The Cave Trail - Superstition Wilderness

This was my second time doing the 5 mile loop trail. It took me 4 hours and 7 minutes.

 

Medicine Wheel Trailhead - Apache Junction

 I did a short sunset hike.

Sonoran Desert Toad - Peoria, AZ

I was looking for rattlesnakes but also found lots of juvenile Sonoran Desert Toads at the Peoria Regional Preserve. This toad is common in the Sonoran Desert. It occurs in a variety of habitats including creosote bush desert scrub, grasslands up into oak-pine woodlands. At 7 inches or more it is one of the largest toads native to North America. Sonoran Desert Toads have extremely potent defensive toxins that are released from several glands in the skin. It is strong enough to kill full grown dogs. It is also a hallucinogenic. The toad contains a psychoactive alkaloid. One single 50mg vaporized dose often produces hallucinogenic, boundless experiences within one second of inhalation and on average lasts 20 minutes. Many people report mystical experiences, and often sensing a better understanding of their place and function in the cosmos as a result.

 

Western Diamondback Rattlesnake - Peoria, AZ

On a hot day in the Sonoran Desert, I ventured out after sunset to look for rattlesnakes. I parked at Paloma Community Park, and followed a closed, dirt road out into the Peoria Regional Preserve. Within 10 minutes I found the Western Diamondback Rattlesnake (Crotalus atrox) crossing the road. I had never been so lucky before. Perhaps I am getting better at spotting good habitat?  

Hickey Mountain - Prescott National Forest, AZ

I hiked up to the 7,619 foot summit of Hickey Mountain in the Black Hills. I started at the Woodchute Mountain Trailhead parking area at 7,047 feet so the elevation gain was only about 518 feet. There was no trail until I got near the summit. The hike was 5.4 miles round trip and took me 3 hours and 46 minutes. Bushwhacking was minimal but the ground was covered with scattered basalt rock, mostly the size of footballs, and that made the trek slower.

On the summit.

Looking back at the summit.

Mingus Mountain

My 5.4 mile round trip hike.

AZ-89A - Prescott National Forest, AZ

I had gone to the library in Prescott Valley since it was open on a Sunday. On the way back I pulled off AZ-89A to photograph Peak 7334 (Crow's Peak). I had climbed it from the other side on August 25th.

Peak 7334 (Crow's Peak)

 

Blowout Creek - Prescott National Forest

I returned to this new trail system that opened up in 2020, to walk off-trail in Blowout Creek and look for rattlesnakes. The trail has amazing views of Mingus Mountain, and the Verde Valley. So nice that this area is now closed to motorized vehicles. It had been getting trashed. The trailhead is located on Mingus Ave., a short distance after the pavement ends. Unfortunately I didn't find any rattlesnakes.

I hiked the 551 trail 2 miles to the intersection of Blowout Creek, and then I hiked 1.25 miles off-trail in the dry wash to trail 556. The elevation gain was about 388 feet. It took me 1 hour and 32 minutes to hike the 3.6 mile loop.

The 3.6 mile route I hiked.

All the trails I have hiked so far at Blowout Wash.