Wednesday, March 9, 2016

spring hiking in the desert

It is spring here in the desert.  Everything is in full bloom.  The flowers are budding, the birds are chirping, and if only I could bottle up the smell of the orange blossoms filling the air everywhere you go.  Oh boy.  

It's all glorious except for the fact that all those blossoms create pollen that floats through the air and makes us allergy people sick as can be.  

Claire had a soccer game one night a while back.  There were some kids climbing in a tree close to where we were watching which looked awfully fun.  But then a couple of them started jumping around on the branches and that friction sent up a whole cloud of green pollen.  You could see it just like in the Disney movies when those big green vapors of evil settle on everyone in the castle (maybe that doesn't really happen in any of those movies but for some reason I'm imagining it does...).  Our little group of parents talking on the sidelines ran to get away from it and moved our little watching-party safely away but that night was the start of the allergy problems I face every year.  I've never ever had allergies before I moved to the desert. It got horrible and I got great medication and now I'm much better if I remember to take my allergy pills every night.

Blah blah blah, same old story every year just like groundhog day.  

Let's take a look at that pollen in that tree (I had to take a picture before we left)...

That whole little story is just to lead to the fact that in spite of those darn allergies, spring is the best here in the desert.  

It's that window of time that everything is just gorgeous and we don't have to worry about melting when we go outside.  

Which means it's hiking season around here.  We gotta take advantage of this weather as long as we can get it.

The other day my friend and I went back to the big-deal hike ("Flat Iron") we did for my birthday a couple years ago (back HERE).  She texted me in the morning right as I was pulling in to my workout class and I turned right around and went to meet her.  We ditched out on all the "should do's" for one day and did the "want-to-do," although I was wondering part way in what in Heaven's name I was thinking WANTING to do this thing again!  It's a five hour hike straight up and down.  This is the "trail" for most of the hike:
 Here's the view from the top:

 Love this Tonia and the good conversations we had up and back:
 Hikes are the BEST for that.

 See that little tippy-top ledge clear in the distance (in the middle of this picture)?:
That's where we were.

It was a grand day.

Then this week we set off on a much more mild hike (the "wind caves") with some more great ladies.

 Once again, great conversations while enjoying great scenery.
Have I mentioned how much I love the desert? 


I know it probably gets old but it's funny how much a place can grow on you.


  1. Miss the desert in bloom and those beautiful Saguaro cactus.

  2. Oh how I love that sky. It's spring in the Southern Utah desert too. We spent yesterday in Zions and it was heaven on earth. Love the days that you can decide to do a want instead of a have to:)

  3. what a beautiful hike!!!! i know tonia from seattle. she's the best! i m sure you two make a dynamic duo!!!!! :)

  4. Beautiful as always. Thank you for inspiring me! Off topic, I'm curious where you and Elle shop.I'm 6'1 and never look as fashionable as you ladies! I'm always on the hunt for more clothing options.

  5. I did my first desert hike earlier this month at Valley of Fire. It was so much harder than I imagined it would be! But so rewarding! Your comment in your girl's trip post about not being able to capture God's beauty in nature with a camera was spot on...I sure tried my best, but no picture was as beautiful as being there! : )


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