DesertNymph's Triplogs • HikeArizona.COM

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Oct 12 2025

DesertNymph

Routes 52
Photos 2,725
Triplogs 95

female

Joined Dec 09 2024

Barnhardt Trail #43

Payson, AZ

Barnhardt Trail #43

Payson, AZ

Hiking		Oct 12 2025
		DesertNymph • Triplogs 95

Hiking	6.87 Miles	1,742 AEG

Hiking	6.87 Miles	4 Hrs 51 Mns	1.49 mph
	1,742 ft AEG	15 Mns Break

Linked

none

no linked trail guides

Partners

partners

00blackout

With the moisture from hurricane priscilla moving through the state, we had to be a bit flexible with our plans. The original plan got scuttled for several reasons including safety, length of the drive, weather uncertainty, and possible trail conditions. The backup plan quickly went out the window when the morning of the hike arrived and the entire region was getting hammered with unrelenting downpours. A check of the radar showed that the band of precipitation was entrained in place over the valley and that heading north should get us out from under the mess...so north we went, driving through cells of rain that were coming down hard enough to severely hamper visibility. Eventually we broke free of the rainband to complete our drive without any further precipitation. The road to Barnhardt started out okay, but degraded to a slippery muddy mess before arriving at the trailhead. We saw some tracks headed in, but were surprised to discover no others parked when we arrived.

The peaks were shrouded in clouds and fog, but nothing was precipitating out. While we were pulling our gear together, we could hear the sound of running water in Barnhardt Creek, luring us to ascend into the clouds and check out the falls which were sure to be flowing well given all the recent rains. Heading up the trail, we found water flowing in the trailbed in some sections, some standing water in others, but for the most part, the tread was in good shape.

As we hiked upward, the fog rolled in, obscuring our views as we climbed the switchbacks. We could hear the water tumbling in the drainage, but often times could not see it...or could only catch glimpses through the thick fog. Vegetation encroached on the trail in places, probably not helped by the rain collected on the leaves. Luckily for me, J passed first, allowing me to stay a tiny bit drier

.

With water flowing down the trail and the unmistakeable sound of falling water as we approached Hawaiian Mist, we knew it was going to be flowing well and we weren't disappointed. The fog cleared for just a moment, allowing us to catch a glimpse of the upper falls in the distance, but quickly crept back in before any photos could be taken. We continued onwards to Big Kahuna, where we spent some time enjoying the falls before heading back.

The hike back down to the car was uneventful. The fog began lifting as we got past the switchbacks, but never fully lifted off of the mountains until we were on our way out. Was surprised to have had the place entirely to ourselves during our visit - it was a rare opportunity to sit and enjoy the falls running at their highest flow I've ever seen without any others! Thanks for taking a chance on the weather with me, J!

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Ageratina Aster Beaded Lip Fern Broom Snakeweed Emorys Rock Daisy Goldenrod Hoary Tansyaster Hummingbird Trumpet Puffball and Earthstar Mushrooms Rubber rabbitbrush Scarlet Creeper Showy goldeneye Tansyaster Western Spiderwort Wild Buckwheat Wright Beeflower

Fauna

Fauna [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Jewel Beetle Tarantula

Wildflowers Observation Light

Big Kahuna Falls - Mazatzal Wilderness

Heavy flow

Garden Seep

Quart per minute

Hawaiian Mist

Heavy flow

_____________________

Happier when hiking....I may not move fast (and I'm often distracted by wildflowers), but I'll get there eventually

Oct 05 2025

DesertNymph

Routes 52
Photos 2,725
Triplogs 95

female

Joined Dec 09 2024

Beehive Trail

Northwest, AZ

Beehive Trail

Northwest, AZ

Hiking		Oct 05 2025
		DesertNymph • Triplogs 95

Hiking	2.29 Miles	242 AEG

Hiking	2.29 Miles	1 Hour 28 Mns	1.64 mph
	242 ft AEG	4 Mns Break

Linked

none

no linked trail guides

Partners

none

no partners

A quick tourist-friendly hike up near Page and Lake Powell - knowing we had a long-ish day of driving back down to the valley, but wanting to get some activity in for the day, we opted to hit up this scenic loop near Wahweap Marina.

We arrived to find a decent number of vehicles in the parking area already (and a few folks camped over in the adjacent Beehive campground). After gathering our things, we headed up over the slickrock to complete the trail (and a spur) in the counter clockwise direction. The trail is wide and easy to follow, outlined, for the most part, with a trail necklace of stones for nearly its entirety.

Views are beautiful, and there were plenty of opportunities to clamor around and explore some of the swirly sandstone features. We dawdled a bit, taking time to look behind us to check the views for photo ops as we went. As we got close to the end of the loop, we decided to take a detour along a spur trail to a viewpoint that provided a panoramic vista of the area. It was a nice way to close out the weekend before heading back south.

Other People: while we had long-ish sections of the trail to ourselves, I lost count of how many others we crossed paths with.

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Aster Broom Snakeweed Crispleaf buckwheat Desert Globemallow Gilia beardtongue Hoary Tansyaster Wild Buckwheat

Fauna

Fauna [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Bee Fly

Wildflowers Observation Isolated

_____________________

Happier when hiking....I may not move fast (and I'm often distracted by wildflowers), but I'll get there eventually

Oct 04 2025

DesertNymph

Routes 52
Photos 2,725
Triplogs 95

female

Joined Dec 09 2024

Horseshoe bend and Petroglyphs from the River, AZ

Kayak		Oct 04 2025
		DesertNymph • Triplogs 95

Kayak	16.73 Miles	916 AEG

Kayak	16.73 Miles	7 Hrs 19 Mns	2.52 mph
	916 ft AEG

Linked

linked

Glen Canyon Dam to Lee's Ferry

Partners

none

no partners

The main event for my weekend up north was a paddle from Glen Canyon dam back down to Lee's Ferry. We started the morning plenty early since we needed to make the hour-long drive from Page to the launch point with time to get all the gear set up before our scheduled backhaul service. Was surprised to find a queue of vehicles awaiting entry for the horseshoe bend overlook (they open at dawn) as passed by on our way out of town. We arrived at the boat launch to find no other vehicles parked in the dirt lot designated for folks who were planning on embarking for a day trip - though there were a few vehicles parked in the paved lot. There was a slight breeze as we got our watercraft inflated...and the front that was moving through promised to make things interesting with winds forecast for the day at 8-14mph and gusts to 22...an improvement over the previous day, but still potentially quite challenging.

When time came for our ferry up-river, we quickly got our gear loaded onto the pontoon boat, listened to the captain's safety talk and off we went. We decided to head all the way up to the dam, knowing if we needed to bail, we could signal a passing boat for a pickup - additionally, one of the members of our group rented a kayak from the backhaul service provider (Kayak Horseshoe Bend), and they let us know that if we hadn't returned by 4:30pm (and weren't close to the launch beach by that time), the backhaul service would be rounding up stragglers on their final runs back to the boat launch.

We enjoyed the ride up to the dam - temps were a little chilly, but with a windbreaker on and blankets on the boat, the ride up was plesant. The captain brought us up just a bit past the beach to get a good view of the dam before pivoting around to drop us off. Dam releases were at 6600 cfs first thing in the morning and increased to about 9000 cfs over the course of the day. I was glad to be able to unload the gear without having to hop down into the colorado river - water temps (as usual with the Colorado in these parts) were a brisk 55-ish degrees. While I was prepared with neoprene socks, I was glad to be able to shuck them off dry (though I suppose it would have been easier to get them off of me if they were wet now that I think about it). After getting everything needed for the day stowed on our watercraft, we launched from the beach...and were greeted with a strong headwind that would prove to be persistent for much of the trip downriver.

