Mesa, AZ - PG-13

This is a clean blog. Oh, I might say ‘heck’ or ‘holy schmoley’ or something like that but it’s something that I could read and that most people could read. I don’t want to offend anyone nor do I want to offend myself. However, today, I’m breaking the mold - I’ve got something that I just had to put in here that might be just a bit off color. Something so surprising that I couldn’t leave it out, even though I thought about it long and hard. So - if you think you might be offended, please skip this blog and go on to the next.

But, first, I’ve got to set the scene. Hey, it’s just another hike. Up at 6:00, out the door at 7:30, on the trail head by 8:45 and up into the Superstition Mountains. But this time, it’s not just a hike - we actually have a goal: hike to the top of Black Top Mesa and see the Spanish Hieroglyphics that we’ve heard are there.

It was only 46 degrees out so we got out our gloves and donned our warm hiking shirts before we left. We knew we would take them of later on but for now - let’s put them on. The most difficult part of the hike was driving past several convenience stores and several grocery stores and not stopping for donuts. Something new - a hike not fueled by donuts. We got to the trail head, left our gloves in the car and took off our warm shirts. We won’t need them: it’s 50+ now and, with the sun out, it will only get warmer. Could we have a more beautiful day for hiking? Nope:

        sun - check,

        good trail - check,

        great scenery - check,

        mysterious hieroglyphics at the end - no check yet.

        360 degree view from the top of Black Top Mesa - in a bit

        What more could we have asked for? Hey, what about that donut?

We’ve done this trail several times before - in fact, about 3 weeks ago. BUT this time we went counter-clockwise. Oh, Oh, no donuts, going counter clockwise. I just can’t keep up.

One of the most well-known sights and almost an icon for the Superstition Mountains is Weaver’s Needle, named for Pauline Weaver, an old mountain man who lived in this area. It’s a 1000’ tall column of rock that was left when the rest of the rock around it eroded, sluffed off and fell at its base. Surrounded by seas of saguaros and mesquite bush, it is actually 4555’ taller than sea level and it is framed against the sky no matter where you stand in the Superstitions. I look for it whenever we’re hiking in the area. Interestingly enough, in the legend of the Lost Dutchman and his mine, Weaver’s Needle is supposed to be the setting for the mine and thousands have combed old maps, writings, journals and have used these to mount their searches for the Dutchman’s gold.

As we rounded a cliff in the trail and I caught my first glimpse of the Needle, I snapped a picture it - to match the many other pictures I have of it. (Hey, is it possible to have too many pictures of Weaver’s Needle? I don’t think so.) And, here is where the PG-13 rating comes in. Check out this picture, besides Weaver’s Needle, what do you see? What stands out? Precisely. And, that is why this column is a PG-13. Looks like Mother Nature has an attitude today.

Funny, I didn’t even notice this until we downloaded the pictures and I was looking at them on the screen of my laptop. But, when I got to this picture, I didn’t even see Weaver’s Needle in the background, all I saw was the cactus in the foreground and I belly laughed.

Now, on with the hike. We got to the place where the trail splits and, this time, took the trail to Bull Pass. At the top of the pass, we found the ‘social’ trail and headed up to the top of Black Top Mesa. Now, we usually don’t take ‘social’ trails since they are not the authorized trails and taking them only weakens the hillside. But, this time we made an exception, rationalizing that so few hiked up here that it might not be so bad. It is almost straight up though there were some switchbacks, though sometimes switchbacks can be the steepest sections of all. Lots of scree in the trail, lots of cactus and other pokey things since this is not an official trail. Here’s a picture of one of my favorite trail buddies. Got to look out for this one.

In some cases we had to weave in and out of the spikey things. Were they out to get us? Should we have not taken that social trail? Ah, we did the Hippy Hippy Shake, wove in and out and escaped their clutches.

We got to the top and what a view! 360 degrees. WOW. But it’s not just the view that is intriguing about this mountain. There are supposed to be some Spanish hieroglyphics somewhere on the peak. In the black rocks. Well, the black rocks cover the whole peak - that’s why it’s called Black Top Mesa.

It’s always nice to know where the end of the trail is. Yeah, any further and I’d be over the side and down the cliff. But I don’t think these are the Spanish writings we're looking for.

Lunch while we sat and relaxed and enjoyed the view. Nothing better. We could almost reach out and touch Weaver’s Needle. But now, it’s time to look for the Hieroglyphics. Lots of black rocks around here. Where do we go? Which one? Which side? And, by the way, what do they really look like? How big are they? Sure hope these writings aren’t on the other side of the rocks - it’s a long way down from here.

But, really, who made these? Are they authentic? Are they really Spanish? Or were they made by the producer who financed the movie about the Dutchman in 1947? Is he the one who wrote ‘ORO’ on one of the rocks? Or were they here in 1910 as one old prospector said? Are they authentic? Ah, who knows? It’s all about the search.

We looked and looked. All around where thought they might be. Ah, maybe these are what people are talking about. Don’t look Spanish to me.

Well, it’s time to head on back down the cliff. Watch those cactus. Watch that scree. But, take your eyes off the trail enough to watch all this marvelous scenery around us. At the bottom of the cliff Gary took a picture of me at the trail sign with Black Top Mesa behind me. Oops, this is the picture he took 2 years ago.

Hey, here we go - this is the 2015 version of me standing at the trail head sign. Not much difference is there? I’m thinking a few more wrinkles.

We took a different way back - we like a look hike not an out and back. So dull. In the picture below, Black Top Mesa is on the left and Weaver’s Needle is on the right with the jagged spires of Palomino Mountain in front of it.

We had expected to see lots of others out on the trail since it was a Saturday and Thanksgiving weekend. We thought lots of people would be home for the long weekend and wanting to hike. Nope. After we were 2 miles from the trail head, we saw no one until we got back to within 2 miles of the trail head on our way back to the car. Interestingly we saw people still heading out on the trail. But it’s close to 3:30 and, by the way, everyone, the sun goes down early in the mountains. I’m glad that I’m only 2 miles from the car and heading in rather than 2 miles and heading out. Then we saw a young woman in short shorts and a small top - no problem but the temperature when we got back to our car was 60 degrees. Wasn’t she a bit cold? Cold - maybe but stylish - without a doubt. Her boyfriend had on a flannel shirt and jeans. He might not have been stylish but he was warm.

Fun hike and I can now check off the last two items on the list.

12 miles, 2147’