The first picture shows the peak that was my destination. It also shows a beer bottle I found under a bush out there. I put it on a rock so I would be able to find it on the way back and take it out. I tried to get it angled just right so I would be able to hear the wind blowing over it, so it would be easier to find. Sorry about the picture being crooked. I tried to straighten it but that chopped off the top of the mountain.
Next is the view from the top. I'm looking down on the part of the ridge that I was on top of last weekend. Then there is the Fountain Hills fountain. I included it to illustrate how windy it was. When I got back to the beer bottle, it had blown over.
The Superstition Mountains can be seen from this part of the ridge. You'll probably recognize The Flatiron. Then there are a couple of pictures zoomed in here and there.
The next picture was taken after I had gotten back to the truck. It shows the peak. Take note of the cliffs all around it and to the right. I broke one of my hiking rules today. The rule is, "Go back the way you came". On the way up, if you didn't know exactly where you were going, that's okay because you got there. If you take a different route down, you might find out that it doesn't work and then you have to retrace your steps to get back to the top and start down again. That's no big deal if you aren't too tired and you have plenty of water. So it was no big deal that I tried to take a shortcut back to the truck. I went along the base of those jagged rocks at the top of the ridge. There were several times that I almost turned back because I was not going to violate another one of my hiking rules, which is, "Don't walk in a place that if you fell and rolled or slid a few feet, you would go over a cliff." The picture does not show how steep the non-cliff parts are. If I slipped there, I might slide right off one of those cliffs. I was able to find a path that was relatively level most of the way, though. I finally got to a point that was just too dangerous, though, and had to turn back. No big deal, but my legs sure are tired now.
That's sounds like a bummer, but as in life, unexpected detours can bring you to wonderful things you wouldn't have seen otherwise. As I was retracing my steps to get back to where I could start down, I found the arches in the next two pictures. The are right next to each other. The picture of the second one shows part of the first. I started to climb up to them and look through them and maybe even climb through, since I was trying to get to the other side of the ridge anyway. I decided I was too tired and it was too risky, though.
Next is a millipede skeleton. I wouldn't have seen that either if I hadn't had to go back. I guess it might not have been worth the detour, though.
The next picture was taken on the eastern side of the ridge, as I worked my way back to the notch. Maybe I have too much imagination, but it looks like the head of a crinoid to me. Next is a different perspective on a saguaro skeleton. Hmm, lots of skeletons on today's hike. I also saw parts of a tortoise skeleton near the top of the ridge. The shell had been reduced to small white squares. I guess it had been out there a while. I didn't get a picture; not enough pieces to be interesting.
I had to include a picture of my truck, too. It's right out in the open, but cleverly disguised. Can you spot it? ;-)
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1 comment:
Funny Guy!
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