Have you ever been to a place that was so close to you, but still seemed so foreign? I had the absolute pleasure of visiting just a place this summer. I live up in Seattle WA but had the truly awesome experience of visiting the AZ desert this year.
Grand Canyon from the plane
I make it a point to try and get out on a hike every place I go. Ahhhh hiking… It truly is one of my passions. I thought since I was only going to be down near Scottsdale AZ, there wouldn’t be a whole lot to choose from. Especially since I was down there for a bachelorette party and I was pretty sure I wasn’t going to able to talk everyone into a major desert adventure. Thankfully I didn’t have to. I was pleasantly surprised to find that they had included one on the itinerary.
We made it out early in the day to a place called Pinnacle Peak. I could see the mountains in the distance and started to get excited. I could already tell this was going to be an incredibly different experience than what I was used to. Like I mentioned before I live up in Seattle WA. Washington is such a gorgeous place. With its lush greenery, crystal clear glacial lakes, and the smell of moss covered trees as you roam through the forest. It’s just so… clean.
…Anyway, I got sidetracked, back to Arizona. It was something I was totally unaccustomed to. It was dry, and hot, and well… It was a Desert.( I made the mistake of wearing my WA hiking boots, lets just say waterproof boots in a 100+ degree heat is not the best idea). The beauty of the desert though is something that I will never forget. The colors of the red clay infused dirt, against the vibrant blues of the cloudless sky. Just incredible. The thing that I found myself being in complete awe over and over again had to be the amazing cacti (I must have taken over 50 pictures of random cacti). I didn’t realize how large they actually were.
That big one is over 175 years old!
I found myself pretending I was an explorer of the Wild West (I, to this day, have a very vivid imagination). I ended up putting my headphones in and completing the hike all by myself. I really just like to be in the moment when I hike. No distractions, no competition as to who can reach the end first, just complete submersion into my surroundings…
I believe that lizard there is a Gila Monster... or a Yellow spotted lizard ;)
What is better than a desert hike and being able to sit under a palm tree by the pool afterwards? Not a whole lot.