One of the perks of working in a government job is that we get every Federal holiday off from work. Yesterday was Presidents’ Day, the second such holiday of the year. My dad, brother and I all agreed that it would be a fine day for a hike. We met up fairly early to head out just east of Phoenix to the Superstition Mountains to hike the Hieroglyphics Trail. It’s been unseasonably hot lately, but it was just about perfect while we were hiking. The hike is about 1.5 miles long (one way) and not incredibly steep – which is good because I haven’t been hiking in quite a while.
The trail ends at the mouth of a canyon that has a little spring and some Native American hieroglyphs on the rock that were carved by the Hohokam (if you look closely at the photo below you can see them in the center). We sat in the shade on the cool rock and watched butterflies and listened to the birds.
It was a beautiful way to spend a morning and I think I just might have caught the hiking bug! My brother goes hiking almost every weekend, but he is experienced (and in shape) and goes on trails that are much too tough for me right now. I’d like to hike some of the other ‘baby’ trails nearby so, in the future, you’ll probably see more photos of my rambles in the gorgeous Arizona landscape.
A Certain Fondness 
Lovely photos, and it sounds like you had a great day 🙂
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Thanks, Sam, it was a fantastic day – I love spending time outdoors!
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What a treat that was! Gorgeous cacti and mountains too, and what wonderful names the mountain and trail have. I hope you do keep up the hiking.
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I really do want to do more hiking. I have a friend who hikes pretty avidly and she says she’ll go on the baby hikes with me and show me the good places to go.
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Beautiful!
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Isn’t it??
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Great pictures! I wish there were more hiking trails near me. It seems like a fun activity to take up on a regular basis.
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We have so many hiking trails in the Phoenix area and all over Arizona – it is really one of the best things about living here.
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What beautiful pictures! That scenery looks so dramatic.
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Thanks, Helen! Sometimes I think the desert looks like another planet. 🙂
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Beautiful pictures! And what a view, breathtaking, you’d think it’d take longer to get to see that much landscape.
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Charlie, the starting point for the trail is a bit high up already so we had an advantage. 🙂
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My goal is to start hiking on a regular basis. Your photos have inspired me. Just beautiful!
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I bet there are some amazing trails in your area, Sunday!
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Such spectacular scenery – I love those cacti popping up everywhere; it could be bits of Australia until they appear!
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I always think it looks like Australia, too – or Greece or Spain… I guess the cactus makes the landscape unique, though!
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Thank you for sharing the pictures it is always nice to see where bloggers live and what is on their doorstep. Looks like some great walks can be had.
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There are lots of beautiful walks in Arizona, in the desert or in the north where it is pine trees and aspens. I’m looking forward to hiking both types of trails.
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