While we were not fortunate enough to have glass-smooth waters to navigate, the river and views were still beautiful. As we headed down-river, we played leapfrog with a group that was planning on camping overnight near the midway point, and passed several other folk that were packing up and leaving their overnight campsights. I also took the time to check out some springs on the way to Petroglyph Beach, where we stopped for a walk to check out the petroglyph panel and also took the time to eat lunch.

After refueling, we were back on our way. As we approached Horseshoe bend, we could see the hordes of people up top on the rim...horseshoe beach itself was was crowded with a decent number of people looking up at the rim along with plenty of tents and watercraft. The original plan included a stop at Waterholes canyon to explore up-canyon to the last rappel point (about 1.5 miles up from the river, if I remember correctly) - but a large group had beached just as we arrived, and the group I was with was more interested in continuing on to the finish. As we continued down-river, we saw plenty of waterfowl (mostly mallards and some canada geese along with a great blue heron), and a few wild horses.

There were certainly sections that were more challenging than others to paddle - between the river current and the wind, I was turned around in a circle more than once, and was actually taken up-river several times if I stopped paddling

. By the time late afternoon rolled around, the head winds picked up and were holding steady in the last mile or so before Lee's Ferry - high enough to form small whitecaps. I think we were all glad to round the final bend and see the "No Wake" buoys and the boat launch.

Even with the strong winds, it was a fantastic trip. We saw a fair bit more people as the day wore on - not just the backhaul boats, but also more folk out for the day that put in at lower drop off points. Even with the additional traffic, we had long stretches of the river to ourselves...aside from the occasional cussing at the wind, the trip was quite tranquil and meditative

.

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Desert Globemallow Evening primrose Prince's Plume Trailing Four O'Clock

Fauna

Fauna [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Canada Goose Chuckwalla Double-crested Cormorant Great Blue Heron Mallard Duck Wild horse

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Glen Canyon Dam

Wildflowers Observation Isolated

	Fall Creek	Dry	Dry
	Did not observe anything in the drainage at the confluence.

	Ferry Swale Canyon	Dry	Dry
	nothing coming over the dryfall at canyon exit.

	Paria River	Light flow	Light flow
	Running chocolate brown, observed from the Lees Ferry Access Road crossing.

_____________________

Happier when hiking....I may not move fast (and I'm often distracted by wildflowers), but I'll get there eventually

Oct 03 2025

DesertNymph

Routes 52
Photos 2,725
Triplogs 95

female

Joined Dec 09 2024

Playing the Tourist near Page, AZ

Hiking		Oct 03 2025
		DesertNymph • Triplogs 95

Hiking	1.48 Miles

Hiking	1.48 Miles	1 Hour 7 Mns	3.29 mph
		40 Mns Break

no routes

Linked

linked

Horseshoe Bend Overlook Trail

Partners

none

no partners

Spent the day driving up to Page for a planned paddle trip over the weekend. Unfortunately, it seems my luck with the weather finally wore itself out, as we were plagued with high winds. After driving all day, we decided to do a couple little tourist jaunts to stretch our legs before heading back to the AirBnB to sort gear and prepare for a long day on the water.

First stop was the alcove behind the Shell Station. We snagged the last parking spot in the parking area along the fence line. There was a steady stream of people heading up the sandy path to the alcove for the requisite photograph. With the winds howling, spending time in the alcove itself was an experience in being sandblasted. After waiting our turn, we got a photo and headed back to the car and wandered over to the AirBnB to check in and get settled.

With sunset approaching, we decided to brave the hordes at the horseshoe bend overlook. It's been well over 20 years since I've stopped there - in addition to the entrance station, very much enlarged parking area, and toilet facilities, it appears the trail has been re-routed and outfitted with some strategically placed shade structures. As expected, it was packed. After paying our fee and finding a parking spot towards the far end of the lot, we joined the masses on the trail to the overlook area. We peeled off early, and found a spot with a clear view of the horseshoe below and sat ourselves down to watch the sunset.

Managed to get a few nice photos as the sun hit the horizon and sank below. Once we satisfied ourselves that we got the photos we wanted, we beat a hasty retreat, passing many on our way back up to the parking area. I was surprised to see how many folk were still headed in, even after the sun had sunk below the horizon.

It was nice to catch some touristy photos, though it's safe to say my tolerance for being around hordes of people is confirmed to be extremely low, so I'll be refraining from exposing myself to those kinds of crowds again any time soon.

_____________________

Happier when hiking....I may not move fast (and I'm often distracted by wildflowers), but I'll get there eventually

Sep 29 2025

DesertNymph

Routes 52
Photos 2,725
Triplogs 95

female

Joined Dec 09 2024

Echo Canyon Trail

Tucson, AZ

Echo Canyon Trail

Tucson, AZ

Hiking		Sep 29 2025
		DesertNymph • Triplogs 95

Hiking	1.59 Miles	190 AEG

Hiking	1.59 Miles	1 Hour 11 Mns	1.40 mph
	190 ft AEG	3 Mns Break

Linked

none

no linked trail guides

Partners

none

no partners

The Echo Canyon Grottoes were recommended to me by several folk, so I figured we should hit them before leaving the area. After packing up camp, we made a stop at the Faraway Ranch historic district to have a look at the old ranch house and outbuildings (and take some silly photos that are not fit to share here

) Access to the inside of the buildings is prohibited, so we satisfied ourselves with a walk of the grounds and a read-through of the interpretive signs before heading up to the Echo Canyon Trailhead.

We arrived at the parking area to find 5 other vehicles parked in the small lot. After gathering our things, we headed on down the trail, quickly encountering a group that was returning to the trailhead.

Other people: a handful of others - one at Faraway Ranch, the rest were on their way out as we were hiking in on the Echo Canyon trail. The grotto area is a quick half-mile jaunt down the trail - perfect to stretch the legs and explore amongst some of the hoodoos. We certainly could have covered it much faster, but the views were stunning, the lizards were abundant (and patient enough to allow for photos) and we took our time scrambling around in the grottoes. Since we had a long drive home, we only went as far as the grotto section before returning to our car to head back to the valley of the sun.

This was a great way to get a little bit of exploration in on what otherwise would be a travel day.

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Anoda Chinchweed Desert Globemallow Erect spiderling Morning glory Red Spiderling Unidentified Mushroom or Fungi Warty caltrop

Fauna

Fauna [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Yarrow's Spiny Lizard

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Old Rusty Stuff

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Cochise Head Faraway Ranch Sugarloaf Mountain

Wildflowers Observation Moderate
Wildflowers were predominantly at the Faraway Ranch historic district, there were some along the trail too, but most of the ones in this set are from the lower elevations.

