Time for another hike. We had planned to hike on Thursday but, at 6:00, when we awoke, we heard the rain, turned off the alarm, rolled over and went back to sleep. Today it is cloudy and not supposed to be as hot so this is the day. Up at 6:00, breakfast and off to Bosa Donuts, the best in the valley and, we might think, the best in America. I know other places are in the travel books but their donuts are mostly cake donuts with cute frosting designs on them. We like the old-fashioneds - whether just glazed or with chocolate frosting and Gary likes the long johns. No cute designs in frosting, just pure sugar.
At Bosas, we said ‘hi’ to the gang, the guys and one gal who are there every morning.
Now, what can they talk about every morning for 365 days a year? Beats me. But there they are.
But, its the donut case that gets our attention. Look at this - and this is only one of the two cases. Yum, yum, yum. Choices made, we’re off to the hills. Today we’re heading to a large section of mountains that the town of Scottsdale, under the leadership of a very determined crew, put aside for everyone to enjoy. Developments are crowding it but it still keeps growing. And, do people ever enjoy it. Lots of cars in the parking lot and lots of people starting off and others already done and coming back. Probably lots of locals getting their daily exercise.
This is probably one of my most favorite places to hike. Lots of choices, long hikes, short hikes, several passes, trails with good elevation, trails mostly flat. Just about anything you could wish in a trail.
We were heading up to a saddle when, oops, I stumbled and fell. There I was lying on the rocky trail. I sat up, checked my body to see if there was any damage. Luckily not much. A bruised knee, elbow and pride. Assessent made, Gary helped me up and we were off. Was I sure I wanted to continue? Well, as we hiked up, I regained my confidence.
Found this little fellow on the way back down.
Actually, not little. His body was about 2” and his legs were longer. Tarantula. Cool. Now, if only Gary had picked him up, you could see that he would fill his hand. Nope. Not gonna happen.
Since I’ve got him in the title of the blog here, I’ll put in another picture. He just glistens in the sun but is still difficult to see. His hole is just off to the left, I should have gotten it in the picture but I was a entranced by him. Yeah - watching intently so I could move quickly if he turned around towards me.
We headed up to Inspiration Point for a bite to eat and a rest before we headed on. This greets hikers as they angle up to the Point.
Nice restful place to sit and rest a bit. Hey, did we check to see that there were no tarantulas around? Nope. Oh, my.
Back to hiking. Check out this many armed saguaro and that’s Tom Thumb, the small rock pillar peeking out between the two peaks. We like the hike up to Tom Thumb but - later, when we’re more in hiking mode.
Time to move on. Hey, what’s that sound? Beep, beep, beep. Is that the back-up sound of heavy equipment? Out in the wilderness here? Yep, we’re on the other side of the hill, hiking next to the development and can see a new home going up.
That’s the new home on the left going in next to another home on the right. Kinda breaks the mood of a hike in nature but I’m glad that Scottsdale has put this land aside for everyone to enjoy.
Today, the trail was longer, there was more elevation and I wasn’t as beat as the last hike. Getting my hiking legs back.
'If you aren't pulling your weight, you're pushing your luck.'
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