One of the great things about Arizona is how accessible outdoor activities are. The weather is nearly always perfect for a walk in the evening, and there is plenty of open space to enjoy. As we continued our quarantine working from the Airbnb we took full advantage of that to get out in the evenings and relax.
We spent a couple of those evenings walking around the abandoned Vistoso Golf Course. Though it isn’t really an authentic taste of the local desert, it’s still a nice strip of open space winding it’s way through the neighborhood.
The water hazards don’t really last when the water gets shut off
This is not typical in this area
We also saw some of the local wildlife scavenging for seeds on the side of the road. These javelinas are quite common around Arizona, but seeing the young ones so close is pretty unusual.
Finally, we were also able to get up into the hills of the Tortolitas one evening to get some beautiful views of the sunset. We only went on a short walk, but the payoff was great.
Sunsets in Arizona are some of the best I have seen anywhere. The combination of consistently great weather, open views, and some interesting topography means that they rarely disappoint. As we wrapped up the first couple days of work from “home” at our Airbnb, I decided to go for an evening hike to enjoy one of those sunsets. I started up the Pontatoc Canyon Trail about an hour before the sun set with the goal of climbing up far enough to see the sun set in the valley behind me. As soon as I started there were great views up the sides of the canyon, as well as out across the foothills towards Tucson.
Looking up towards the top of Pusch Ridge
Looking down the trail to the west
As I continued up I started to get further and further into the canyon I got more and more worried that I was going to end up without a good view of the sunset. I kept picking up the pace, hoping to get to where the trail climbed up out of the bottom of the canyon. It turns out my planning was correct though, and I soon started heading up the left side of the canyon and into the setting sun. Once I found a nice spot it was time to get out the camera and enjoy the view.
Looking up at the Pontatoc Cliffs
As I sat enjoying the view the sun lowered down into the valley, lighting up everything around me in an orange glow. The Pontatoc Cliffs just across the canyon were particularly bright and impressive. The colors were so intense that some of the phots just looked fake.
Shortly before the sun fully set I started back down the trail. I didn’t really want to hike out in the dark, so I rapidly worked my way back down the trail. As I did the color deepened, and the sun sank below the horizon. I snapped a couple quick photos before continuing down the trail.
A saguaro silhouetted in the setting sun
I made it back to the trailhead just as it was getting too dark to see clearly. The last bits of light were still lighting up the ridge, but the stars had started to come out. Another great hike in the desert.
I could just barely see the stars from this view to the east as I finished the hike
Early this spring we finally found the opportunity to travel out to Arizona to see my parents. As you might expect, travel in a pandemic is extra stressful so we were very happy to get outside and enjoy the excellent desert weather as soon as we arrived. We headed out to Catalina State Park for a tour of some of the burn scars from the Bighorn Fire that swept through here last summer.
The landscape was noticeably more brown than normal, but only on the left side of this hill
A badly burned saguaro
As the trail made it’s way up the hillside we quickly encountered signs of the fire. Many areas were thinned out, and some were completely barren. The fire was clearly very erratic though, as some areas appeared to be untouched. The shells of doomed saguaros were a sad sight along the trail. Somehow they continued to stand strong, but many will clearly not make it. However, there were also signs of life among the damage. Some cacti seemed like they might be able to survive, and new growth was already starting at the base of the bushes and trees.
Not sure how this young saguaro will fare, but we wished it well
The bush may be charred, but still it comes back
The way back down the loop took us through some areas which were entire unscathed in the fire. The contrast was remarkable, with far more underbrush and grass. It was a very interesting combination of sights, and I’m sure we will be back to watch it all come back.
The setting sun lighting up the mountains above us
The sun setting over the state park road
In true Arizona style, we were treated to a marvelous sunset as we approached the trail head. It was a great way to kick off our desert trip.
Here are a few quick photos from a recent trip around Ashland State Park’s lake with some friends. It was a great day, with beautiful weather and some relatively fresh snow. Given that I had been here just a few weeks earlier I mostly just enjoyed the walk and the company, but I’ll share a few photos anyways. Enjoy!
