At 8:00 AM the Hiking Club met at the lodge and divided into small groups to drive to the park.
We are so fortunate to have so many great places to hike in this area.
The morning sun makes the bluff stand out... a couple of Saguaros proudly stand guard.
This was a pretty easy trail... not perfectly flat or level, but certainly not steep or difficult.
What a great way to start the day with a hike in the park!
Occasionally we stopped to allow everyone to catch up with the group.
There are no two Saguaros the same... and some are huge!
I saw these little blossoms and liked the bright red colour.
Even a dead cactus is beautiful... notice the structure inside is like rebars in wood.
Good signs along the trail helped keep us on the right path... most of the time. Richard made sure we didn't get lost.
There were lots of large cactus...
As well as smaller cactus... anyone know the name of this cutie?
There were nice steps that lead us to the lookout on Pink Hill.
The panoramic 360 degree view from Pink Hill is truly spectacular.
We took a couple of group photos here.
Our group enjoyed a little break and a chance to visit.
We had a lot of discussion about who built this nest... was it a cactus wren? Or maybe it was too large for a wren... it must be a road runner nest.
Thank you for joining me on this most enjoyable hike.
"Me thinks that the moment my legs begin to move, my thoughts begin to flow." Henry David Thoreau
Here are some of the links to some of our most memorable hikes this year... To hike to the end of Sidney Spit... you take a ferry from Sydney, near Victoria BC to Sidney Island... about three miles. We have lived on Mayne Island in the South Gulf Islands for 12 years, but it was only this summer that we discovered this gem, which was the best hike of our year.
There are over 30 parks in the South Gulf Islands National Park Reserve... so we have still a lot of exploring to do right in our own back yard! You are most likely familiar with the San Juan Islands... well the same chain of islands cross the border into Canada, and that is where we live... in the South Gulf Islands... mid way between Vancouver and Victoria, BC.
Hiking Up Johnson Canyon in Banff National Park was great way to stretch our legs on our way back from Calgary this summer. Several waterfalls and cantilevered walkways that get you close to the action make this hike a real quality experience.
Emerald Lake is fun to hike around. The water is so green. My best high school friend spent a summer building the trail around this lake about 50 years ago, and when he told me about it I had to do the hike. The Natural Bridge is not a hike, but you drive by it on the way to Emerald Lake, and well worth taking a good look at.
Dinosaur Park is a UNESCO Heritage site with no admission fee and boasts five self-guided hiking trails where you can explore different venues in the Badlands. Most hikes take about an hour, but with taking photos it can be a little longer. We did three in one day and were so tired, we were just happy to get in our car and drive back to Calgary thru the lush green fields. It was a glorious day!
The Campbell Point Trail is an easy hike... if you stay on the trial. It is less than an hour... and is located on Mayne Island, where we live. We love to take our friends who visit, here, and if the blackberries are in season you can have a feast in the berry patch beside the parking lot.
Just click on the highlighted links and it will open the blog post for each of the above hikes.
very cool hike -- lots of saguaro no doubt. are there roads up on those hills. would be interesting to see that cactus forest from up high.
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