Ittindi Rock - Canyon Lake

My hike up Ittindi Rock was 2 miles round-trip. It was 108 degrees when I started at 6:25 PM. It was 29 minutes to the summit, and 43 minutes to the edge. I returned to my car at 8:01 PM, and it was 98 degrees.

The westernmost cliff was struck by lightning in 1898 and left a very visible mark. Thus, the name "Ittindi", the Apache word for lightning was applied to the feature.

Tortilla Creek Massif - Tortilla Flat

At 6:56 PM it was 104 degrees when I started my hike up Tortilla Creek Massif. The walk to the trailhead in the campground was 0.73 miles, and it took me 18 minutes from Tortilla Flat.  I reached the summit at 7:40 PM. From the trailhead the elevation gain to the summit is about 460 feet in a half mile. The summit is a 1.3 mile hike from Tortilla Flat, and it took me 44 minutes. It was quickly getting dark when I head back down. When I reached Tortilla Creek a Western Diamondback Rattlesnake crossed my path. It got in the strike position and rattled. Fortunately it moved away, but I could no longer see it, and it was still rattling. I had hoped it wasn't too close as I walked cautiously past the buzzing sound on my right. I was close to the campground and eager to get out of the brush. My round-trip hike was 2.8 miles, and it took me 1 hour and 45 minutes.

Peak 2580 - Goldfield Mountains

It was about 90 degrees when I started this hike at 8:09 AM. I followed a jeep trail to the base of the peak. Along the way someone had stacked rocks about 50 feet apart. This was the second time I have knocked them. However, as I raised my foot to kick another rock pile over, I saw a juvenile Western Diamondback Rattlesnake comfortably coiled and using the little spot of shade from the stack of rocks. So I let this rock cairn stand. The rattlesnake never rattled and didn't act defensively. I then photographed the rattlesnake from only a few feet away. After that I began my hike up the peak. At 8:50 AM I was on the summit. It had taken me 40 minutes. At 9:02 AM, I headed back down. Then I was back at my car at 9:35 AM. My hike was 1.6 miles round-trip, and had taken me 1 hour and 24 minutes.

Double Arches Loop - Superstition Mountains

I started my hike at 7:21 AM, from the usual parking spot for Black Cross Butte. From there it was a short walk back on Forest Road 80 to Crucifix Canyon. After following a jeep trail I was soon on a narrow trail and descending into the canyon. The canyon was wide here, and soon I was looking for the route up out of the canyon to the arches. It was about 1 mile to the Double Arches, and it took me 40 minutes. From there I followed various overgrown trails northwest and up out of the canyon, and looped back to where I was above the arches. Then I followed periodic faint trails back to my car. My loop hike was 2.4 miles, and it took me 2 hours and 13 minutes.

Peak 2580 - Goldfield Mountains

This morning at 6:23 AM, I hiked up Peak 2580. It took me 40 minutes to reach the summit from my parked car. I also tried to climb up a rocky knob that I had been eyeing for several years, but I was unable to reach the top. I also encountered a Desert Tortoise. My 2 mile hike took me 2 hours and 13 minutes.

My 2 mile hike.

Black Cross Butte - Superstition Mountains

The temperatures were in the low 80s this morning so I headed out to Black Cross Butte. I had decided to do the 2 mile loop hike to the top of the butte. It's been nineteen days since I got stung by stingray, and I'm back to hiking in the desert again. Although, my ankle is still sore, I can now do a short and hard hike.

Puerto Peñasco (Rocky Point) - Mexico

I again camped at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument for two nights at site #193. The campground was nearly empty.

This time I timed my trip to Puerto Peñasco for high tide in the afternoon to avoid stingrays. But first I went to Playa Cerro Prieto (Black Hill Beach) to check out the low tide in the morning. I walked about a half mile out in to Choya Bay without the water going above my ankles. My hike was 1.9 miles round-trip, and it took me 1 hour and 34 minutes to walk out on the tidal flats.

Next, I went to CEDO (Center for the study of Deserts and Oceans). After that I went to Playa Hermosa to go swimming for the afternoon. It was a little past noon when I arrived, and the tide was coming in quickly.

In the evening I went out to dinner at El Buzo (The Diver) Seafood and Beer. The meal was excellent and and reasonably priced, and had bottled water.

Site #193

Playa Cerro Prieto

Playa Cerro Prieto

Playa Cerro Prieto

Playa Cerro Prieto

Playa Cerro Prieto

Playa Cerro Prieto

Playa Cerro Prieto

Playa Cerro Prieto

Playa Cerro Prieto

Playa Cerro Prieto

Choya Bay

CEDO

Playa Hermosa

Playa Hermosa

Playa Hermosa

Playa Hermosa

Site #193