You know what is both a great and terrible idea? Climbing a 4459′ mountain to watch the sun rise. On the one hand, you are guaranteed to get an unobstructed view of the horizon. On the other hand, you need to get up at 3:30 AM to leave enough time to get to the trail head and climb to the summit before the sun is up. Despite the early wake up though, I enjoyed it the whole time. It started off bitterly cold (-3 degrees Fahrenheit) from the trail head. It didn’t take long though for the trail to start heading up hill and I quickly warmed up a bit. The trail was pretty much straight up the hill, so it was just steady climbing for 3 hours to get to the ridge and my first glimpse of the pre-dawn sky.
My first hint of the color to come
From there is was just a short walk up to the summit itself. I quickly discovered that I had gotten extremely lucky, because even though it was only about 5 or 10 degrees out, there was no wind. As a result I was able to get set up right on the summit rock and take my time capturing the early light as it started to spill over the ridges around me.
The first view I took in was looking up the ridge to Mt. Lafayette. It hung over me as I climbed the last half mile to the summit, and was the closest peak around. It was neat to watch it change color, gain new shadows, and start to really glow in the morning light as the sun came up.
Mt. Lafayette just before I reached the summit. Not much color yet hereThe summit in full light just before I headed back down
The not quite risen sun projects a ribbon of pink above the summitThe first hint of light
The second area to catch my attention was the view out to the west. Given how steep the descent back into Franconia Notch is, the mountains on the other side look so close, but also so separate from Mt. Liberty. The view was divided into two groups, with Mt. Moosilauke on the left, and the Kinsman and Cannon range on the right.
Both ranges with a purple band of color above them
The summit of Moosilauke touched by the sun, with the valley in the early morning blue glow
Mt. Cannon just before the sun hits the ridge
Mt. Moosilauke as I headed back towards the valley
The most spectacular views though had to be to the east, where the rising sun created an incredible contrast between the dark and shadowed valleys, with the warm sun climbing into the sky. There were no clouds to light up, but seeing the ridges, snow, and rocks glowing with the first light was enough for me.
The moment of sunrise and the first light on the summit
The valley starts to brighten up as the sun gets higher
After spending a half an hour running around the summit with my camera, I took some time to appreciate the solitude and quiet of this place. The combination of the still air, piercing sun, and snow all around really made it feel like I had the entire mountain to myself. It made the early start completely worth it. Unfortunately, it had to come to an end at some point though, and I soon started back down the mountain. It was a quick and relatively easy descent with a mix of fast hiking and a bit of glissading. I started to pass more and more people the lower I got on the mountain, end even got a few puzzled looks as they thought about the timing of my descent.
Frost crystals on a frozen puddle
Don’t these look like mini ice ferns?
Once I arrived at the trail head again it was back to our cabin for the morning to catch up on my sleep and relax for the day. We went out again in the afternoon for another hike and also went into town for a nice dinner again. Always a glutton for punishment though, I decided to head back out for a couple of photos of the stars at the Old Man of the Mountain historical site. Let’s just say I didn’t get up very early the next morning.
On Saturday morning we headed out to make the most of a pretty, but frigid, day. After a relaxed start we headed up to the Flume Gorge visitor center to go for a short hike. Though I have hiked Mt. Flume in the past, I have never really checked out the gorge itself. After climbing up the hill to the entrance to the gorge we were treated to an impressive array of ice with a number of ice climbers scrambling up the walls. We were not equipped to traverse the gorge, so we stuck with the overlook trail that led to the top.
Ice climbers enjoying the sheets of natural ice
The trail through the gorge was closed – and for good reason
With the photos taken, it was down the trail to the north to complete our loop. The trail was wide and extremely well maintained, so it was quick going. At the bottom of the hill we slowly navigated the trail down to the Sentinel Pine Bridge. It was quite an impressive sight perched high over the river below. It was very slow going through this section given the steep grades and our lack of traction.
Looking across the bridge
By the time we arrived back at the car we were pretty well frozen, so we decided to do the rest of our exploring by car. We decided to drive the length of the Kancamagus Highway and explore the overlooks and sights along the way. It is a very pretty section of road and definitely worth checking out. On the way back towards Lincoln for dinner we were treated to a nice sunset over the road.