_____________________

Happier when hiking....I may not move fast (and I'm often distracted by wildflowers), but I'll get there eventually

Sep 28 2025

DesertNymph

Routes 52
Photos 2,725
Triplogs 95

female

Joined Dec 09 2024

Massai Point to Bonita Campground, AZ

Hiking		Sep 28 2025
		DesertNymph • Triplogs 95

Hiking	10.16 Miles	1,141 AEG

Hiking	10.16 Miles	8 Hrs 4 Mns	1.47 mph
	1,141 ft AEG	1 Hour 10 Mns Break

Linked

9 linked trail guides

Massai Point Nature Trail - Chiricahua NM

Ed Riggs Trail

Mushroom Rock Trail

Inspiration Point Trail

Big Balanced Rock Trail

Heart of Rocks and Inspiration Point Loop

Heart of Rocks Loop Trail

Sarah Deming Trail

Silver Spur Meadow Trail

Partners

none

no partners

Was invited to join some friends for a weekend in Chiracahua National Monument. Left the valley, nervously checking and refreshing the weather report, which had been calling for rain for the evening and following day. It seems my luck held out with regards to the weather - while we saw some rain activity from the clouds on the drive, we arrived to scattered clouds and slightly damp ground in the campground. We set up camp under the supervision of a group of mexican jays and relaxed for a bit before prepping dinner. Stayed up late to look at the sky and try to take some nighttime photos. May have heard some coati, but didn't get an actual sighting.

Originally, I had planned on a potential solo hike stringing together nearly all of the established trails in the park from the campground. One of my friends expressed interest in joining me, but wasn't up for the full distance, and also is not an early riser. Another friend in the group offered to ferry us up to Massai Point, allowing us to trim the mileage and hike mostly downhill back to the campground.

Got up early to the sounds of the mexican jays making the rounds, hoping to mooch some breakfast treats. Saw some white-tailed deer wandering nearby while most of the others in the campground were still sleeping. Eventually made it up to Massai Point to start our hike. The parking area had a number of cars and a decent number of folk milling about. Opted to walk the Nature Trail and enjoy the interpretive signs and exhibit building before doubling back to start down the Ed Riggs Trail. Once we started heading down the trail, we lost most of the other traffic. The walking was slow going with all the beautiful views. Many photos were taken, but few were able to capture the landscape well. If it wasn't photos of the landscape, it was photos of wildflowers slowing me down

thanks to the recent moisture, there were also plenty of mushrooms to photograph in the latter portion of the hike. We had a brief scare when we stumbled across a danger noodle mid-brunch trailside. We gave it as much space as we could as we skirted by, and warned a few returning groups of hikers to be aware as we crossed paths.

As you might expect, the trails are very well established and clearly signed. I was surprised to hear and see water flowing in the drainages along the upper reaches of the hike since there wasn't any observable water in the watercourses near the visitors center or campground. We managed to startle a white-tailed deer as we crossed Hunt Canyon on the Mushroom Rock trail on our way towards Inspiration Point. Sadly, all I got was a very heavily obscured photo of a deer butt as it headed into the shrubs along the creekside.

After checking the time, we decided to head out to inspiration point, where we enjoyed watching a kettle of turkey vultures playing in the thermals while we took a break and had a snack before continuing on to the Big Balanced Rock Trail and the Heart of Rocks Loop. After slowing considerably going through the Heart of Rocks area, we attempted to pick up our pace along the Sarah Deming Trail, but were thwarted by numerous varieties of mushrooms. We eventually hit the Lower Rhyolite trail, enjoyed the sunset, and broke out our headlamps to finish the last bit of the descent to the visitors center where we took a brief break to use the facilities before heading back to camp.

After cleaning up and enjoying dinner, me and my hiking partner for the day decided to head back up to Massai Point for some more night-sky viewing. We were the only ones up there and arrived just in time to catch the moon heading fast for the horizon. We were able to catch some photos of the milky way (I wish I had brought a proper camera), in addition to some distant lightning. As we started getting chilled from the dropping nighttime temps, we headed back to camp - catching sight of a ringtail along the way (unfortunately, I didn't have the presence of mind to try to catch a photo of it).

It was a fantastic day, with plenty of puffy clouds in the sky that cleared out for a great night of stargazing.

Other people: only had one person (a trail runner) lap us, but we also had a ridiculously late start. All of the other groups (several) we encountered were returning to Massai Point on the Ed Riggs trail.

The Bonita Campground restrooms were undergoing repair/construction when we visited - original completion date was estimated to be October 1st, but with ongoing shutdown the closure has been extended to an unknown date. Portable toilets and handwashing stations were available, and at the time of our visit, the toilets were pumped out and cleaned on Monday morning. The visitors center restrooms remained open and available during our stay - it's a relatively quick walk between the campground and the visitors center via the Silver Spur Meadow Trail or via the road. During daylight hours, I walked the trail - after dark, I opted to walk the road for easier footing.

Fauna

Fauna [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Acorn Woodpecker Black-tailed Rattlesnake Coues White-tailed Deer Mexican Jay Yarrow's Spiny Lizard

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Cochise Head Sugarloaf Mountain

Wildflowers Observation Substantial

Dry

Light flow

Dry

Dry

_____________________

Happier when hiking....I may not move fast (and I'm often distracted by wildflowers), but I'll get there eventually

Sep 24 2025

DesertNymph

Routes 52
Photos 2,725
Triplogs 95

female

Joined Dec 09 2024

Lower Salt River - Waterusers to PhonD, AZ

Kayak		Sep 24 2025
		DesertNymph • Triplogs 95

Kayak	9.13 Miles

Kayak	9.13 Miles	2 Hrs 47 Mns	3.28 mph

no routes

Linked

none

no linked trail guides

Partners

none

no partners

Hit the river for a mid-week sunrise paddle, trying to take advantage of flows before the season winds down. Releases for this trip were at 830cfs.

Met up with the others at the take out with less than a handful of other vehicles in the lot before sunrise. Shuffled the gear and made our way up to the put in - was surprised to find a couple folk there inflating kayaks similar to mine. Compared notes on the model differences before we separated to get our day started.

As usual, saw plenty of heron (great blue, green, and black crowned night varieties), egret, and mallards. There were a few more shorebirds present - possibly the lead end of some of the migratory birds. Also saw several kingfishers and some high flying bald eagles, though didn't manage to capture any of them on camera. We were joined by a curious otter just above the bridge for a bit, and below the bridge we were graced with a couple bighorn sheep high on the walls above us. Further downstream, we passed a pair of extremely large committee meetings of turkey vultures....it smelled like there might be a carcass hidden somewhere along the bank in the area, but if there was one, it wasn't visible from the river.

The rest of the paddle was quiet and uneventful. We caught up to a handful of other paddlers close to the end of our float after not seeing anyone else the entire way, making the take out slightly congested. I suspect the season will be winding down soon - though I haven't yet managed to find a firm date for when SRP plans to cut the releases from Stewart Mountain Dam.

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Pennsylvania smartweed Sweetscent

Fauna

Fauna [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Black-Crowned Night-Heron Desert Bighorn Sheep Great Blue Heron Great Egret Mallard Duck Turkey Vulture Wild horse

Wildflowers Observation Isolated

_____________________

Happier when hiking....I may not move fast (and I'm often distracted by wildflowers), but I'll get there eventually

Sep 23 2025

DesertNymph

Routes 52
Photos 2,725
Triplogs 95

female

Joined Dec 09 2024

Riparian ramble with bonus coo, AZ

Walk / Tour		Sep 23 2025
		DesertNymph • Triplogs 95

Walk / Tour	4.88 Miles	75 AEG

Walk / Tour	4.88 Miles	2 Hrs 20 Mns	2.66 mph
	75 ft AEG	30 Mns Break

no routes

Linked

linked

Riparian Preserve at Water Ranch - Gilbert

Partners

none

no partners

I've been meaning to make it out to the riparian preserve to have a look, but hadn't managed it before now. Needed to get outside for a bit, so I figured I'd swing by and check it out, with hopes of seeing if I could spot any unique birds that might be migrating through - alas, it may still be a bit early for migratory birds. Plenty of mallards, several coots, a couple of cormorants, some black phoebes, a great blue heron, several egrets, a whole passel of pigeons, along with plenty of others. The rock squirrels, turtles, and cotton tails were also enjoying the day.

