Hella Cholla

I had a hard time choosing a photo for my main blip today. This is some cholla and a barrel cactus, looking almost straight up the side of the little arroyo we were hiking up. You really don't want to fall into this cactus. 

The first extra shows the landscape we hiked up into - there were dozens of little dry arroyos to choose from and we happened to pick on that was about a mile of uphill boulder hopping and climbing up dry waterfalls. It was about the most fun I've had in ages. I love that kind of thing. The only really nasty thing was a plant we nicknamed the "Prick Tree" because it had tiny, extraordinarily sharp points which cut right through clothing and skin. I have a few more holes in me than when I set out this morning.

In addition to the Canterbury Bells, I noticed one desert chicory (extra) that was so fresh and white.

The last picture shows one of the climbs we made - you can just make out that someone wrote/painted/carved "Druid's Pass" into the rock. It was easy enough to climb up, getting down was a tiny bit more challenging. Anyway, we hiked up this arroyo until we came to a 10 foot wall which we were not prepared to climb up. Turned around and hiked/slid our way down. 

The sunrise was amazing - last extra. I'm sure we will have another beautiful sunset tonight due to the high wispy clouds....