Today I decided to go farther along the trail than I have previously been. I think the complete route goes about 11 miles into the Canyon. I doubt I'll ever get that far...but it was a perfect day for a 4 1/2 hour trek. I'm not good at guessing distances, but estimate I did about 7 miles round trip.
This easy trail is mostly level, with a few gradual climbs. Dry Beaver Creek runs through here, and only has water after spring snowmelt and most likely, after monsoon rains. There are hundreds of sycamores and cottonwoods lining the washes, and many of them today still have their golden autumn leaves.
The sun shines through the colorful leaves
of an Arizona Sycamore
I followed these elk tracks for quite a while along the trail, but never got lucky enough to see the large guy (or girl?) that made them.
The phone from hell finally comes in handy -
to show the scale of these prints
It was a beautiful day for a hike - a bit chilly at first, but I soon took off my light gloves, jacket and ear band. The sun was warm but the breeze was cool - just right! Not a lot of bird activity, mostly Juncos and Scrub Jays - but I did see a small flock of Bridled Titmice. A very cute, active little bird. So active that I can never get a photo of them!
There were butterflies along the way - now I'm thinking it will be interesting to see how late in the year they are still around. I saw Cabbage Whites, Checkerspots, and this California Sister perched on a pine tree.
One last shot of the trail on the way back. Gotta love that AZ blue sky! And oh yeah, the red rocks...