The paths were wide and nicely maintained - there are benches scattered around along with a few blinds to facilitate bird watching, with some interpretive signage to help with bird identification and to learn a bit about riparian areas in the desert. In addition to the playground for the wee ones, there's also an orienteering course if you'd like to practice your skills with a compass.

Right now, several of the ponds have been drawn down and allowed to dry, others looked a little low, and the primary one was full. Got started late morning, so the temps were pretty warm and there weren't as many people out, though there were still several others either out for a walk, bike ride, or run. A few folk were there with their kids, and a couple people were there attempting to fish in the pond that was full. Even with the temps on the warmer side, the mesquite bosques were noticeably cooler. Unfortunately any attempt to sit and watch the birds resulted in my getting feasted upon by mosquitoes...so if you ever decide to visit, don't forget your bug stuff.

As for the bonus coo, a friend suggested that I park over at Carl's Damaged Pet Warehouse, a privately owned "petting zoo" of sorts with cows, goats, sheep, donkeys, and turkeys amongst the residents. If you'd like to feed the animals or entice them over to the fence, bring your own snacks to share with them - they appreciate a variety of produce...you could swing by Superstition Ranch Farmers Market for inexpensive produce if you don't have anything at home. A list of acceptable treats is posted for reference (google for location and more info).

If you have small ones at home, or if you're looking for something relaxing to do, you might consider a visit! I was plesantly surprised, and I hope to carve out some time to visit again to see some of the migratory visitors.

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Barrel Cactus Desert Senna Desert Willow Rubber rabbitbrush

Fauna

Fauna [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Coot Desert Cottontail Double-crested Cormorant Great Blue Heron Great Egret Mallard Duck Neotropic Cormorant Rock Pigeon Rock Squirrel Snowy Egret

Wildflowers Observation Isolated

	Gilbert Riparian Preserve	51-75% full	51-75% full
	Wasn't paying super close attention to count, but several of the ponds are currently dry and at least one pond is low.

_____________________

Happier when hiking....I may not move fast (and I'm often distracted by wildflowers), but I'll get there eventually

Sep 21 2025

DesertNymph

Routes 52
Photos 2,725
Triplogs 95

female

Joined Dec 09 2024

Lower Salt River - Waterusers to PhonD, AZ

Kayak		Sep 21 2025
		DesertNymph • Triplogs 95

Kayak	8.80 Miles

Kayak	8.80 Miles	2 Hrs 37 Mns	3.36 mph

no routes

Linked

none

no linked trail guides

Partners

none

no partners

Cooler weather is (hopefully) on the way, school is in session, and the popularity of the river seems to be dwindling. Arrived to the take out area before sunrise with just a handful of other vehicles there. In a change from the usual modus operandai for morning paddles, we inflated in the lot and piled the gear into a truck to ferry it all up to the put in point.

By the time we arrived at the put in point, the sun had risen, though it still had yet to clear the surrounding terrain before beating down on us. The releases continue to hold steady at about 750cfs - the upper section of the salt continue to be tranquil and easy to navigate with patches of eelgrass that can make things a bit slower if you drift into them. While the day started out with hardly any clouds in the sky, patches of high clouds quickly appeared and continued to build over the course of the day.

With the moderate temperatures and modest cloud cover, it seems the wildlife was more scarce right on the water. While we still saw the usual critters including herons, egrets, ducks, turkey vultures, grackles, red winged blackbirds, and wild horses, there definitely seemed to be fewer of them out. Caught sight of either an otter or a beaver swimming near the mud cliffs, but before I got close enough to really get a better sight of its head, it dove and didn't resurface while I was in the area to allow for a more positive identification. As the seasons change, there may be some new birds in the area...I think I saw several black phoebes, but I don't remember catching sight of them on my previous floats.

Other people: apparently, the 2nd annual Salt River Championship was happening while we were on the river with maybe a dozen or more participants. There were some other paddleboarders and kayakers out on the water, along with a few people fishing along the shoreline in the regular spots - though given that it was the weekend, there really weren't that many others out. Also saw someone out flying tricks in a biplane - that was pretty neat to watch, though they were pretty far away.

Fauna

Fauna [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Dragonfly Great Blue Heron Great Egret Mallard Duck Snowy Egret Turkey Vulture Wild horse

Wildflowers Observation Isolated
Noticed some small yellow flowers on some dark green low lying plants right at the waters edge near the take out point - I uncharacteristically failed to grab a photo - mostly because there was none at the actual take-out point and with the congestion there, I was more focused on getting my gear out of the way.

_____________________

Happier when hiking....I may not move fast (and I'm often distracted by wildflowers), but I'll get there eventually

Sep 18 2025

DesertNymph

Routes 52
Photos 2,725
Triplogs 95

female

Joined Dec 09 2024

Granite Mountain Trail #261

Prescott, AZ

Granite Mountain Trail #261

Prescott, AZ

Hiking		Sep 18 2025
		DesertNymph • Triplogs 95

Hiking	8.69 Miles	1,740 AEG

Hiking	8.69 Miles	6 Hrs 6 Mns	1.49 mph
	1,740 ft AEG	17 Mns Break

Linked

none

no linked trail guides

Partners

none

no partners

I've been itching for a hike and a friend needed a ride up to Prescott; we figured it was a good opportunity to take care of both needs. While the weather forecast wasn't optimal, we decided to make a go for it anyway - heading up and out of the valley ahead of rush hour with clouds overhead. Reviewed the radar before leaving the valley and it looked like the storm activity would be moving from south to north - the radar forecast looked like we'd be in the clear for the morning...but might get hit in the afternoon.

After an uneventful drive accompanied by a few brief sprinkles on our way out of the valley, we arrived at the trailhead around 8:30 with clouds overhead, finding a surprising number (7!) of vehicles there for a weekday. We got our gear together and headed across the road to pick up the trail. It was obvious from the beginning that I might be dawdling often on my way up, as wildflowers lined the trail on either side.

Count yourself forewarned about the photoset

The the trail starts off heading through an open pine forest with views of Granite Mountain. After about a half a mile, we came to another large trail sign and register. We stopped for a quick flip through of the trail register, signed in, and continued on our way. The pines started disappearing, to be replaced with desert scrub vegetation - we were glad for the cloud cover as we continued to gain elevation. Soon enough, we hit Blair Pass and a gate - we turned right to start our ascent on the nicely graded switchbacks.

At the top of the switchbacks, we made a very short detour to take in the views from the saddle before continuing on towards the overlook point. As we were contouring around towards the overlook, it started sprinkling. With the sprinkles getting heavier when we hit the granite slab area of the overlook, we stopped for a brief break to grab a snack (and to quickly check the weather radar). With the humidity in the air and the raindrops falling around us, visibility was reduced, but the views were still enjoyable.

