I dont have much sunlight left.  I'm planning to just wander around for a little while.  Maybe I'll climb that hill.
Or maybe I'll climb that hill over there.
That hill doesn't look climbable from this angle.
Every now and then, a saguaro falls over.
Almost to the top.
The view from the top.
The road over there is Apache Trail.
The other hill looks easily climbable from here, but I'm running out of sunlight.
IMG_3296
IMG_3297
IMG_3300
The "summit".  That's the Superstition Mountains in the background.
IMG_3305
Fish hook pincushion cactus with fruit.
People and horses have been in this wash.
Lots of water has flowed through here recently.
I'm taking this wash as a shortcut back to the truck.
I've reached a dead end.  I'm surrounded by steep rock walls on three sides.  I will have to re-trace my steps (I think my i-gotU had trouble getting GPS signals in this little canyon).  If this had been a much longer hike and I was tired and hungry and running out of water, I would be in real trouble right now.  I can't go the direction I want to go and it's a long and difficult hike to re-trace my steps.  I would be in real trouble now if I didn't have strict hiking rules that keep me out of dangerous situations like this.
Looking down at the dead end.
Further up the canyon, it's still very narrow.  By continuing to hike in unexplored (by me) territory, I run the risk of encountering another dead on.  If this had been a much longer hike, I could be putting myself in great danger by continuing to try to find a shortcut back to the truck.  People that are out of water don't think logically, though.
It's almost too dark to take pictures.
The road!  I'll make it out OK.
This was a short hike on a cool day.  I was never in any danger.  I thought it was interesting how this hike illustrates what can go wrong during an off-trail hike, though.  In rough terrain it is not possible to tell when you might encounter a dead end.  If you are tired or running low on supplies, you need to go back to safety using the same route you took to get to where you are now.  To do anything else would be dangerous and foolish.

No hikers were harmed in the making of this trip report.
Subtle Danger
Art
Author: Art (ID: 1009)
Posted: 2009-01-16 03:20 GMT+00:00
Mileage: 1.41 km
(2 ratings)
Tags: Photography, Hiking, Landscape, Adventure, desert, hike, photographs
Views: 2833
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Today's hike was a perfect scaled-down example of a subtle danger that gets hikers into trouble. I was hiking off trail, in an area I'd never been to before. I climbed a hill and took a different route on the way down. While trying to get back to the truck, I encountered a cliff I couldn't climb. If this had not been such a short hike, I could have been too tired, or too hungry or too thirsty to get back to my truck after encountering this obstacle. It's this type of thing that gets hikers into trouble. The news will say they got lost. They knew where they were, and they knew where they wanted to be. They were just too tired, thirsty, and disoriented to go where they wanted.

IMG_3288
I dont have much sunlight left. I'm planning to just wander around for a little while. Maybe I'll climb that hill.
IMG_3289
Or maybe I'll climb that hill over there.
IMG_3290
That hill doesn't look climbable from this angle.
IMG_3291
Every now and then, a saguaro falls over.
IMG_3292
Almost to the top.
IMG_3293
The view from the top.
IMG_3294
The road over there is Apache Trail.
IMG_3295
The other hill looks easily climbable from here, but I'm running out of sunlight.
IMG_3296
IMG_3297
IMG_3300
IMG_3302
The "summit". That's the Superstition Mountains in the background.
IMG_3305
IMG_3315
Fish hook pincushion cactus with fruit.
IMG_3316
People and horses have been in this wash.
IMG_3319
Lots of water has flowed through here recently.
IMG_3321
I'm taking this wash as a shortcut back to the truck.
IMG_3322
I've reached a dead end. I'm surrounded by steep rock walls on three sides. I will have to re-trace my steps (I think my i-gotU had trouble getting GPS signals in this little canyon). If this had been a much longer hike and I was tired and hungry and running out of water, I would be in real trouble right now. I can't go the direction I want to go and it's a long and difficult hike to re-trace my steps. I would be in real trouble now if I didn't have strict hiking rules that keep me out of dangerous situations like this.
IMG_3323
Looking down at the dead end.
IMG_3328
Further up the canyon, it's still very narrow. By continuing to hike in unexplored (by me) territory, I run the risk of encountering another dead on. If this had been a much longer hike, I could be putting myself in great danger by continuing to try to find a shortcut back to the truck. People that are out of water don't think logically, though.
IMG_3332
It's almost too dark to take pictures.
IMG_3333
The road! I'll make it out OK.
IMG_3334
This was a short hike on a cool day. I was never in any danger. I thought it was interesting how this hike illustrates what can go wrong during an off-trail hike, though. In rough terrain it is not possible to tell when you might encounter a dead end. If you are tired or running low on supplies, you need to go back to safety using the same route you took to get to where you are now. To do anything else would be dangerous and foolish.

No hikers were harmed in the making of this trip report.
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