Day 40 - Yavapai - Hiline
The elusive Javelinas - they're faster than you think!
It's like someone made paper scissor curls and scattered them into the cacti.
The trail goes straight up a canyon from the trailhead to this bench overlooking Courthouse and Bell Rocks.
It's Saturday, and it's a good idea to steer clear of the hundreds of vortexers clambering around the World Famous Bell Rock Vortex. The really keen vortexers are able to get into Bell's Magic Central Vortex Chamber for an especially intense vortex experience. Or they find out there is no cell service in there. Whatever.
Emma Sherpa Brown Sock surveys the first bench.
The lichens have gone crazy here - latching onto every available pink rock surface. The red rocks don't like them and reject all their settlement attempts. They tried settling on the pink jeeps but the fleets of pink jeep cleaners just scrub them off.
Russ and the Sherpa pose on the resting step.
Wendy makes sure the vortexes are aligned for our summit push.
We're surrounded by remarkably diverse vegetation on the heights of today's climb.
We wind our way up the Dark Canyon. We can hear the jeering of the Vortex Elfs (yes, "Elfs", just like "Vortexes") from high above. They know no-one ever returns from the Dark Canyon.
Today's summit view.
It appears the Elfs were wrong. A strong high-pressure ridge kept the vortexes from claiming their latest victims. Still, the danger level remains high - we carefully descend towards the Turnpath to Whee and Afternoon Coffee.
all images and text on this website
copyright 2014
Russel Kwan and Wendy Kwan
Vancouver BC Canada