After our short break, we packed up and started heading back down - not too long after we started our way back, the sprinkles stopped. We really lucked out with the weather - it wasn't too windy on top, and we managed to miss the isolated downpours that seemed to hit the nearby Prescott area. The trip back to the car was uneventful, and the parking area had cleared out save for one other vehicle when we got back.

Other people: a handful of others and a pup seen on trail, all headed outbound while we were heading up.

Wildlife: scared up a few desert cottontails, a bunch of lizards, along with several beetles and plenty of birds - most of which were not captured by photos.

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Abert's creeping zinnia Adonis blazingstar Ageratina Arizona Thistle Aster Astragalus Blue Mustard Bluestem Prickly Poppy Bridge penstemon Broom Snakeweed Bushy Tick Clover Colorado Four O'Clock Common Sunflower Cosmos Crestrib morning glory Dalmatian toadflax Desert Globemallow Desert Wishbone Bush Dwarf false pennyroyal Fendler's ceanothus Fleabane Golden Crownbeard Golden Rabbit Brush Goldeneye Goldenrod Longleaf false goldeneye Many-Flowered Gilia Missouri Goldenrod Mock vervain Morning glory Morning-glory Prickly Pear Pygmy bluet Ragleaf bahia Sacred Datura Sagebrush Sawtooth sage Scarlet Creeper Scarlet gilia Scruffy Praire Clover Sedge Showy goldeneye Shrubby Purslane Silver dwarf morning-glory Slimleaf Limabean Tansyaster Tasselflower brickellbush Toadflax penstemon Twining Snapdragon Wandbloom Penstemon Warty caltrop Western Dayflower Western Yarrow Wholeleaf Indian paintbrush - gloriosa Wild Geranium Wirelettuce Wright's Buckwheat Wright's silktassel Wright's thelypody Wright's thimblehead Wrights Deervetch

Fauna

Fauna [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Acorn Woodpecker Arizona Blister Beetle Darkling beetle Jewel Beetle Western Fence Lizard

Wildflowers Observation Substantial

_____________________

Happier when hiking....I may not move fast (and I'm often distracted by wildflowers), but I'll get there eventually

Sep 14 2025

DesertNymph

Routes 52
Photos 2,725
Triplogs 95

female

Joined Dec 09 2024

Modest Meander, AZ

Walk / Tour		Sep 14 2025
		DesertNymph • Triplogs 95

Walk / Tour

Walk / Tour

no routes

Linked

linked

Kinishba Ruins

Fort Apache Historic Park

Partners

partners

00blackout

With J's hiking hobbled thanks to his ankle, but still wanting to get outdoors and away from the heat, we decided to hit a scenic drive through the Salt River Canyon (because apparently we haven't driven that route enough recently) and up to the White Mountain Apache Reservation to have a look at Fort Apache Historical Park and Kinishba Ruins.

The Historical Park includes a Cultural Center and Museum, 27 historic buildings and ruins/remnants of others in addition to the Fort's former parade ground. The age of the buildings span from the 1870's (when the fort was established) to 1940's (after it was converted for use into boarding school). Interpretive signs are posted outside each of the buildings touching on their construction and use. The buildings have been predominantly repurposed for other uses, and do not allow for public entry. Before heading over to have a look at the nearby Kinishba ruins, we paid a visit to the cemetery. Many, but not all, of the non-Apache remains were relocated to the federal cemetery in Santa Fe. The cemetery has a mix of older and much more recent graves. Many of the older ones are marked with headstones designated as "Unknown". As of February 2024, the tribe has closed the cemetery to further interments.

After visiting the cemetery grounds, we made our way back out to Kinisbha Ruins. After leaving the paved road, it's a relatively short drive along a well graded dirt road to the Kinishba Ruins National Historic Landmark. As we left the car, we heard the thundering of hooves and saw a small herd of horses (with foals!) running away. I wasn't fast enough to capture any of them with my camera, but they were a nice sight to see. Walking along a well established path, we came to an interpretive sign upon which previous visitors had placed some nicely decorated potsherds. There looked to be other sherds in the area, but I didn't really notice any when I got to the main body of the ruins. The ruins themselves are impressive - and located in what to me seems like an odd place - out in the open, in a seemingly difficult to defend positon. Near the pueblo ruins are the more modern ruins of what used to be a museum (built in the 1930s).

While we didn't get many miles in, it was good to get outside for some scenery and learn some things about history.

_____________________

Happier when hiking....I may not move fast (and I'm often distracted by wildflowers), but I'll get there eventually

Sep 08 2025

DesertNymph

Routes 52
Photos 2,725
Triplogs 95

female

Joined Dec 09 2024

Lower Salt River - Waterusers to PhonD, AZ

Kayak		Sep 08 2025
		DesertNymph • Triplogs 95

Kayak	8.93 Miles

Kayak	8.93 Miles	2 Hrs 42 Mns	3.31 mph

no routes

Linked

none

no linked trail guides

Partners

none

no partners

A sunrise paddle with a nearly full moon surprise.

Arrived at the take-out point for the shuttle ahead of sunrise to find less than a handful of cars in the lot. Piled all our gear into the shuttle vehicle and headed up to the put in point as the sky was brightening and the moon descending towards the horizon in the western sky.

Got the gear together, disturbed a turkey vulture on the beach, and launched to the river at 760cfs. As we launched, we noticed something moving fast in the water across the way - too fast to simply be floating a long with the river's current. Turns out it was a beaver! We caught up to it a little bit downstream after it had harvested a willow branch to take back to its den.

Was glad to have the shade while the sun was still low in the sky. Continuing down river, we had the novel sight of the nearly full moon sinking towards the horizon, making for some nice photos. While we saw some heron, there seemed to be fewer than usual....but there were plenty of egrets. There were also other water fowl - mallards, cormorants, some killdeer, and possibly a couple kingfishers.

Shortly after rounding devil's elbow, we caught sight of a few river otters. Unfortunately, they were quick to head off into the weeds. We saw a few horses on our way downriver, but it definitely seemed like there were a lot fewer than usual. The squirrels are usually out and about at Coon Bluff when we pass, but there had to have been a convention or something going on - I'd never seen quite so many there before! It was a tranquil paddle and a fantastic start to the week.

Other paddlers: less than a handful of others.

Fauna

Fauna [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Beaver Double-crested Cormorant Great Blue Heron Great Egret Mallard Duck North American River Otter Rock Squirrel Snowy Egret Wild horse

_____________________

Happier when hiking....I may not move fast (and I'm often distracted by wildflowers), but I'll get there eventually

Sep 07 2025

DesertNymph

Routes 52
Photos 2,725
Triplogs 95

female

Joined Dec 09 2024

Brown's Peak

Phoenix, AZ

Brown's Peak

Phoenix, AZ

Hiking		Sep 07 2025
		DesertNymph • Triplogs 95

Hiking	6.04 Miles	2,109 AEG

Hiking	6.04 Miles	5 Hrs 58 Mns	1.40 mph
	2,109 ft AEG	1 Hour 39 Mns Break

Linked

linked

Brown's, Amethyst & Four Peaks Loop

Brown's Trail #133

Amethyst Trail #253

Four Peaks Trail #130

Partners

partners

Vashti

My alarm went off far too early for my liking after not being able to get to sleep until extremely late the night before thanks to some ongoing struggles with insomnia. Headed out to the meet up spot, greeting the sun as we left the valley.

