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| Hiking | 4.00 Miles |
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| | Hiking | 4.00 Miles | 4 Hrs | | 1.00 mph |
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| partners | | My brother, niece and I chose this hike for the annual holiday hike. We were going to do Boulder Canyon but two of us had a cold. The ocotillo were blooming in their chatreuse color which made for some exceptional photos. There were many sahuaros all around too. There were a lot of people out on this popular trail as well; too many for my tastes. We took our time up to the Wind Cave and then went around the SW corner of Pass Mountain to have our lunch. You could also see the fountain going off in the distance so I super zoomed my Panasonic LZ20 and got a couple good shots.
We talked to a couple people who were hiking past us up to the top and after a short discussion decided we might as well go on up. I reminded my brother and niece that we needed to stay on trail as it is easy to go off trail... and of course, what did we do almost immediately, lose track of the painted white arrows and went off trail. All I knew was that we needed to keep working our way up. Once we were officially lost, we knew we had to get up to the top to find the trail for the way back down.
I knew a couple people should be at the top so my niece decided to yell and see if anyone was up there. It was funny as they yelled back, "where are you?" and we said, "down here, look over the edge". Once we all saw each other, we were able to continue climbing straight up to them... altho one area was a bit tough for me. So what did we learn from this off trail adventure? When you lose site of the arrows, go back to where the last arrow was until you find the next one rather than guessing or thinking you're going the right way.
The view from the top of the South summit was great. We were lucky to have a clear day and could see Siphon Draw, Flat Iron, the Superstitions and 4 Peaks. So we took our pictures with all of that in the background and visited with the couple who had responded to our yells.
The hike down from the Summit to the Wind Cave was easier, but longer as the trail did a few switchbacks. However, we were grateful to follow that trail on the downside.
I was surprised at how few birds and such on the trail. When I got home and read more info on Pass Mtn, I didn't know there was a higher summit or we may have made our way over there... but then again, since we aren't too good at following a marked trail, Lord only knows where we might have ended up. |
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For me, sometimes it's just as much about the journey as the destination.
Oh, and once in awhile, don't forget to look back at the trail you've traveled. |
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