A Hike Full of Warnings, Heard and Seen

It was not all that hot this particular morning so I did a valley level hike out of Sabino Canyon, rather than drive to a higher elevation for a hike.  The warning signs were out as I strode up Sabino Canyon Road.  At roughly mile .8, I......

….turned left onto the Esperero Trail and headed toward a saddle that is the entrance to Geronimo Meadows.  Here, I read a warning about mountain lion activity.

Check out how the saguaro cactus, over a long time, has snaked its way through an available portal.

I hiked into Rattlesnake canyon followed by Bird Canyon and began a fairly long climb up "Cardiac Gap" to Geronimo Meadows.  I was motivated to go for a Strava KOM but just after the climb began I.....

….heard the distinct buzzing of a rattlesnake.  At first I thought it was in a clump of grass but then began exploring the adjoining ledges and figured out it was somewhere in there.  I was curious why it even bothered to warn me. I poked around for awhile but could not coax it out so returned to the hike.  The time I lost took away the motivation to hike fast and then..... 

….grass and brush encroached on the trail and I had to slow as I went into snake scanning mode.  Those critters love to lay alongside a trail and wait for mice or hiker ankles to bite.

I reached the saddle after about 2000' of climbing and 3.8 miles.

A flash flood warning had been issued for later in the day so I kept a keen eye to the southeast and could see clouds building.  The canyon being kind of narrow, wouldn't want to get caught in there during a deluge.

The Esperero trail continues of course, circumventing Geronimo Meadows (doesn't look like a meadow and doubt Geronimo ever visited) before dropping down into the ravine on the left, passing Bridal Wreath Falls and then on to Cathedral Rock, there in the distance, middle.  Awesome place that.

Wow, so humid this morning as I head back.  During which I....

….pass a break on a rock wall and wonder if any creature has taken that as a home.  Probably not a good idea to bushwhack over to check it out!

A popular drink in the area is Prickly Pear Margaritas.  Above, you can see the fruit is ripe and ready to be consumed.

Reaching Sabino Canyon Road, the road is mostly vacant as people have heeded the storm warnings and in fact, one of the nearby canyons received 3" of rain later in the day.  Tucson got a good soaking of 1".  I finished with 7.6 miles and really glad I had a change of clothes.  Yikes, I was soaked but not from rain.