Great weather for a hike

This afternoon we hiked part of the Apache Wash Trail, one of the areas of the Phoenix Sonoran Preserve. In 1998, the city of Phoenix first mapped out two areas of Phoenix where the lands were least damaged by development (one to the north and the other to the south), and then planned recreational areas to both protect and highlight the desert terrain. 

Sign at the entrance to the park

The Apache Wash trail was opened in November of 2013. Take a look at another person's blog post as it's an excellent description of this area, and has wonderful photos. Well worth the read, I think.

Today, with our friend Fanci, we walked part of this trail loop. Although we didn't encounter any steep grades (or any rattlesnakes, thankfully), the trail gave us good views of the surrounding areas. Along the trail we passed runners, hikers, and cyclists, and also saw horses' hoof prints.

Greg and Fanci, at the base of the trail

These views show the greenery that's burst out in the desert since our last visit. When we were first in the area in December, everything was beige or brown.

It took a little coaxing before I could get Fanci to stand anywhere near a cluster of teddy bear cactus, seen in the centre of the photo below. She knows only too well that these teddy bears are not cuddly as they have spines that can be very painful if they get caught in her paws.

 Below is a close up of those prickly teddy bears. They were everywhere, and they drop small clusters of their spines around their base.

It was a lovely walk on a sunny afternoon with temperatures in the high 60s. It sure beats shovelling snow!