Yesterday we rode on the trail. Today we were tired, and decided we'd do a hike out at Dove Mountain. It would be an easy day. Hah! Double Hah Hah Hah! To get back to the trail head (and the car) from the finish of the Lower Javelina trails, there is a lengthy slog up a wash unless one wishes to to the trail in reverse. Today we decided to do part of the Alamo Springs trail because its start and finish is closer to the car because it's an out and back that does not traverse the hill side, it's straight up. You can make it into a loop, but that's way more miles than I have left in my feet. Anyway, it's a stair master trail going up, and it's hard coming down because there are many big rocks to descend. It was a nice day, partly cloudy with enough breeze to keep the temperatures down.
See the yellow blobs? Those are dead yuccas. I think they all died from the cold. They have that mushy look that frozen vegetation gets. If they're not dead, they're seriously damaged.
Google lens thinks these are asters. Who am I to question Google? They're all over the place on the trails.
This pretty much defines perseverance. Large chunks of this Saguaro are on the ground to the left of the cactus. It's currently losing skin off of his lower arm. At the top, there's part of an arm left, and he's growing two new ones. He's bound and determined to continue. That area is swaying in the breeze, so I'm not holding out much hope for him long term.
Cloudy skies on the way home.
Other than this paltry offering, I have not much to say.
That Saguaro's struggle is epic. Won't make it.
ReplyDeleteAsters yes...daisy family anyway..it is a big family
ReplyDeleteI'm amazed that saguaro is hanging in there. Perhaps it will produce a few blossoms out of those living arms and that will be its last gasp toward reproduction. Weird that so many of the yuccas died. Was it THAT much colder than usual?
ReplyDeleteOh, and yes, those are asters. We have almost identical ones in our garden.
DeleteThat trail looks pretty dry by European standards. On my blog you asked about the huts and supplies on the GR5. Throughout the Alps there are hundreds of mountain refuge huts that provide overnight accommodation and usually good basic meals - as major trail the GR5 has many and they sell packed lunches for the next day too. But many people camp as well taking supplies from the valley towns every few days. Hiking to the huts is very popular and many are now linked by official routes.
ReplyDeletethey look like asters to me. and that saguaro, how is it managing to grow two new arms at the very top connected to a sliver of inner core that looks dead.
ReplyDeleteA lot of Desert Plants aren't faring well with Climate Changes. They have been doing a study on Saguaro Cacti, they live so long that they are a very good indicator of Climate Changes that are adverse. If they can't Survive, as the Sentinels that can live so very long, there's poor hopes for the less hardy plants and animals.
ReplyDeletePoor Saguaro. It really saddens me to see something like that. I tend to anthropomorphize plants and feel their "pain". Do you two use trekking poles? We used to use them all the time when we were doing serious hikes and found that they really help for descending, especially.
ReplyDelete