The Trail Behind the Big Rocks

Today we set out on a restorative hike through the desert.  We're going to have to go into a news blackout again.  I've been recording reruns of Stargate SG-1 and we're watching those.  We've seen a lot of them, but I like the characters; the plots, although scientifically improbable are internally consistent and they're diverting.

We headed out towards the big rocks.  There is a trail that goes behind the big rocks and then along side of the ridge off to the left.

Trail is off to the right.  It got steep enough with enough loose shale and small round rocks that we decided that it would be better to press on than try to go back down.

The trail kept going up, we kept wondering where it would come out.  Here we are at the high point of the day.

That big boulder on the right is the high point as seen from below.  The trail joins up with the trail we've taken up to Ringtail Ridge.  We've seen the intersection, and wondered where it went and now we know.  We are never going that way again.  The trail down from the ridge has dried out some, and the rocks are no longer imbedded, coming down was fraught.  Our neighbor did it yesterday, but they cut it short on a social trail that took them down before the high point.  Unfortunately, we did not see it.  We discussed bushwhacking down, but it looked bad.

It was a long walk and I'm really glad it's over.

This sort of looks like a thistle.  The leaves have defensive spikes.

This is the purple flower that was blooming when we returned in October after all of the massive rainfall.

Note the pollen on my shoe.  It was all over my legs as well, but I kept missing it holding my camera upside down.  There was a lot of yellow.

So that was today.