Search This Blog

Followers

Thursday, August 1, 2013

A Muddy Hike Along the Rim Trail

Becca stared at this as if it were a dragon
Half of our hike this morning was in very muddy ground, in an open-range area where cows often roam.  The other half was on the portion of the trail that climbs steeply into the mountains where few cows dare to tread.  But even up there it was somewhat muddy from heavy rains.  Conditions were steamy because of all the precipitation, but a constant breeze kept us cool.  We got in a long trek that gave us plenty of exercise.
Pose or repose?

Senna-like flower

A different-colored Horned Lizard

Presumably a Red-tailed Hawk feather

Three-fifths of a Wild Rose w/bee companion

Spike Verbena (Verbena macdougalii)

Pincushion Cactus

View from the Rim

Come out to the meadow, Bonnie Becca

Rim view

Looking down to the desert

Park-like meadow in the high country

Everything is green up here

Pinecone

Everybody is playful in the mountains

Yellow mushrooms

Flannel Mullein

No UFO

How many bugs can you get on four daisies?

The fungus among us

Body-snatcher pods?

Split mushroom

This mushroom cap was almost 6" tall

3 comments:

Dr. K said...

I never would have guessed that the purple flower on a stalk was a spike verbena. And I was surprised at the number and variety of mushrooms.

Scott said...

Very nice collection of images, Packrat - some very different from what you often feature.

Once, after backpacking in the Dolly Sods Wilderness in West Virginia, I sent a very irate letter to the supervisor of the Monongahela National Forest to complain that every single campsite near a popular trailhead had been fouled by cattle droppings. I got a nice letter in return with an indication that the rangers would talk to the leaseholder - the reply letter was more polite than my letter - but I doubt that it made any difference.

packrat said...

Well, at least you heard back, Scott. Sometimes these complaint letters are lost or ignored.

Forest Hike, Cloudcroft Visit

Cottonwoods alongside Highway 82 We did the same forest hike behind the cabin that we've done the past three days, and the same one we&#...