We headed out towards the four peaks, opting for the longer but significantly smoother approach via Punkin Center and El Oso Road. The road had some rocky bits, but was smooth enough to navigate. As we climbed, we had some nice views of the American Tower Corp microwave antennas and of Roosevelt lake in the distance. There were a number of vehicles that passed us heading out, and we saw a few folk camping on the way to the trailhead.

The trailhead itself was empty save for a large mud puddle. We pulled our gear together and headed off up the Browns Trail to temps in the mid to upper 70s with some stickiness and haze due to high humidity. The trail is nicely graded with a few deadfall that can be easily stepped over. We made it up to the saddle, where we took a brief break enjoying the views of the peaks, with the Superstitions and the various salt river lakes in the distance. Eyeballing the path ahead, I mused that the chute looked larger than I had anticipated.

The initial approach from the saddle was easy enough to negotiate, but soon enough, both hands were needed to assist in the upward scramble. At that point, I realized I probably should have grabbed one of my other trekking poles - and not the one I usually carry since the lower section of my regular carry can no longer be easily collapsed. While I was able to stow it, it was long enough to occasionally catch on nearby shrubs or overhanging rock. In hindsight, I probably should have simply left it trailside to pick back up on my way down.

As we climbed steadily upward, we heard some voices - and eventually we saw three people gain the saddle. The scramble up the chute wasn't too awful, plenty of hand and footholds to be had where it mattered. Wasn't thrilled with the loose scree, and made sure to be mindful of separation and position in case a rock came tumbling down. Interestingly, someone must have gotten bloodied on their adventure as there were fairly regular blood droplets present the entire way up.

Once we hit the top, we sat for a bit to enjoy the views. I tried unsuccessfully to capture photos of a number of scrub jays that were doing flybys. Was hoping to be able to catch a photo of the Superstition Ridgeline between Brother and Sister Peaks, but alas, without a drone assist, I don't think it would be possible to get the shot I was hoping for. It was nice to enjoy the peak with some solitude and were happy to wait at the top for the three people from below to make it up before making our way back down.

The descent of the chute was possibly slower than the ascent - though it passed by uneventfully. My knees were happy that I decided to get my trekking pole back out once I got past the most steep portion of the descent - the noises they were making as I crouched down to steady myself were slightly alarming. We made good time to the junction with the Amethyst trail...where things slowed back down a bit. Amethyst peels off down the mountainside at a steeper grade and is littered with loose rocks in the upper portion. The trail was fairly easy to follow - when things started getting narrower, there were regularly placed cairns to mark the way. Just as I was begining to wonder how much further we had to go, we arrived at the junction with the Four Peaks Trail, which was an easy cruise back to the car.

The day had warmed up quite a bit (mid to upper 80s when we got back to the parking lot), and I was glad to be able to clean up some before the drive home. The lot had three additional vehicles when we got back - one couple looked like they were simply enjoying the views from the trailhead. One car belonged to the trio that we saw on Brown's Peak, and we never saw whoever was with the other vehicle.

Wildlife: some butterflies, plenty of lizards, numerous stellar jays and other birds, and a canyon tree frog!

While I definitely feel like I got a full body workout (hooray for delayed onset muscle soreness), I was glad to have done it. Thanks for the invite and for driving, B!

Fauna

Fauna [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Canyon Tree Frog Jewel Beetle Steller's Jay

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Graffiti

Wildflowers Observation Light

Amethyst West Drainage at Trail #130

Dry

_____________________

Happier when hiking....I may not move fast (and I'm often distracted by wildflowers), but I'll get there eventually

Sep 05 2025

DesertNymph

Routes 52
Photos 2,725
Triplogs 95

female

Joined Dec 09 2024

Canyon Lake Prelude to the Corn Moon, AZ

Kayak		Sep 05 2025
		DesertNymph • Triplogs 95

Kayak	2.20 Miles

Kayak	2.20 Miles	1 Hour 57 Mns	2.10 mph

no routes

Linked

none

no linked trail guides

Partners

none

no partners

Another night paddle on Canyon Lake - learning a lesson from last time and figuring a weekend full moon paddle would be a madhouse, decided to visit while the moon is waxing and not quite completely full, but close enough.

Enjoyed the light on the drive out. Saw a spectacular rainbow, but wasn't able to find an opportune stop to pull over for photos. Arrived to a few other vehicles in the lot, some others out for an evening paddle and some other folk there to splash around and enjoy a cookout thanks to the newly lifted fire restrictions.

Launched while the sun was still up to join the few jet skis and motorboats on the lake. With puffy clouds primarily in the east, we figured sunset photos wouldn't be very interesting, so we headed under the bridge and towards First Water cove. Noticed a few groups further back as we paddled in, so we retreated towards the wider part of the cove to wait our turn. While we were floating there, a trio of young mallards approached looking for handouts - going from person to person hoping someone could be convinced to share some snacks. Not sure if someone caved, because the ducks stayed with us until darkness fell.

Eventually, the other groups in the cove cleared out and we headed back as far as we could go, scraping a few rocks as the water got shallow. Back in the cove, as the sun set, the bats started making an appearance, and I think I attracted a few sphinx moths based on their relative size and the sound of their flight. A juvenile black crowned night heron kept us company - probably waiting for us to leave so it could hunt. The last time I hung out in the cove, a bunch of fish nipped relentlessly at my feet when I dared dangle them in the water to cool down.

Once darkness had fallen and the moon had climbed over the nearby mountains, we made our way back towards the beach and our cars to call it a night. Got a few mosquito bites, but didn't get chewed too badly. It was a tranquil night paddle, with calm waters, few others on the lake, and no winds to speak of.

Fauna

Fauna [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Black-Crowned Night-Heron Great Blue Heron Mallard Duck

_____________________

Happier when hiking....I may not move fast (and I'm often distracted by wildflowers), but I'll get there eventually

Sep 01 2025

DesertNymph

Routes 52
Photos 2,725
Triplogs 95

female

Joined Dec 09 2024

Bonanza Bill Trail #23

Alpine, AZ

Bonanza Bill Trail #23

Alpine, AZ

Hiking		Sep 01 2025
		DesertNymph • Triplogs 95

Hiking	12.85 Miles	2,053 AEG

Hiking	12.85 Miles	7 Hrs 50 Mns	1.74 mph
	2,053 ft AEG	27 Mns Break

Linked

linked

Cow Flat Trail #55

Partners

partners

00blackout

Rounded out the long weekend with a trip out to the Blue Range. The drive in was uneventful, and we lucked out with timing. Forecasts were calling for a decent chance of rain and thundershowers. It looked like the worst of it had passed before we got to Alpine. There were a decent number of others camped out...with many sporting camouflage apparel - turns out we were intercepting the beginning of hunting season. If folks weren't out for archery hunting, they may have been out scouting the location of herds in preparation for upcoming hunts. On our way in, we came across a large herd of elk with a bull in attendance - they slipped away before we were able to get our phones out for photos. After driving around for a bit, we found a spot to set up camp and make dinner before the sun went down.

