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| Hiking | 1.20 Miles |
380 AEG |
| | Hiking | 1.20 Miles | 3 Hrs | | 0.40 mph |
| 380 ft AEG | | | | |
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| no partners | | Cloud cover made for an excellent hike on the south side of the mountains today. The wind blew about 15-20 mph, gusts to 30, which also kept us cool. Good directions made this an easy route to follow, although there were a couple spots when it would be easy to go off trail. One section made me flashback to Flatiron, but it was just in a couple places. I had carried my poles most of the way, but was glad I had them for the steep ascent/descent. The self-arresting handles on my poles feel like my own private handrail thru the wilderness. Ravens were flying around by the cave as we climbed, and their aerobatic manuevers were astounding. I've seen ravens for years, but always marvel at their mastery of the sky. About half way up the .3 mile section a couple red tail hawks started doing aerial manuevers, too. One of them was quite vocal from the time they appeared until we got in the cave. I figured they had some young nearby, and were trying to divert our attention away from the nest. The airshow was worth the trip by itsself.
The larger fire pit was still very warm when we got to the cave. Whoever built that fire was a pretty inconsiderate hiker. Freshly used tp was in the mouth of the cave, and a couple wet spots where they peed in other areas. They left their dog lead, dog bowl, and dog food was strewn about, mixed with the remanants of a top ramen feast.
It was interesting to visualize what the cave was like prior to the mine shaft. The location didn't seem as defensable as some caves where there are/were Indian ruins, so I thought they might not have made a permanent dwelling there, but perhaps used it for shelter when traveling. The flat spot where the fire pits are located is the tailing pile from the mine shaft in there, so it was hard to imagine what the floor was like prior to the pile. I thought it was interesting that someone would hide coins in the back of that shaft, and wondered what was hidden in the crevasses of the cave walls. It looked like a lot of other folks wondered the same thing, as there were wear marks from rock climbers checking them out. The mineral content inside the shaft was intriguing, with lots of quartz sparkling inside the seam where the miner seemed to focus his attention. I wonder when he was there?
This is a really cool hike, with a nice stroll through the saguaro forest, a fun destination, and great views. It was also very private there. We saw two other groups of hikers on the way back down, and I knew other trails in the area were probably congested that day. |
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| Life is a journey, not a destination. |
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