Desert in Bloom

March 11-12, 2015

Picacho Peak State Park

We are now camped in the shadow of Picacho Peak.  In the other direction, we have our own personal mountain that separates us from the busy I-10 freeway.

Picacho Peak park is famous for its hike up to the peak, and for its wildflower display.  We got to experience both.  We also think it should be famous for the preponderance of ash-throated flycatchers,

the Bird of the Day!

The yellow hue on the northwest slope of Picacho Peak you see here 

is predominantly

Brittle Bush, while the yellow on the eastern slope of these hills to the west

are California poppies (or Mexican Golden Poppies, as they call them here)

On Thursday we climbed up the Hunter Trail to the peak.  We got up early to beat the heat and were first on the trail.  As it turned out, it was mercifully overcast all morning, but we had the peak all to ourselves when we arrived two hours later.

Leo pauses amonst the saguaro

Connie scales the rock with help of cables

View from the top of our campsite and our own personal mountain, what we are now calling the slug, due how it looks from here. (Arrow marks our trailer)

Connie pauses, breathless at the peak

This hike was quite an accomplishment for me, given that 2 years ago when I was here I wouldn't have even considered it.  Good thing we have been training by climbing up canyons at altitude for 4 weeks.

Nice view along ridge with saguaro

Despite the strenuous nature of our hike (for me,anyway, not for Leo), we managed to spot two new species for this trip, white-throated swifts (zipping by us up at the top), and a Williamson's sapsucker (way out of its normal habitat in conifers, but presumably migrating), the Bird of the Day!

And lastly, more wildflowers (poppies,white tackstem, and what I think is a geranium (blue)).