Cape Final - North Rim of the Grand Canyon

On July 31st, I hiked The Cape Final Trail. It is 2 miles one way, and is one of the best hikes on the North Rim. It had been raining all morning, but around 11:00am the sun began to slowly peek through the dark clouds, and immediately I got in my car and drove out to the trail. Due to its relatively remote location you won't find many people on this trail. The trail heads to the easternmost tip of Walhalla Plateau, offering magnificent views of the eastern Grand Canyon.

The end of the trail.

North Rim of the Grand Canyon

On July 30th, after a 2 hour drive from Lee's Ferry Campground, I arrived at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon for the first time in my life. No crowds, no traffic, easy to find parking, and only 10% of all Grand Canyon visitors come to the North Rim. The boreal forest on the rim is absolutely beautiful, and much different from the South Rim. The North Rim is 1,200 feet higher than the South Rim.

DeMotte Campground - Kaibab National Forest

On July 30th - August 1st, I camped at the DeMotte Campground located within 7 miles of the north entrance of Grand Canyon National Park. It was so nice to get away from the 105 degree heat of Wickenburg. Here the nights on the North Rim were a pleasant 45 degrees, and daytime highs just barely approached 80 degrees.

Site 32

SP Crater

On July 20th, I hiked up SP Crater, north of Flagstaff, in the San Fransisco Volcanic Field.

The lava flow from SP Crater.

The lava flow from SP Crater.

Giant Desert Hairy Scorpion

On the 4th of July, instead of watching fireworks in Wickenburg, Arizona, I went scorpion hunting. No people and no traffic to deal with, just scorpions that might sting me, and cause a lot of pain, but hey, that would be my fault, and I'm willing to accept that possibility. Besides I was looking for Giant Desert Hairy Scorpions which have a weak venom. But someday I will probably get stung, and then I'll write about it.

Click on image for a larger photo

Click on image for a larger photo

Humphreys Peak - Coconino National Forest

On July 10th, I hiked up Humphrey's Peak in Flagstaff. It took me 7.5 hours to reach 12,633 foot summit. That was 2 hours longer than last summer, but I was coming from Wickenburg at 2,057 feet elevation. The night before, I drove to Flagstaff and got a good night of sleep at 7,448 feet, but that only prevented me from getting altitude sickness. Once I was above 11,000 feet I often had to rest and catch my breath. But I made it eventually.

Click on image for a larger photo

Click on image for a larger photo

Click on image for a larger photo

Click on image for a larger photo

Click on image for a larger photo

Click on image for a larger photo

Click on image for a larger photo

Click on image for a larger photo

Click on image for a larger photo

Giant Desert Hairy Scorpion

Yesterday, I received my new 100 LED Ultra Violet flashlight in the mail, so I did some scorpion hunting in my campsite last night. Within 30 seconds of turning it on I was rewarded with a Giant Desert Hairy Scorpion (hadrurus arizonesis).  I spent the next hour finding scorpions about every 5 minutes. The desert floor surrounding my campsite was covered with hundreds of scorpions. They were all in the grass or hiding under bushes. Lots of Desert Hairy Scorpions and Stripe Tailed Scorpions. I poked the Desert Hairy Scorpion in the photo with a stick to get it in the defensive position.

Giant Desert Hairy Scorpions are native to the Sonoran and Mojave desert. They are the largest scorpions in North America, and typically live 7 to 10 years in the wild. In the winter they go dormant, living underground in their burrows. Their venom is fairly weak compared to other scorpions. They range in size from 4 to 6 inches.

The venom of North American hairy scorpions is fairly week compared to most scorpions.

The venom of North American hairy scorpions is fairly week compared to most scorpions.

Giant Desert Hairy Scorpion

My 100 LED Ultra Violet flashlight