Going Hiking! Part II

First, let me say my intent was not to leave everyone hanging about the rest of my hike.  It was mostly that I ran out of time to finish it!  So not to worry, thankfully nothing bad happened,  we weren't attacked by an ancient tribe of lost Apache Indians, nor did we fall off the side of the mountain and we didn't find the lost gold either.  We did, however, learn a few things about hiking in the Superstitions!

Part II

What WERE we thinking?

 The day of our hike was a typical sunny and beautiful Arizona day.  It was to be the hottest day of the year so far with temperatures climbing to 87 degrees.  No matter, we started around 10:30 in the morning and it was quite comfortable.  

About fifteen minutes into the hike you come across this sheet of rock to climb that hardly looks like a trail.  

 

This photo is looking back down the canyon where we came from.  Our truck is parked somewhere behind the ridge jutting out on the right side of this picture.  

 The trail ahead.  Rocky and climbing.

Lichen growing on the rocks.

At this point of the trail, there are small, shady spots of pinyon and mesquite trees that provide a welcome place to rest.  It was here that we ran into a large group of young school kids and adults in the middle of a field trip, coming back down off the mountain.  Our inquiry to one of the adults indicated that the 'top' of the trail was only about 45 minutes farther.  

This was about as far as we had made it seven years ago with Mr. Fix-it's teenagers in tow.  I remember being disappointed with them because we were so close to the top and I really wanted to make it.  That was also, pre-knee replacement and yet I was determined to go on if they hadn't protested so much.  But....I turned around with them and left the mountain making the kids happy and leaving my goal behind. 

 On this hike, we hadn't planned on going to the top.  Mr. Fix-it just wanted to get into the interior of the mountain, be in the middle of the desert and take in the beauty, enormity and solitude of it all.  True, we bantered back and forth coming up the trail that maybe we should just go on to the top while we were here. 

But here we were, in this nice shady spot and supposedly only 45 minutes away from the top and a most rewarding vista.  Do we go on?  Well, those Junior High school kids had done it.....no doubt we could too!   

Hmmm...lets see, we have one bottle of water each left and one power bar to share.  Should we.....or shouldn't we?   Oh yeah, and we are both about 50 lbs overweight and not old, but not young.  We both have knees that aren't the best either.  And it's getting warmer out too.  

So taking all that into account....did we or didn't we?  

Stay tuned!