Spring

Not quite yet...

People say that Arizona doesn't have seasons, but I disagree. They may not be like other states', but there is definitely a winter - usually January/February - when we can have freezing temps and snow dustings. There absolutely is a summer, when the temps go over 100, usually starting in mid-May until about mid-October. The rest of the months are a crap shoot. If you miss "dead" trees in winter and blooms in spring, just drive north an hour. When we hit 101 on May 1st, I thought - uh oh, here we go. Luckily, that was a blip, and we've had marvelous weather in the 70s/80s. Perfect hiking weather.

This weekend's hike was the Peralta Trail in the Superstition's. That really is my favorite AZ mountain range. First I had to brave the 7-mile dirt road to get to the trail. It wasn't too bad, just a little slippery on turns thanks to the loose gravel.



And then you have to sign in, just in case. It's been a long time since I've done that, but it was somewhat comforting to know that there might be a nugget of information as to my whereabouts should I disappear.

My plan was to keep it simple though - just head to the saddle via the narrow trail, wave at Needle Rock, and head back the way I came. There were other trails up top to turn this into a long loop, but I stuck with my plan. The trail was beautiful from the beginning and stayed that way throughout. It took exactly an hour up and an hour back (a little over 4 miles).

Notice the lonely tree to the right? Odd.

 Once on the saddle, a cold wind hit me in the face. I didn't last long.

There were cool rock formations along the way.

    

The return was just as stunning.



That is now on my list of top hikes, for sure. Reportedly, it can get pretty crowded, which tells you its level of difficulty (medium), but it wasn't too bad this Mother's Day.

Michael was hiking too, although he kayaked to his trail first. Apparently the current was a little stronger than they would have liked, but all made it to the island they were aiming for.



Cactus! It's everywhere!



Nice to see Michael's mug again.