After spending so much time holed up in the house we decided to head up north to the White Mountains for a change of scenery. After a day of skiing we headed to the Ice Castles in Lincoln to see what all the fuss was about. It turned out to be a pretty interesting spot. As soon as we were in the gates it was clear that this was a large structure. There were impressive walls of icicles capped with a bit of snow. The interior of everything was lit up so that the entire place glowed.
Exploring one of the tunnels through the walls
A combination of ice snow and light
We spent some time exploring the main castle area and watching the many families take advantage of the slides, sleigh rides, and climbing structure.
The water in this fountain must have been heated – it was 5 degrees outside
A rainbow ice slide
One of the most interesting spots here was actually not an ice castle though. There was a short walk through the woods that had all kinds of light displays in various combinations. Hanging lights, lights on the ground, laser lights, and tree lights were scattered throughout the woods and kept on impressing us. It was also much quieter than the main attractions, which always makes things better for me.
Looking up at the suspended lights above the trail
Laser lights everywhere
At the end of the day this is quite a unique place, and I don’t think I can really sum it up in a few pictures. I’ll leave you with a couple ice sculptures that we passed along the way, both of which had some really excellent lighting. If you spend some time in Lincoln in the winter, I would definitely recommend checking this place out in person!
Today’s post has a bit of a theme: Ice. I went up to Mt Chocorua on a beautiful Saturday to get a taste of real snow cover and solitude. I hiked up via the Champney falls trail so I could get a look at the frozen falls on the way, but I ended up seeing a lot more ice than I had expected. It started early with a couple of stream crossings right near the start of the trail.
The first stream was the most treacherous
The streams had all kinds of interesting shelves and crystals at the water’s edge
After some steady climbing I arrived at the falls I had been looking for. As expected, the small gorge had massive sheets of ice forming on the uphill side. In addition though there were an assortment of intricate ice formations across the area. I spent quite a while poking around in the early morning quiet to check them all out.
Ice curtains
The main view of the falls on the way in
These icicles somehow grew in multiple directions
Flat icicles
Eventually other people started to show up and I continued on up the mountain. Though most of the climb was not noteworthy, once I emerged onto the ridge between the summits, I was surrounded by incredible views. To the north was the heart of the pemi wildterness and presidential range, including a clear view of Mt. Washington. To the south were miles of hill country dotted with small lakes, many featuring some ice fishing. Most impressive though was the jagged summit of Chocorua which was clearly visible just over the ridge.
The summit of Mt Chocorua over and undisturbed layer of snow on the ridge
Some critter calls this spot home
A tree hanging on to the edge
I climbed to Middle Sister, one of the minor summits and then across the ridge to Chocorua itself. On the traverse I saw even more examples of different kinds of ice. It was definitely a photographic journey, with many stops along the way.
I thick sheet of ice on the trail marked with one large crack
A lone tiny ice chunk laying on fresh snow
After taking some time at the summit, it was back down the mountain along the same trail. The mountain continued to impress with more incredible views (and more ice formations) along the way, but much of it was familiar at this point. Though it certainly was not crowded, there were a number of people out on the trail this day. Clearly I was not the only one who came up this this idea. Great minds think alike.
Two people enjoying the view of Mt Washington from just below the summitSome wild ice crystals hovering just above the water at one of the creek crossings on the way down
These photos are from a quick trip I took down to Ashland State Park. I had never been here before and decided to check it out. I ended up stopping at a small roadside dam along the way down and took a couple photos there.
The water looked smooth, but cold
Once at the park I started exploring the trails, and ended up hiking all of the way around the reservoir. It was a nice walk, even though I didn’t end up capturing too many photos of it. After that I took the long way home with a quick stop at Hopkinton State Park.
Happy new years! I know this is late going up, but I have been busy lately. I’ll do my best to get caught up. For now let’s take a look back at our little new years celebration though.
I would have liked to make the trip up to Franklin New Hampshire for the new years paddle on the Winnipesaukee River, but it wasn’t in the cards. So instead we decided to head to the Charles river with some friends. It is a section we have paddled before, but never in these conditions. There were patches of ice on the side of the river, and the side channels and ponds were completely frozen. It was definitely an interesting view of the area, and a unique way to kick off the year.
The reflections off the water were perfectly clear
