Another stone arch

It's not a spectacular arch, but it is an arch. I got a picture of it on my way to Hackberry Mesa on Friday. Here's a better picture of it.

Looks a little like a witch's nose.

It was cloudy when I left the house, especially to the east. I didn't believe it would rain where I was, though. When I got out of the truck, it seemed like it was getting darker. I thought I heard thunder once or twice along the trail but decided it was wishful thinking. The first mile or so of this trail is in a wash, so I couldn't see much of the sky. Then I rounded a corner and had a view to the east. It sure seemed like those dark clouds were closer.

Ominous clouds

I was at the arch by now, so I started climbing to get a better view of it. I got to the top of a small ridge and had the view below.

I can see rain, now. Hmm.

I was also very close to the arch.

I got a few pictures of the arch. That's Four Peaks in the background with a cloud on top.

Then it got very windy and started to sprinkle.

The wind started blowing pretty hard. I put my chin strap on to keep my hat from blowing away and got my poncho out. It was too windy to try to put it on, though. I held it over the camera and started down. The ridge blocked the wind and I put the poncho on. Hiking while wearing a cheap plastic poncho is almost as bad as hiking without one. You get wet anyway because your sweat can't evaporate, and you will sweat when you are wrapped in plastic.

The weather was exciting, but it didn't rain enough to make even a small puddle anywhere. It did get the gravel in the wash damp, and the gravel seems to be more cohesive when damp. Made walking a little easier. I headed back to the truck because it looked like it was going to rain for a while, but it was clearing to the east by the time I got there.

Sunshine on Four Peaks.

Click below to see all of the pictures.

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