I made it all the way to the top! Only figured to get halfway up — hauling an extra 20 or 30 pounds of corpus made the hike a little more interesting than it was the last time I climbed North Mountain. These “mountains” (some would call them “hills”) form an island park in the middle of the sea of houses that is Phoenix.
As usual, click on the photo for a bigger, clearer view.
Parking lot’s right in a residential neighborhood.
The lower trail looks benign enough…
Development flows right up to the edge of the park.
View to the north and east
Due north
There’s the summit
After the recent rain, the ocotillo are in bloom
View to the south
Getting closer…
We’re two-thirds of the way to the top here.
Downtown Phoenix rising from the smog
Nearing the summit
There’s the top of Shaw Butte, an adjacent hillock
Made it to the top!
The price of progress
View from the summit
Headed back down
Backlit creosotebush blossoms and fuzzballs
Creosote is what makes the desert smell like rain
Watch your step…this is the trail!
Ocotillo in bloom and the original Big Yellow Taxi – you really do know how to make my day, huh?
The hike looks gorgeous – and congrats for making it all the way up!
Wow! I am impressed.Looks like a great hike and some amazing views. And Big Yellow Taxi is one of my all-time favorites I have not listened to in years!. You must have felt so good after that hike. You have inspired me and I am getting out there soon (it snowed today so I have to wait for better weather). 🙂
That hike looks so wonderful! I visited relatives in AZ last year and would love to spend more time there. Just not during the summer. ;o)
😀 There are whole communities here whose residents spend the winter in Arizona and then go home for the summer. In fact, that’s what SDXB’s New Girlfriend does: She comes into town in October and then she’s outta here in April. This week they’re taking a driving trip into California, but I’m sure as soon as they get back, she’ll head for Colorado. Last time I spoke with him, he said he didn’t intend to spend the whole summer in Colorado this year, but I can’t imagine why not, when he has a lovely lady with a lovely home there.
We have some very fancy RV resorts around here that fill up during the winter and essentially close during the summer. It’s such a phenomenon that sociologists have actually done scholarly studies about the culture that’s developed around them.
That looks like such a good time! Did you bring the dogs?
M’hijito was at work, it being a (gasp) work day, poor wretch. Cassie can’t make it that far, especially on a warm day — with all that fur, she’s not good for much when the weather’s warmer than about 70 or 75 degrees.
I am always amazed how some dog breeds made it. I how a 4 pound dog that I can’t even imagine living in the wild
LOL! A 4 pound pooch is what we call “coyote bait.”
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Heee! Extremely cute and silly. Delicious…