The next morning, we struck camp and headed to the trailhead. While the temps were nice and cool in the mid to upper 50s, the air was humid from the recent rains. The Blue Range seems to have been getting a decent amount of rains from the monsoons - there was a lot of fresh green grass and a decent array of wildflowers along the path. The trail was easy to follow - mostly well packed dirt, but also some very decent stretches of rocky sections and deadfall that required negotiation (all had bypasses or were easily stepped over). We decided to detour over towards Hinkle Spring to have a look, but did not anticipate having to drop into the canyon to find it. When it became apparent that we'd have to lose a bunch of elevation only to turn back around to gain it all back again, we decided not to proceed with checking the spring and headed back to continue on towards Franz Spring.

After taking a break at the junction with the Cow Flat trail, with thunder in the distance and realizing that Franz Spring was still two miles out, we decided to make our way back. Total mileage would have been closer to 17 miles had we continued to our originally planned turnaround point. As we were hiking back, we saw the storm clouds building and heard plenty of thunder rumbling. Lightning strikes were visible in the distance as we dropped into and climbed back out of Steeple Canyon. We managed to get lucky with the weather since we only got a little bit of intermittent sprinkles while out on the trail.

We got back to the truck, cleaned up, and scarfed down a snack before heading back towards the valley. On our way out, we saw a gang of wild turkeys - though they scattered before we were able to capture them with a photo. Not long afterwards, the skies opened up as the rains finally caught us.

It was nice to get some miles logged on trail this weekend, and even better to have been so lucky with the weather given the forecast with high likelihood of precipitation. Always nice to visit the Blue - thanks for the invite, J!

Wildflowers Observation Moderate

_____________________

Happier when hiking....I may not move fast (and I'm often distracted by wildflowers), but I'll get there eventually

Aug 30 2025

DesertNymph

Routes 52
Photos 2,725
Triplogs 95

female

Joined Dec 09 2024

Two Ways Around Willow Springs Lake, AZ

Hiking		Aug 30 2025
		DesertNymph • Triplogs 95

Hiking	11.81 Miles	377 AEG

Hiking	11.81 Miles	5 Hrs 47 Mns	2.08 mph
	377 ft AEG	6 Mns Break

Linked

linked

Willow Springs Bike Loop Trail #535

Partners

none

no partners

I've been meaning to head up to the rim to check out Willow Springs Lake after a friend mentioned how much she enjoyed it earlier this year. I simply hadn't been able to muster the enthusiasm to head up on my own - when some other friends suggested spending a day up there this past weekend, I figured it would be a perfect opportunity to go check it out!

The day was off to a slightly rocky start when I got to the meetup location and realized I was the only one there...it seems whatever ick has been making the rounds took out my partners and I failed to catch the notifications since my phone was still in sleep mode when I left the house. Oops. Since I had all my gear with me, and was already a ways away from home, I figured I may as well head up and check things out anyway, so after a brief detour to fuel up my car, I was on my way.

The drive up, as anticipated for a holiday weekend, had its share of snarls - the most noteable was upon hitting the first few sets of lights entering Payson. I'm sure it only got worse as the day went on. When I arrived at the lake, the hum of portable compressors filled the air as a number of folk were inflating their boards. I was able to nab a fairly close parking spot near the boat ramp for easier access to the water - the lake level looked to be down by quite a bit, and parking in some of the other areas looked to have a rather rocky entry.

With my parking secured, I grabbed my hiking gear to circumnavigate the lake. Since I had passed a trailhead sign, I had mistakenly thought there might be an actual trail.

Alas, I was wrong - there is a "bike route" that follows some forest roads....but there is no actual hiking trail - I wound my way around the lake above the high water mark, sometimes picking up sections of forest roads, and other times heading off cross country amidst the pines. I didn't see anyone else out wandering with the intent to walk around the lake, but there were a decent number of people along various parts of the shoreline. I saw some turkey vulture, some ravens and crows, a few ducks, and a number of squirrels while exploring. The highlight for the day was seeing an osprey splash down in persuit of a fish - unfortunately it was much too fast to capture.

After picking my way around the lake, I headed to my car to find the parking area turned into a bit of a zoo. I dashed the hopes of a number of people as they drove by asking if I was leaving. After swapping out my gear, I portaged my boat down to the shoreline to check things out from the water. Given the physical shape of Willow Springs Lake, there were some congested areas in the narrow arms, but it was possible to get some semblance of solitude in some areas of the lake. Most of the traffic was comprised of kayakers or paddleboarders with a only a few motor boats. Motor boats are limited to those with electric motors or gas engines with 10hp or less.

If you're there when there are a number of people fishing from the shoreline, keep an eye open for unattended fishing rods - I thought I was far enough out to not clothesline myself, but had to maneuver quickly in one area to not catch some lines - spotting the hazards was made more difficult since many don't seem to fish with bobbers.

Overall, a pleasant day out. The drive home was less congested than the drive up since I started my way back towards the valley in mid afternoon.

Technically, 5 of my miles can be attributed to kayaking.

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Alpine Goldenrod Aster Bull Thistle Cardinal catchfly Common evening primrose Common Mullein Hairy Golden Aster Indian Paintbrush Missouri Goldenrod Mock-Pennyroyal Richardsons Geranium Showy goldeneye Sneezeweed Spreading Fleabane Western Dayflower Western Yarrow Wood's Rose

Fauna

Fauna [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Silver-spotted Skipper Western Fence Lizard

Wildflowers Observation Light
A decent number of flowers up on the rim, though with the harsh lighting, many of my photos were blurry. Alas.

	Willow Springs Lake	51-75% full	51-75% full
	Down at least 10 feet from full pool - the overflow spillway wall was almost completely out of the water.

_____________________

Happier when hiking....I may not move fast (and I'm often distracted by wildflowers), but I'll get there eventually

Aug 28 2025

DesertNymph

Routes 52
Photos 2,725
Triplogs 95

female

Joined Dec 09 2024

Lower Salt River - Waterusers to PhonD, AZ

Kayak		Aug 28 2025
		DesertNymph • Triplogs 95

Kayak	9.07 Miles

Kayak	9.07 Miles	2 Hrs 27 Mns	3.70 mph

no routes

Linked

none

no linked trail guides

Partners

none

no partners

With the days getting shorter, sunrise paddles are becoming less painful from a sleep deprivation perspective. Started my long weekend early with a venture out, and the sunrise definitely did not disappoint with all the clouds in the sky. I wasn't sure if the colors were going to pop or not, as things were looking rather drab through twilight right up until the appointed moment of sunrise, when things lit up brilliantly, but quickly faded as the sun continued its relentless climb upwards.

The cloud cover was welcome and kept things cool for most of the paddle, but it also seemed to keep a lot of the wildlife elsewhere rather than on the river. Saw the usual horses, ducks, and heron (both the great blue and the black-capped night varieties) - though there seemed to be fewer out than usual. Chased a group of egret down river a few times before they decided to stay put. The highlight was the barn owl, which quickly tired of our attempts to get its photo before flying off to roost elsewhere. River flow rates look to be dropping as we head into the cooler months, with the releases hovering in the low 900cfs range.

Other people: a couple of larger groups encountered and passed, along with a few people along the shore.

Fauna

Fauna [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Barn Owl Great Blue Heron Great Egret Snowy Egret Wild horse

_____________________

Happier when hiking....I may not move fast (and I'm often distracted by wildflowers), but I'll get there eventually

Aug 20 2025

DesertNymph

Routes 52
Photos 2,725
Triplogs 95

female

Joined Dec 09 2024

Lower Salt River - Blue Point to PhonD, AZ

Kayak		Aug 20 2025
		DesertNymph • Triplogs 95

Kayak	6.64 Miles

Kayak	6.64 Miles	1 Hour 53 Mns	3.53 mph

no routes

Linked

none

no linked trail guides

Partners

none

no partners

It's been a bit since I was on the river and with afternoon clouds in the forecast, I was hoping it might finally enable me to catch a nice sunset while on the water. TL;DR: I wasn't disappointed.

