This particular State Park sits on the desert floor so there is a lot of dirt, rocks, scrub bushes and cactus. The sites only have electricity so campers need to be sure to have their own potable water and holding tanks. The park does have very nice restroom and shower facilities.
When we arrived, we were the only ones there. It was 98 degrees and the sun was blazing. We got parked and set up and decided to lay low during the heat of the day.
JUST US
I HAVE ALWAYS LOVED ORGAN PIPE CACTUS
Some of the cactus had blooms and the local bird population was partaking of something the blooms had to offer. They must be very hearty little creatures. We never saw any water in the area.
At sunset, we drove to the western side of the park and watched the fiery orb make its departure. I love the sun but the park was much cooler without it.
We went to bed fairly early because we planned to be at the Hunter Trail trailhead by 0600 on Friday morning.
Hunter Trail takes hikers to the top of Picacho Peak. As we stood on the desert floor looking up, we had a hard time figuring out how that could be. Everything leading up to the cliff face looked the same.
We were up at 0445 on Friday morning. We packed our backpacks with water, food and a few emergency supplies. The trail is not very long but it is rated as difficult with some technical climbing. The gear needed for the technical climbing is in place. Some portions of the trail are so steep or so narrow that hikers have to hold on to cables to pull up or stay very close to the rock walls. Rock walls to one side and drops to the other.
The first portion of the hike quickly moves you from the desert floor towards the cliffs. There is a saddle between two peaks. A saddle is a low point on a ridge between two summits. One of the summits is Picacho peak.
PICACHO PEAK IS THE KNOB LOOKING PEAK TO THE LEFT.
The trail takes you up to the cliff faces, to the right and then to the back side. Just getting to the high point of the saddle is pretty cool.
After reaching the top of the saddle, hikers start back down. There is a pretty good stretch of cables that are very necessary. The trip down is fairly steep and quite rocky. Footing is sketchy so it is nice to have something to hold on to.
HANGING ON
ROB IS THE SPECK TO THE LEFT
Up to this point the trail is taxing but not really scary. I was never really worried about falling. I might fall but it would not be very far.
That did not last long.
Our next technical point was just downright scary. It was scary enough that we almost turned around. The space between the cables and a fall was very narrow. I am more afraid of heights than Rob so I just grabbed on and started climbing. I knew that if I thought about it for very long then I would not go. I did not photograph this part. I put everything away and just got through it.
Our climb continued and we had several more cable assisted sections to conquer.
LOTS OF CABLES
We finished our last cabled section and we continued first went left to check out the lower peak. The trail was clear and easy. After spending a few minutes on the lower peak, we headed in the opposite direction and made the final push to the top of Picacho.
A BREAK BETWEEN PEAKS
When you get to the peak, there is room to rest and look but you are standing on a "knob." We took a break and had a good long drink and some food. We also took a few minutes to just look.
TOP OF THE KNOB
LEWIS IS A TINY LITTLE SPECK NEAR THE MIDDLE OF THIS PIC AND I WAS ON FULL ZOOM
After a bit of a rest, we headed back. We did not linger because the high for Friday was supposed to be 104. We wanted to be back at the RV long before that happened.
The trip down was not as intimidating. We still had all the cables but there were no surprises. We took our time and we were back to the less technical portion in good time.
I will say that the lower half of the trail did hold one surprise for us. I was leading and Rob and I were about 20 yards apart. I made my way around a bend in the trail and came within five feet of this.
WESTERN DIAMONDBACK. ABOUT THREE FEET WITH FOUR OR FIVE BUTTONS
I do not have a paralyzing fear of snakes but I do have great respect for ones like this. I had made a point of looking at the snake identification poster at the ranger station and I knew what this bad boy could do. I had asked about snakes and was told that one had not been spotted on the trail in a few years. Yeah right. Anyway, I collected myself, got my camera, took the pictures and gave him a wide berth. He retreated as far as he could go but he could not get very far because of the rocks. He was coiled and only about two feet from the trail so we both went off trail to get around him. I did not want this snake to think we were challenging him in any way. His strike zone was too close.
The rest of our hike was uneventful. This hike is amazing but it is hard. If you decide to try it, be ready for it. Take plenty of water, some snacks and gloves. The gloves really help with the cables. Be sure to check the weather before starting. It can get really, really hot. I would not want to be on this trail if there was any know risk of storms. The rain could make for poor footing and lightening strikes could be a problem.
As we finished, the temps outside were getting warm but not horrible. We got back to the RV and the girls were very cool and comfortable.
We took about half an hour to rest and then got cleaned up. Our original plan was to stay another night but it was going to be way too hot for any more hikes. We showered, loaded up and we were on our way.
Our destination was Munds Park, Arizona. Munds Park is located between Sedona and Flagstaff. Our elevation would rise to over 6000ft so we knew it would be cooler.
We were on Interstate 10 and would be going through Phoenix. We needed to get a bit of foreign currency so we just exited the interstate, drove right into town and I ran into a Wells Fargo main branch and got it. Yep, that's right, we took Lewis and Clark right into downtown Phoenix. Rob and the girls sat in the RV and I got what we needed.
We left Phoenix and continued our journey north. We got to our new site, checked in and got comfortable. The temperature had dropped at least 20 degrees and we all sat outside and enjoyed it.
I made homemade pizza for dinner and we were all ready for an early bed time. I think the adrenaline rush of the hike had taken more than we realized but were very satisfied with our accomplishment. Our day had definitely been:
Another great day in this thing we call life.
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