Adventures in Backpacking: 2011

Monday, August 1, 2011

Pinchot Cabin to Aspen Spring Hike

Last weekend (July 30) we went on a hike from Pinchot Cabin to Aspen Spring. There is a cabin at Aspen Spring where we stopped for lunch. The flowers and butterflies (Fritlillarys) were out in full force. The Fritillary is one of my favorite Arizona butterflies. They are very showy and, as you can see in the video, when they are distracted by feasting on mint plant flowers, they can be fooled into walking around on your hand. Aelin has become an expert on getting butterflies of all kinds to land on her hand. The flowers in the video are known as Bee Balm, or Oswego Tea. They are a particularly excellent mint plant with very sweet minty leaves. We use it to make a strong mint tea sometimes. It was a perfect day, as it is still monsoon season and the sun was hidden behind clouds much of the time.

Here we are all!

Fritillaries drunk on mint flowers

Aspen Spring source

The cabin at Aspen Spring

A cool bridge made of flat stones placed

on a large log

Good Scottish Thistle!

There were lots of one of my favorites, Indian Paintbrush

A grasshopper dressed for a party

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Cabin Loop East, Days 4-5

Our fourth day, Sunday, was the easiest. We crossed seveal small draws in the morning, then hiked gradually downhill for three miles on Houston Trail until we came back to our starting point, Pinchot Cabin, for the night. On the Houston Trail, there is a large fenced-off area where the State is protecting a riparian area. It was an amazing place with Houston Creek, large green fields, and fern forests on the side we were hiking on. We saw several cavelike springs along the way. That night it started to rain early, but stopped late at night. Sunday morning it rained constantly from 6 am until about 10 am.

A large cache of shell fossils