Jan. 13. Wed. In every walk with nature we always receive far more than we seek. I looked out the window to be greeted with a wall of fog! It was damp, cool, and windy. So, was the hike still on? Well, I am already up so I am going for it! Lo and behold, 35 other hikers were willing to hike regardless of the weather. Guess some of us are real die-hards! The desert weather is always unpredictable and not on any schedule. Therefore, the weather can change in the blink of an eye and it did just that for the hike. After arriving at the Lloma Alta trailhead about 8:30 AM, by 9:00 Am, just a short distance up our trail, the fog lifted and began to uncover another beautiful day. At the southern boundary of the park is the Hope Camp Trails. This section of the park was added in 1991 when the United States Congress authorized the purchase of an additional 4,011 acres.
It was also very scenic to see some of the fog hover here and there just below the mountain tops with the blue sky above.
Our goal was the 5.6 mile round trip hike to the junction of the Hope Camp Trails and back. The terrain was moderate and almost straight in and out with just small ups and downs. It was just a very pleasant hike closer to the base of the mountains and among some of the older cacti that were huge. There were more newcomers to our group with lots of us taking pictures on our enjoyable stroll in the desert.
Gosh, how the blue sky plus fluffy clouds and being in the open made for such amazing scenic sights . Break Time and another old windmill! We took our break at our end goal at the old Hope Camp, which is the junction of several of the Hope Camp Trails. We got to just enjoy the surrounding landscape and get to know some of the newcomers. We always hike according to the rules-plenty of water and snacks. Yikes, a sign said “caution, this is Mountain Lion territory”! Does that mean that as some of us hung back to “visit a bush for kidney relief”, we could have disappeared one by one as a big cat’s lunch?!?
Time to head back. Since this was an in and out hike, we got to see the same pretty scenery but from a different perspective. I got this 1st shot actually by mistake. My camera sun guard was out too far but it made for a unique camera shot.
Well now, who is this little guy? Recognize the ears? Mickey Mouse AZ desert style! The second picture shows a dead cactus but instead of falling over, the spines just dried up and splayed outward like a blossoming flower. A very unique sight to add to the fun of the hike. Mother Nature also decided to give us a little added color with this Cardinal.
I took a parting shot behind us as we ended this wonderful hike and could see the rest of the fog trying to lift above the taller mountains in the distance.
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