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| Hiking | 5.79 Miles |
988 AEG |
| | Hiking | 5.79 Miles | 2 Hrs 30 Mns | | 2.57 mph |
| 988 ft AEG | 15 Mns Break | | | |
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| no partners | | This time I was looking for poppies and a sunset so I figured if I went out after 3, the poppies would be open and the sun would be setting as I would be heading west. Well 0-2. BUT, I did get an unexpected bonus... a few good shots of the almost full moon with the desert in the foreground.
There apparently had been a run as signs were posted and there was a lot of activity at the VC but my TH parking was mostly empty. I put on my gear and headed counterclockwise. I encountered a few hikers at the beginning before heading up that first hill where I finally saw some of the wildflowers I had hoped to see. BUT, the poppies were screaming for jackets and were closed up pretty darn tight. There were many of them but it's not a very impressionable photo when they are in "champagne flute" status as @JimmyLyding described them.
Off to the right I did spot some lovely and tall Owl Clover so I went to get a picture which was good timing as a couple bikers were coming down. Another hiker was on the trail and I showed them to her. She appreciated the knowledge. Around the same time I did the smell test of the ScorpionWeed on film but didn't smell anything. So up the hill I went and as you round the corner there was a nice clear view to the east and the McDowells.
A further bit down the trail past the quartz section I had inquired of a hiker where she came from and were there wildflowers. She had come from the other side of GoJohn and said no. However, she wanted to know how to pronounce saguaro so I helped her out and she repeated it a couple times so I think she got it.
And just a few minutes later I asked another couple which side they had come from and they said the Slate Trail and that there weren't any flowers over there. They then asked me if I saw any barrel cactus. I spotted one and showed it to them and explained a little about Compass cactus. They were snowbirds from Indiana. Their son owns a BnB up on Oak Creek in Sedona. Now that my docent duties were complete I continued my hike being occasionally distracted by additional wildflowers, one new one I hadn't seen before.
I headed up to the south saddle where I tried to incorporate the almost full moon I had seen toward the beginning of my hike into a photograph using that little rock outcropping. My mission on the way down the hill was to try and incorporate that very high full moon into the desert landscape and I was successful. I was shooting in A-mode (aperture) Tibber style (taking too many photos) and I think the quality of the photos is a tad better. I would switch to IA for the flora. Off to the NW it looks like it was snowing on the Bradshaws.
Well it was starting to get colder and colder and my sun was getting behind the mountains sooner than I wanted. I encountered a couple more hikers as I headed up that last hill. There was additional flora but it was hard shooting in the shade. Not too far from the top there were some horseback riders coming down so I stepped aside for them.
On the backside on my way to the TH I found my high moon again and tried to get it in a shot but the first ones were the better photos. There was some nice flora growing along the trail here though including some Rock Daisies. The view past the TH into the Valley and to the hills to the SW was pretty cool but the photograph did not reflect that.
Did I mention it was a bit nippy the last couple miles. And this time I finally remember to bring a beer but it's too damn cold to want to drink it. Drat!
Video - only 3 movies, the rest is pictures: [ youtube video ] |
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Wildflowers Observation Moderate
Poppy blooms were fluted but there were lots.
Scorpionweed
Fiddlenecks
Owl Clover
Peppergrass
Popcorn Flower (a few on the west side) |
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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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