Easy hiking in Tucson

I headed for Saguaro National Park (West) to do a little hiking. I stopped in at the office to flash my pass and to ask about the elusive crested (cristate) saguaro; did you know a perfect specimen died in September? I never even saw the obituary. Monsoon season made the ground very wet, then they had a 70 m.p.h. wind that caught that non-aerodynamic crest and...crestfallen.

I asked if I could hike to one. He gave me a discreet once-over and suggested it might be a long hike. He did point me to some easy hikes, though, so I waddled off toward Wild Dog Trail.*

*I intended to walk the shorter Valley View Trail, but I got lost. Let's not make a big deal over it.†
†I got to the road and flagged someone down for a map. It was embarrassing. Let's drop it.

The trail goes that way.  Saguaro, you are fired.

I met up with two guys hiking, and one asked Are you the New Yorker? We compared notes (his axle broke in Ithaca), and we laughed about how "unfriendly" New Yorkers are. After about ten minutes of chatting, it occurred to him that I wasn't hiking with anyone, and he got startled.

Are you alone? Be careful!
Will do! And you have fun!

Since I didn't want to risk two days in a row of reckless behavior like walking unassisted, Annie joined me today on a Robles Pass hike. We meant to do the easy, quick Creosote Loop Trail, but we missed the turn and took the charming Rocky 13 path. It's not a loop, and so we ended up someplace unexpected. There was no one to flag down for a map.

Tee hee! Nice "arm."

Pam from Oh, the Places They Go! told me where to find a nice crested saguaro, and so I shall. What can go wrong?