Hiking Unprepared Is A No-No

 Anyone have a part time job I could hook up to??  It's more than obvious that I have to slow down on my quilting endeavors.  I took two large and two small quilts in to the shop yesterday morning and almost had a heart attack when they told me the price.  It's very close to a California house payment.  Shock I tell you, I went into shock.  

Sadly, there's no one else who does such a great job.  Now to figure out what I can cut out in order to PAY for it!  Hahahaha maybe it's time for that diet after all!

So off I drove to Saguaro National Park for the day hike I spotted on my All Trails Map App.  It was disappointing to find I could not download the directions without becoming a paid member.  No can do, I've got quilts to pay for.

Luckily, it was some kind of tourist day at the park (on a Thursday?) and there were gentlemen outside with loads of hiking and biking maps and directions.  It's a good thing, because where I thought the trail was and where it ACTUALLY was, were VERY far apart.

I arrived at the tiny parking area and found one spot left.  As I got out and gathered up my parts and pieces, I discovered I forgot to bring snacks.  No matter, that pizza I had for breakfast is still hanging around.  

Next I reached for the water.  Wait ..... uh oh ... I didn't BRING any water.  Not a single drop.  RATS!  I was more zeroed in on quilts than hiking.  Walking out into the desert with no water, even if it is 60 degrees and the trail is only a mile long, is a NO-NO.  

I struggled with the decision and finally gave up as I spoke to another nice couple from Iowa.  They told me of several more locations around Tucson for excellent hiking.  I wasn't giving up quite that easily however.  I drove around the big loop and took short hikes just off the roadway.

Sadly, with a terribly dry summer and no winter rains, most every large stand of prickly pear looked like this.  It's not a pretty sight to see acres and acres of dead and dying cactus.

There were a few bright lights, like this baby fishhook cactus, just three inches across, growing in the shadow of a dead tree.

When it grows up, it will have needles like these.  This is one I've never seen the javelinas eat.

I kept hearing a little quiet tweet here and there, but couldn't see anything.  Finally I spotted this beauty in the top of a tree far away.  I followed him as quietly as I could, trying to get close enough for a picture.   It took almost 30 minutes and I was still 30 yards away.    

I'm sure there are lots more critters hiding out, but I never saw any.  You would have to park out here at midnight to see the bunnies, deer and javelinas.  I scouted out several more trailheads for hiking, but by then it was 1:30 and too hot in levis to go more than a few feet, especially without water.  

This is a long shot of the eastern side of Tucson backed up against the Catalina Mountains (I think).  It looks to me like all the mountain ranges are the same, but every single one has a different name.

As you drive around, you come to Javelina rocks.  No use looking for javis, as I've never seen any here during the day.  It is a short walk up to and through the rocks to a nice viewpoint.

If you are hiking anywhere out here, especially this time of year and into the spring, watch for rattlesnakes.  That stick you want to step over just might bite you.  They don't always give you a warning.

You never know what other things you might find in the desert.  As I walked around the rocks back to the Jeep, I noticed this little monument.  I'm not sure if it's for someone who died, or the dead cholla.  Those are REAL fresh roses in a glass of water at the base.  

This is what it might have looked like.  This youngster is growing up in the middle of some brush.  I'm pretty sure THIS is what that COMB is needed for on the biking trail.

Here's a quick cowboy story about these little brutes.  My dad went out on Monkey Joe (I know, weird name for a horse) to check cattle and didn't come back.  We went looking.  We found him in a huge pile of cholla.  As he came down the hill, the horse's hind feet slid underneath a strand of old barbed wire.  

Monkey Joe went ballistic bucking on the side of the steep hill until my dad hit the bushes.  Joe didn't run off, he just stood there waiting for my dad to get up.  

Dad went to the hospital, not for broken bones, but to have the doctor take all those spines out of his back with a pair of pliers.  Can you just imagine???

Now VERY thirsty, only because I knew I didn't have any water, I headed on back to the house.  Here's my last tip on hiking, or just being out in the desert in general.  Wear cotton.  That nylon shirt I had on got very hot VERY fast.