AN AFTERNOON GROUP HIKE TO 4 PALMS CANYON

ANOTHER MIGHTY FINE KOFA SUNRISE

With my 15x70 Celestron binoculars tripod mounted I was able to see 2 of Jupiter's moons Thursday night & probably had the clearest view of the the Orion Nebulae I’ve ever had.  Could also see the flicker of campfire about 4 miles away at the base of the Kofa Mountains.  Had seen 3 vehicles headed up Queen Canyon road a couple days ago.  Two towing Teardrop trailers.  They are camped at the spot where Pheebs got into the Chollas Wednesday.

ONE MUST ALWAYS BE VIGILANTE WHERE ONE STEPS IN THE DESERT

Kelly had to act as spotter this morning as I attempted to get my right foot onto the ladder rung climbing down from my bunk.  I made it but it was cliff hanger there for a few seconds.  She suggested we get a safety net.  I suggested a parachute.  We both agreed a bungee cord attached to my ankle would be more entertaining.  We do have a tall step stool along so will try that too & hey, maybe a slide:))

  

SURPRISED AT THE SIZE OF THE PALO VERDE ROOT…SAGUARO’S HAVE WOODEN INNARDS & SLENDER ROOTS

We dug out & fired up our Delorme P40 GPS unit this morning.  Bought this new 3 or 4 years ago & have hardly used it.  Maybe only has about an hour of time on it total.  We just couldn’t seem to figure the darn thing out.  It was misplaced for about a year & when we did locate it the instruction book was missing.  That was probably another year before that turned up.  Anyway we have the unit & instructions once again re-united & we’ll have another go at understanding the darn thing.

 

A drive just up the road this morning to Kofa Refuge hosts Ann & Bill filled us up with some more info on interesting things to find here in the mountains.  Ann confirmed it was Jasper Springs we were at Friday.  Had we continued further we would eventually have reached the KOFA CABIN.  If we don’t make it up to the Kofa cabin in the next few days we have it on our list for the next time we return to the Kofas.

BILL, RV SUE, ANN, & KELLY

 

SPIKE & BRIDGET WITH RV SUE

RV SUE dropped by with Spike & Bridget & we all agreed to meet again back at Bill & Ann’s for a hike up a nearby Canyon called 4 Palms.  At 1:30 in the afternoon we set out in a 2 vehicle convoy for the Palm Canyon parking lot.  Once there our narrow rocky trail led north from the parking lot along towering rock cliffs.  All the dogs did so amazingly well right off the bat scrambling over rocks & boulders, down through steep washes & spinning their legs coming up the other side.  Bridget stayed pretty close to Sue while Spike headed up front behind Bill who was leading.  From there on it was a see-saw of dogs passing people on the trail & people passing dogs.

 

SUE  RIDES SHOTGUN IN BILL & ANN’S TRUCK & WE FOLLOW THEM TO PALM CANYON

Only drawback to the hike was the cloud cover.  It takes sunshine to pop the colors out of the rocks & plants but nevertheless it was a fine day for a rock scramble with views across the valley stretching for miles & miles. 

 

SPIKE, JULIE, & SAMMY WITH HER REAR BOOTS WERE ALL RIGHT AT HOME ON THE TRAIL

BILL LEADS THE WAY

We slipped & sometimes stumbled our way along on loose rocks, climbed a few boulder strewn levels, eased ourselves down embankments & picked our way up the other side.  Lots of nasty Teddy Bear Cholla along the way but neither dogs nor people came into contact with any of them.

  

  

 

ANN CHECKS FOR WATER AT THE BOTTOM OF A DRY WATERFALL

 

WATER BREAK & BILL CHECKS HIS GPS TO SEE WHERE WE ARE

 

Kelly & Sue along with Bridget & Spike didn’t go quite as far as Bill, Ann, Sam, Julie, Pheebs & I did & headed back to the trail head. 

From there they took the Jeep back to Sues.  Meanwhile we probably went another half mile to the head of 4 Palm Canyon.  And it was here we stopped for a rest & scanned the towering cliff face rock monoliths for Big Horn Sheep.

 

   

Dry waterfalls could be seen along with crevices & obvious small caves.  Water was spotted at one point near a cave entrance high on the sheer vertical granite walls.   We didn’t get to see any Palms because we figured they could be anywhere up the distant canyon which would require hours more of hiking. 

 

It was time to turn back & head for home.  Probably took us half an hour to reach the trailhead.  Pheebs & I rode back with Bill & Ann, Sammy, & Julie.  Just as we reached our rig the sun came out.

HEADING BACK

THANKS FOR THE HIKE GUYS

With gray skies behind the Kofas & a low setting sun it was pure magic as I watched the mountains catch fire spilling their long smoky shadows into the canyons.     The Kofa Mountains have always reminded me of a magical place out of a children’s storybook.  The many rugged peaks bring memories of old castles with their ramparts, parapets, & drawbridges.  Shadowy canyons & steep precipices evoke memories of darkened dungeons, fire breathing Dragons & Knights on white Horses. The mountains are a Kingdom of imagination & adventure & will always remain in my memory as a place of wonderment & majesty.

Tonight we welcome Rick & JoAnn from RICK & JOANN'S RV TRAVELS to our Blog Followers Friend Connect list.  You just joined us in time for our exploring adventures here in Arizona’s Kofa Mountains.  Thanks for reading along.

And while we were out on our hike today Sue’s blog ‘RV SUE & HER CANINE CREW’ hit the one million visits mark so a big ‘Congrats’ from all of us over here at the Bayfield Bunch.  I think it hit the million mark just as I was taking Spike’s picture this afternoon:))

YEP, THAT’S RV SUE’S RIG OUT THERE

GROANER’S CORNER:(( 

-The early bird gets the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.
-Why is the word big so little and the word little so big?
-Before they invented drawing boards, what did they go back to?
-How is it possible to have a civil war?
-If all the world is a stage, where is the audience sitting?

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- Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.
- Home is where your pet is:))
- "If having a soul means being able to feel
love and loyalty and gratitude, then animals
are better off than a lot of humans."
(James Herriot)
- The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails -William Arthur Ward
- The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now...AL.
- It is not so much having nothing to do as it is not having the interest to do something....AL.