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| Hiking | 4.98 Miles |
514 AEG |
| | Hiking | 4.98 Miles | 2 Hrs 31 Mns | | 2.23 mph |
| 514 ft AEG | 17 Mns Break | | | |
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| no partners | | My Montana friend Deborah wanted to get in one last hike before heading back to Montana. She brot another Montana resident with her. Jim was also from Fort Benton and Havre where she and I resided at one time. Little did I know it was going to be the perfect afternoon for a hike out here. Way to impress my guests! However, the campers alongside the road did not. That's just so discouraging as there are way too many folks out there. I hope they can get a handle on this.
I scouted the area via HAZ satellite maps to figure out what we could do in the five mile range. I picked out Desperado as the main route and then using the north trails in-between. I had us park at the far southeast corner. There is no kiosk there but there is a restroom. There were very few vehicles or people in the Park. The only thing I didn't scout perfectly was which was to go on the Desperado Trail. We chose to go west and based on what I wanted to do, we should have headed east. I realized this as we continued on the hike.
The first stand out would be a nice patch of Owl Clover. Little did I know, this was only a sneak preview of what was to come. It was a lovely day temperature-wise with a little breeze for the whole hike. We continued west for a while before turning northbound. We had great views in just about every direction, but heading north you have the ridgelines. We came to the main parking area and checked out the map and saw the self-pay station. It's quite small and thus why we didn't see them on the way in. After examining the map, we figured out, after doing some figuring  , that we would head to the Saguaro Loop.
We had to take the road for a bit before hiking the very nice treaded Star Gazer Trail. We visited with a couple other dog owners at the Node (the only people we would see on the trails all day) and then continued until we reached the Saguaro Loop that we hiked in a clockwise manner. You head NNE for a while before making a u-turn and heading south, all with a little elevation gain. There was smatterings of wildflowers here and there including a poppy-lined trail for a bit.
At our water break for the dogs, I spotted a nice window that was pretty cool. Jim's dog was getting a little tired so he hiked ahead of us. There were lots of tall and stellar saguaros on several of the hillsides we hiked and nice rock formations too. We eventually lost site of Jim so he must have turned off as there are some misc. trails you can take to the campsites. We were now back to the Desperado Trail, but did have to stop to verify we were going the right way as we were going the opposite direction we should be; you know, like the Arizona Trail does. We matched up the Park Map and RS to figure out exactly where we were and continued on our way.
We passed the junction with the North Star Trail, the one I wanted to do if we had gone the right way. Eventually we made a u-turn and headed south which is the direction back to the parking. On this back side (east) you come upon a rock outcropping that you cross over so that was a fun and unexpected topography to see. Here we saw some moss and other flora I don't recall seeing ever in our desert hikes. As we got over the area and back down the other side, there was some running water and thus would explain a lot of the flora.
We enjoyed the area and then suddenly I gasped.... no, it was not a snake but a stream of Owl Clover; the most I've ever seen. There was no way to photograph its length and the thickness of the Clover. Poor Deborah thought it was something serious. I was breathless for a bit. I know, I'm silly. As we headed west and closer to the TH we crossed over a rock bed with water on both sides; a fitting end to our adventure for the day. I have to say, KUDOS to the trail builders; that is some of the nicest tread I've ever hiked. Perfect for walking and gawking. Now why can't the rest of the Supes be that nice.
I served up a Flathead Cherry Ale from Glacier Brewing that I had brot with me from Montana and a Chai Latte beer from AZ Wilderness Brewing. A great way to celebrate a beautiful day and hike. On the way to their Park, we stopped at Handlebar J for one more drink and then we enjoyed the feast Deborah had prepared for us.
And yes, I had to take movies. I haven't crafted a video since last summer so it took a bit longer; plus the technology updates that Filmora adds can be confusing initially. Anyway, it's a bit long so will require something to eat and drink to enjoy the hike with us: [ youtube video ] Oh, and I threw in some LosDosSloFolks music for a section; always perfect for my hiking movies. |
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Wildflowers Observation Moderate
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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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