February 2nd through February 9th hikes

 February 2 - 9 Hikes

Massacre Grounds Trail

Gold Mine Trail and Hieroglyphs

Hieroglyph Water Fall

2nd Waterfall

Friday February 2nd Massacre Grounds & Waterfall

We had a good amount of rain yesterday and last night and the clouds were still hanging on the Superstition Mountains.  We only had 5 hikers today.

This was a 6-1/2 mile hike. we found a shallow cave on the way to Massacre Grounds.

The trails were a little slick this morning but we managed the terrain pretty well.

Lunch spot!  Tom Wilkinson teases me about my eagle's perch because I always like climbing high and looking around while we're taking a break. LOL

Such spectacular views, again the photos just don't capture the views like in person.

Standing under the waterfall, so cool!

The pictures are a little out of order, this is a shot of the waterfall from Massacre Grounds.

This is the ridge overlooking Massacre Grounds.  This site is named Massacre Grounds because the legend is that the Spanish Conquistadors were hauling gold and other precious metals through this valley and the Indians wanted their horses and mules so they laid in wait on top of this ridge and massacred all of them.  Apparently there's some remnants of old bridles and other artifacts still on the ground aside from the pieces that are already in museums.  We didn't take time to look but we did see a mule deer down there!

Time for a short break!

This is Jeanne and me on top of the ridge, you can't see the valley behind us that drops off a cliff over 100' high.

Goofing around in the rock formation! lol

Another photo on top of the ridge with the peak of Weavers Needle in the background.

It was pretty cool to be able to get up on this ledge behind the waterfall where I took the video from.

Me, Jeanne, Darla & Al.  Darla is originally from Wisconsin but her & Al have a permanent residence in Minnesota.

Wednesday February 7th Gold Mine Trail & Hieroglyphs

We had more rain yesterday and last night making for a perfect day to see the waterfalls in action!

It's amazing how the clouds just hang on the mountains after a rain, the Superstitions are only at an elevation of 5059 Ft.

It amazes me how quickly this area goes from completely dry to flowing water with an inch or two of rain.

Left to right Tom Wilkinson, Pam (Minnesota) Joanne Loberg (Canada), Jo (Missouri), Jan, Ryan (from Canada visiting grandparents), Rose (B.C. Canada) & me.

These last two photos are from November 29th, you can see the difference in water flow and how much more green the desert looks after recent rains.

Friday February 9th 2nd Water Trail 236

There were 8 of us on this 8-1/2 mile hike, absolutely spectacular!

We had more rain yesterday and last night so there was water flowing seemingly everywhere! Terri is making her way across one of the several stream crossings on this trail.  Watch your step Terri!  Most of us made it across the stream crossings with dry feet but not everyone did.

The rain in Mesa was snow on the high mountains.

The water was glistening on the cacti in the morning sunlight, it's so beautiful!

Up on top in the Indian Grounds.

These saguaros look like they didn't know which way to grow! lol

Gaining more elevation!

Lunch spot!

Water flowing through the lava fields.  We came across another hiker here that's a local and he said this is the first time he's seen water in this gorge since the year 2000!

Terri found a tranquil spot to take a break!

Left to right me, Jeanne, Terri (North Dakota), Aimee (North Dakota), Jo, Rose & Walter.

A little video of the flow that goes to Canyon Lake.

This was a perfect spot to take a rest!  We actually hiked about a half mile downstream to go see a paint mine but the stream was too deep and flowing to fast for us to cross.