Early Saturday morning, we decided to go to Lake Pleasant and hike in to some Indian Ruins that Rod had heard about. He tried to find them a couple of weeks ago with Nick and Allen, but did not make it. He downloaded a new map and got some way points on his trusty GPS. I was eager and willing to go on this expedition. We filled our water bottles, got a granola bar and off we went. We parked the car inside the park so we would not have to walk as far. We set off in the direction of the ruins. The terrain was not too bad at first. However, we had to walk through a few campgrounds that were so crowded and noisy I couldn't believe it! We had to dodge ATVs and wild kids driving around like there was no tomorrow! Once we got past that nightmare, the terrain started getting interesting. We walked through trees, with very grassy ground. There were cattle and we just happened to find a dead one. It had been dead for some time - all that was left was "skin and bones".
Some of the trees were literally alive with activity. If you stopped to listen you could hear the buzzing of busy bees - and then you could see them hovering over the sweet smelling blossoms. After the dead cow, the terrain got very challenging. We were walking on a very rocky, sandy, and steep hill that went directly into the lake - no shore whatsoever. There was a ridge above us that looked like it was much more hiker friendly. I asked Rod a couple of times if it wouldn't be easier if we hiked on the ridge than on this slope. He thought we would be fine. I slipped and fell right on my butt and almost slid into the water. Needless to say, that was a little scary. Rod slipped on a huge slick area and went down - all the way into the lake. However, he was not alone in the water. There was a huge fish, belly up, waiting for him. I don't think I have ever seen Rod scramble so fast. He had to go back in to get his water bottles that fell out when he landed.
After our falls, we decided to climb to the top of the steep slope and hike along the ridge. I fell a couple more times and cut up my hands a little on stickers. We made it to the treacherous top only to find that there was actually a 6 foot cliff we would have to climb to be on the top of the ridge. I was not excited about this. I am afraid of heights and I have short legs. Rod climbed right up and offered to help me. I thought I could find a better spot and started going back and forth along the edge of the cliff, trying not to slip and fall down the slope. (I started a few rock slides.) I finally ended up back at the spot Rod picked. I did not want to let go of my hand holds but finally made the leap of faith and grabbed hold of Rod's trekking pole. He helped pull me up over the edge. "WHEW" I was elated to have made it that far. I mean really, look how steep that is and we had to avoid all the cactus on the edge as we climbed over the top!
We took a look around and found that we were in a HUGE field of CACTUS. Several kinds of cactus were growing all around. Oh boy! And lots of rocks and sand and holes to step in.
We decided to bag going to the ruins and just try to get back to the car. We had already gone over 2 miles of very rough terrain. We picked our way through the cactus, trying to avoid the inevitable of getting snagged or stuck by the spines. Rod hit one with his knee, and a piece of it broke off and stuck right through his pants into his leg. OUCH!
I got snagged a couple of times and had to stop to pick out the spikes. Let me tell, you. That stings like crazy! We to make a long story short, we spotted the fence and followed it back to the road where the campgrounds were situated. We had to weave through the cactus. The prickly pear variety were almost ready to bloom. I'd love to see that whole area when the cactus are blooming. I'll bet it is amazing. Just imagine all those little buds fully in bloom!
We had to go down and extremely steep hill right at the end and landed on the road. We made it back to the car and when we got home, I told the kids I was glad to be home, alive, and in one piece. I think I prefer a more traveled trail for my hiking experiences. Especially in the dessert.
Some of the trees were literally alive with activity. If you stopped to listen you could hear the buzzing of busy bees - and then you could see them hovering over the sweet smelling blossoms. After the dead cow, the terrain got very challenging. We were walking on a very rocky, sandy, and steep hill that went directly into the lake - no shore whatsoever. There was a ridge above us that looked like it was much more hiker friendly. I asked Rod a couple of times if it wouldn't be easier if we hiked on the ridge than on this slope. He thought we would be fine. I slipped and fell right on my butt and almost slid into the water. Needless to say, that was a little scary. Rod slipped on a huge slick area and went down - all the way into the lake. However, he was not alone in the water. There was a huge fish, belly up, waiting for him. I don't think I have ever seen Rod scramble so fast. He had to go back in to get his water bottles that fell out when he landed. 
After our falls, we decided to climb to the top of the steep slope and hike along the ridge. I fell a couple more times and cut up my hands a little on stickers. We made it to the treacherous top only to find that there was actually a 6 foot cliff we would have to climb to be on the top of the ridge. I was not excited about this. I am afraid of heights and I have short legs. Rod climbed right up and offered to help me. I thought I could find a better spot and started going back and forth along the edge of the cliff, trying not to slip and fall down the slope. (I started a few rock slides.) I finally ended up back at the spot Rod picked. I did not want to let go of my hand holds but finally made the leap of faith and grabbed hold of Rod's trekking pole. He helped pull me up over the edge. "WHEW" I was elated to have made it that far. I mean really, look how steep that is and we had to avoid all the cactus on the edge as we climbed over the top!
We took a look around and found that we were in a HUGE field of CACTUS. Several kinds of cactus were growing all around. Oh boy! And lots of rocks and sand and holes to step in. 
We decided to bag going to the ruins and just try to get back to the car. We had already gone over 2 miles of very rough terrain. We picked our way through the cactus, trying to avoid the inevitable of getting snagged or stuck by the spines. Rod hit one with his knee, and a piece of it broke off and stuck right through his pants into his leg. OUCH! 
I got snagged a couple of times and had to stop to pick out the spikes. Let me tell, you. That stings like crazy! We to make a long story short, we spotted the fence and followed it back to the road where the campgrounds were situated. We had to weave through the cactus. The prickly pear variety were almost ready to bloom. I'd love to see that whole area when the cactus are blooming. I'll bet it is amazing. Just imagine all those little buds fully in bloom! 
We had to go down and extremely steep hill right at the end and landed on the road. We made it back to the car and when we got home, I told the kids I was glad to be home, alive, and in one piece. I think I prefer a more traveled trail for my hiking experiences. Especially in the dessert.
2 comments:
well girl, you are courageous--I doubt if I could have made that one. But it looked beautiful and now you have some tale to tell. sounds like you had a fun easter weekend.
Wow, that was an adventure! The scenery really does look beautiful, so hopefully at least that made it somewhat worth all the other events that happened along the way! I bet you gave a big sigh when that hike was over!
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