#superstition wilderness

[sitting-on-me-bum]

Arizona

Superstition Wilderness grouping of cholla cactus.

Photographer: Tyler Sorensen

[hike2moons]

[adventurealldays]

[valhikes]

Tonto National Forest, Arizona.

The third day backpacking the Superstition Wilderness, we found plenty of water right in the middle of the day. We were also finding easier to follow trails as we wandered segments of the Lost Dutchman. Camp wasn't at the nice one near the good "Charlie boy" spring, but a long way down. From December 2016.

Superstition Mountains: Peters Mesa, Charliebois Spring, and Boulder Canyon

Tonto National Forest. Day 3 backpacking. Water amply supplied in the middle and back into well traveled areas surrounded by spectacular roc

[a-wandering-raccoon]

Arizona Trail, Superstition Wilderness Roosevelt Lake to Pine Creek 26 mi out-and-back, 7000 ft gross elevation gain March 2021

[explorewildplaces]

Flowers of the Arizona Trail

[placeswordsdreams]

Superstition Wilderness, Arizona

[goomz-goes-west]

Wave Cave out of the Peralta Trail is a notoriously undermarked trail leading up to a very Instagrammable rock formation (yoga and/or surfing poses optional). Having hiked it once before, sans Goomz, I knew to ignore every branching path before the anti-motorized vehicle gate and then, when in doubt, to stay left. The cairns along the trail were entirely decorative, but someone had sharpied a very helpful arrow onto a post, and laid out another arrow with rocks from the trail.

Goomz noticed some white fuzzy stuff on the prickly pear cactus. He thought it was fungus. I had once thought it was fungus too, but a few months ago I learned that the white fuzz on prickly pear cactus is actually a protective sort of soft coating for the cochineal beetle. The cochineal beetle is an important source of red dye! But yes, they do die in the harvesting processing.

The last half hour up to Wave Cave can be grueling. Not one person on the trail did it without stopping. Goomz tucked himself in my backpack for the climb, so he had plenty of energy to bounce around Wave Cave when we finally got to the top.