I Thought I was Going to Die...

"Why I ever thought walking 2.5 miles on the Lost Goldmine Trail in 71 degrees was a good idea, I will never understand. Heat exhaustion got me about half way through. I made it to the parking lot, but I just want to go home and shower and sleep."

That was my Facebook post at 2:39 PM on February 3rd, a half-hour after trying to contact my hiking and geocaching partners and telling them I was suffering from heat exhaustion. Yes, I had plenty of water. The temp was 78º when we finally left the trail parking lot after 3:30. Yes, I was dressed appropriately. And the trail was longer than 2.5 miles. I walked over three and the guys walked 3.9 miles. The deceiving part is the trail; it is rocky, up and down through washes, lots of switch-backs. And although there were clouds in the sky, it was warm with no breeze and very little shade.

Despite the deceiving distance and elevated, rocky terrain, the scenery was the reason I tagged along on the geo hike. And the scenery is what kept me from turning around and going back to the truck.

view from the parking lot

signage at the trailhead of 3 trails

my hiking and geo companions

the recent inch+ of moisture brought a vibrant green to the desert plants

a hillside of saguaros

palo verde & saguaro framing mountain formation

saguaros do not grow above 4000' elevation

so that out-cropping is not at the top the Superstitions

Dinosaur Ridge/Peak/Mountain in Gold Canyon near the golf course

I think of it as Stegasaurus Ridge

a couple of bulldogs and their humans

I find it interesting in this time of Covid how some people interact with other people. I was on the trail when these guys came along and stepped off to the side waiting for my guys to find and sign the geocache. The young couple stopped where I was standing and proceeded to give water to their two very thirsty and tired pups. I did not talk to them or lead them to believe I wanted to talk to them. I did not have a mask with me (why would I? I was in the desert, hiking.) The place I stopped was not particularly scenic, but I took some photos anyway to show I was on the trail for a reason other than visiting. I know they hung around for 5 minutes before deciding the dogs were tired and heading back to the parking lot.

one of the best sections on the trail

 contrails and clouds

just to show there is green grass appearing on the desert floor

thanks to the recent winter moisture

this saguaro reminded me of a flower

the saguaro arms look like opening petals 

unusual to have all the arms appearing from the same area

just a reminder, it takes 75 to 100 years for an arm to appear

a curved-bill thrasher posing for me

a small waterhole for the cows grazing in the area

an apartment complex for birds

the holes are started by gilded flickers and Gila woodpeckers

when a woodpecker abandons a cavity, elf owls, screech owls,

 purple martins, finches and sparrows may move in

Hubby and I were both hurting when we got back to the parking lot. The hike was longer than we expected, the temp higher than predicted, and the trail tougher than what we are used to doing. (We hiked that trail a number of times, but that was 10 years ago when we were 10 years younger!) When we got home, we drank a soda, slept for an hour, and then took a shower. Friends had invited us for dinner (SD walleye) so we had to pull it together to enjoy and indulge in a walleye dinner. Besides the great company and delicious meal, we were treated to a magnificent sunset after a very long, trying, scary day.

And life is good...