Sombrero Peak Hike

Congratulations. If you have arrived to see the images and maybe read the report, you are one of approximately 600 unique visitors who have or will land here this week.  This being a Monday when I post this, many of you are trapped in an office cubicle, filters prevent you from visiting the sites you'd really like to visit so instead, you come here for a couple of minutes.  I see it as my duty to provide you with barely interesting content and so I begin, at the parking lot of Sanctuary Cove, gazing up at Sombrero Peak.  Note the remains of a dead saguaro on the right.

Rising from the desert floor, the views open up to the northeast but to the southwest.....

.....several examples of "virga" when rain can be seen falling from the clouds but evaporating prior to hitting the ground.  It is from the southwest that storms are coming and I begin to get a little nervous about reaching the top with approaching storms.  Once at the top, it would be an hour of mostly off trail hiking through loose rocks if it began to rain or storm.  I keep going before.....

...reaching the base of the final climb, the sky has darkened and now the wind is howling too. 

I look to the summit, which is acquired by walking clockwise around the base of this wall and then scrambling with some exposure to the top.  Hmmm, maybe I should get while the getting is good and decide to turn around.  3.6 miles with a lot of climbing is still a good day even if I did not reach the peak.