Hiking in Maricopa County

March 29, 2010
In Arizona the county parks are equivilant to Texas state parks, large, well-maintained, and if not completely staffed, full of helpful, knowledgeagble folks. In this Sonoran desert park we hiked most of the short routes. The Pemberton, a 15m loop, was way beyond my ability or desire, but I was proud to complete the 5m Scenic Rim loop yesterday. It was a beautiful day with many Sunday hikers out to enjoy it. The info from Ranger Jenny on previous walks added to our knowledge of peaks, flora, and understanding of geology of the area. It was a perfect way to culmate our stay here.

On Saturday we took a short section of the Pemberton to an artesian well that has been home to cattle, coyote, fish and frogs for eons. An oasis, literally. This was a ranger-led hike with a fairly large group to admire a full moon in the desert. So we began with a bit of sun settling over the peaks west and a bright, almost-full orb in the east. the air was crisp and refreshing and the path brightly lit. Watching the light and shadows change as we progressed was fascinating. Any hopes of seeing or hearing wildlife were dimmed by the amount of noise we made moving along - quiet conversations, shuffling feet, occassional informative remarks from Jenny. it was in no way strenuous, but a delightful way to spend a Saturday evening.

Wildflowers! They have arrived in Phoenix. When we got here in January, plant life was as grim as everywhere else, but the desert has come awake in the last week. It is neat to see the variety as you move from urban to rural and between elevations because the display changes. Even the creosote is beautiful, the bougonvilla goes way past beautiful! Poppies in golden shades of orange and yellow, lupines are the bluebonnets of Arizona, chia, and fairy dusters. I'm just showing off my new-found knowledge! Name dropping, so to speak.

Today we head for Tucson and hope to see more wildflowers as we head into Easter.

All of this and more has helped to heal the body and soul that was me a few weeks ago. Sleep, walk, good food, good friends, routine, tasks accomplished, beautiful new life and the promise of Easter. God has provided them all and given us the opportunity to be renewed if we will just slow things down a bit. We happen to be at the season of anguish and glory in liturgy, but God shows us that glory does follow anguish, we just have to allow it to happen.

I'm hoping that this message finds each and every reader in glory!