralta area is in comparison to the First Water area, and he was most certainly right. Not that First Water isn't nice, but Peralta is just plain epic. Hitting the Peralta Trailhead at a respectable 7:30, we managed a spot in the main parking lot before it filled up. Soon enough we were climbing up what Joel called "Cardiac Hill", the first ascent on the Bluff Springs Trail.
The early parts of the hike were most definitely pleasant. The heat of the day had not set in, and some light cloud cover to the east provided additional relief. Joel pointed out landmarks for me as we admired our surroundings. I was hoping for some nice running streams, but as we descended into Barks Canyon, it was apparent that was not going to be a reality. Barks still had plenty of pools here and there, which would be a godsend to Houston later on.
We found the turn-off for Ely-Anderson and started up the steep slickrock flank of Bluff Spring Mountain. Loved that section of trail, the views really start to open up. It was evident that Houston was starting to get tired, and Dustin didn't want to push him too hard, so as we rested at point 3790, we decided that would be our turn around point. 3790 still provided great views of Peter's Mesa, Music Mountain, Coffee Flat Mountain, Picketpost Mountain and the Superstition Ridgeline. We were satisfied with that as our day's work, and sat up there for a while enjoying the views, chatting and telling stories.
On the descent, we just couldn't seem to follow Ely-Anderson and lost the trail multiple times, but reached the Bluff Spring Trail easily enough. As we made our way through Barks Canyon, Houston's fatigue really started to set in. On the short stretch where the Bluff Trail skirts up the side of the canyon away from the creek bed, Houston found a shady spot, plopped his butt down and wouldn't move. We let him have his rest, and laughed at his motor-like panting. His tongue was wagging worse than Michael Jordan. He was definitely giving Gene Simmons a run for his money. Finally we decided it was time to move on, but Houston refused so Dustin picked him up and carried him a ways before putting him down. Upon reaching Barks Creek again, we found Houston a nice pool to dip in and try to cool him down. With one good final push, we made it back to the car.
Even with the final destination not met, the workout was too much for Houston, and on the drive back to Joel's truck, Houston started having a seizure in the backseat. I felt pretty bad that Joel had to experience that. Fortunately Dustin is familiar with Houston's condition, and reassured us that he would be okay, that it would just have to waited out. To add insult to injury, Houston's paws got pretty chewed up on the rough terrain, and he was in some pain from that as well.
The good-bye to Joel was a little uneasy because of Houston's poor condition, but the hike was tons of fun, and I'm really glad Joel could make it out with us. The Supes are a rugged place, so it's always great to have a knowledgeable, experienced and fun person like Joel along for the ride.
Houston seemed to improve on the ride back to Scottsdale, although Dustin had to carry him from the car up the stairs. Dustin's spent the rest of the day nursing Houston, he'll recover, but definitely won't be doing anything as intense as today's hike in future. |
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Wildflowers Observation Isolated
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