We had a slightly delayed start due to some logistical snafus but eventully got ourselves launched with the river running just over 1100cfs and a rainbow in the sky overhead. It was a little breezy with storms building over the superstitions, but the sky overhead looked good with broken cloudcover. With one member of our group new to paddleboarding (but not to paddlesports), the paddle was decidedly leisurely in pace. Was slightly concerned with the winds, but things died down fairly quickly and the water remarkably calm in some places, making for some nice reflected light as the sun sank past the horizon.

Wildlife sightings were confined to the regulars, with a good number of wild horses spotted along with a few heron, grackles, ducks, nighthawks and bats (once the sun was down). A skunk was acting as a greeter at PhonD to welcome us as we took out and headed back up to the cars, no photo this time, was too busy trying to get up the hill quickly ahead of a large group. Unfortunately the biting insects were also out in force - I think I got chomped by a couple flies, a few mosquitoes and who knows how many gnats before I beached my boat so I could apply some insect repellant. Was glad to discover that picaridin seemed to work reasonably well, as I didn't notice any further welts after its application.

Other paddlers: a surprising number of others on the river with the take out at PhonD being a bit more congested than usual.

Fauna

Fauna [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Wild horse

_____________________

Happier when hiking....I may not move fast (and I'm often distracted by wildflowers), but I'll get there eventually

Aug 10 2025

DesertNymph

Routes 52
Photos 2,725
Triplogs 95

female

Joined Dec 09 2024

Happy Jack - AZT #28

Payson, AZ

Happy Jack - AZT #28

Payson, AZ

Hiking		Aug 10 2025
		DesertNymph • Triplogs 95

Hiking	12.12 Miles	918 AEG

Hiking	12.12 Miles	5 Hrs 53 Mns	2.26 mph
	918 ft AEG	31 Mns Break

Linked

none

no linked trail guides

Partners

partners

00blackout

The oppressive heat has been taking its toll and my attempts to get out this week to get some outside time in haven't proven to be as relaxing or restorative as I had hoped. I was glad that J suggested this section of the AZT. While I've hiked in the general area, I haven't explored any part of the AZT in this region.

The drive up had been going well, though once we passed a gate for what I presume was a ranch, the road degraded significantly with plenty of rocks and some deadfall that required some careful driving. As we made our way along the rocky road, we spotted a coyote, a bunch of elk, and some squirrels. We eventually made it to our designated starting point where the AZT crosses 93A, not far from Dave's Tank. We parked at the edge of the meadow, gathered our gear and set off northbound along the trail.

With insomnia plaguing me of late, and stands of mature pines along the way, I might have benefited from bringing my hammock for a nap, but alas, I didn't plan well. The trail in this section is clear and easy to follow, though sometimes I wondered at its winding nature. The tread was a mix of rocks and dirt, with loose pinecones scattered around for good measure - just enough of a mix to require paying attention to foot placement.

The walking was pleasant, with a gentle grade through forested landscape. We started out walking with some shade through pine, then moved into a more open juniper section before returning to pine and oak. We wandered through a few areas that had been hit hard with burns, but for the most part, it was a nice wooded walk with an occasional step-over or bypass around deadfall. When we made it to Bargaman Park, we had a quick glance through the register before taking a break under some tall pines. While we sat enjoying the shade, the winds started to pick up and some not too distant clouds looked to be building quickly. We decided at that point that we should head back towards the car in case the weather was turning.

As we hiked back, the unmistakeable rumble of thunder started up and the clouds became darker. We opted to take the road that parallels the trail for a more direct route back to the meadow where the car was parked. The clouds stayed to the east, and we got hit with a few stray raindrops, but otherwise the hike back was uneventful.

It was good to get out for a quiet walk in the woods, the wander through the wilderness was just what I needed - thanks for keeping me company, J!

Other people: a single hiker heading south

Wildlife: other than the occasional squirrel and some high flying ravens, didn't see much while walking, though there was lots of elk spoor along the trail.

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Blue Grama Broom Snakeweed Bull Thistle Four O'Clock Pussy-Toes Sulphur Buckwheat Wheeler Thistle Wholeleaf Indian paintbrush - gloriosa

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Bargaman Park Wild Horse Tank

Wildflowers Observation Isolated

Gonzales Tank

Dry

Wild Horse Tank

Dry

_____________________

Happier when hiking....I may not move fast (and I'm often distracted by wildflowers), but I'll get there eventually

2 archives

Aug 09 2025

DesertNymph

Routes 52
Photos 2,725
Triplogs 95

female

Joined Dec 09 2024

Sturgeon Moon Rising, AZ

Kayak		Aug 09 2025
		DesertNymph • Triplogs 95

Kayak	2.35 Miles

Kayak	2.35 Miles	2 Hrs 10 Mns	2.31 mph

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A friend asked if I wanted to join them for another full moon paddle - this time meeting at Boulder Recreation area out on Canyon Lake. Arrived about 45 minutes before sunset to find all parking spaces occupied...not a great start. Managed to intercept a vehicle that was getting ready to depart on my 2nd pass through the lot, which was convenient - otherwise I would have headed back to the Acacia area to see if I might have better luck putting in there and paddling over to meet up with my friend by the marina.

As you might surmise, there were a lot of people in LaBarge cove behind the marina and the bridge. I had a feeling there might be a number of folk out for the full moon, but failed to anticipate just how many. Once I had my boat unloaded and set up, I portaged it down to the water and set off to find my friend - luckily she was easy to identify amongst the crowds. We decided to try for a bit of separation and see if the channel heading back towards LaBarge canyon was less populated - initially, things were looking good, but then we came across a steady stream of folk heading back out in a narrower section of the canyon. Navigation was easy enough, though made more challenging with some seemingly inexperienced folk out on the water who were having difficulty controlling their watercraft. Once we got past that group, we had the end of LaBarge to ourselves. As we lost the light (twilight having set in fully), we headed back out towards the main body of the lake, opting to hang near the marina to watch the moonrise.

After getting in our photos, we decided to call it a night. While I enjoy paddling under the full moon, I think in the future, I'll save it for when the event times out mid-week, and will likely opt for the Acacia Recreation Area. LaBarge cove felt very congested; with folk setting off random calls of Marco/Polo or howls, and others with loud music - not quite the tranquil setting I was hoping for. I found the launch and take-out from the Boulder Recreation area to be a bit more challenging, at least from the farther parking lot. There wasn't a great walk-in point -- instead, I launched and took out directly onto some decent sized boulders - this meant my feet stayed dry, but getting in and out of the boat was a bit more challenging.

Wildlife (none photographed): Some ducks, at least one heron, and a number of bats.

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Happier when hiking....I may not move fast (and I'm often distracted by wildflowers), but I'll get there eventually

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WARNING! Hiking and outdoor related sports can be dangerous. Be responsible and prepare for the trip. Study the area you are entering and plan accordingly. Dress for the current and unexpected weather changes. Take plenty of water. Never go alone. Make an itinerary with your plan(s), route(s), destination(s) and expected return time. Give your itinerary to trusted family and/or friends.

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