Phoenix AZ
Status of Humans: Hungover
no dogs
no child
Humans 1 Michelle 43 Years old
1 Chad 45
Weather Pleasant
Hike: Holbert Trail.
Distance 4.6 miles
(plus a smidge more for missing our turn in the dark)
This trail head was inhabited by a birthday party. We met the matriarch of the party, a kind women sporting a tiny pink crown made of sparkled paper. tilted just to the left in her grey hair. She shared the family was celebrating her grand daughters birthday. The party had larger than life Toy Story characters -Woody and Buzz Lightyear Conga dancing with the people celebrating, it seemed a bit surreal.
Chad and I glanced at the party, greeted the grandmother and began our trek onto the Holbert trail.
Large rocks stained black with rust red insides pile up around us. For plants I saw familiars from Tucson, ocotillo, prickly pear, and barrel cactus.
In the wash at the beginning of the trail there were three large circular fire pits. I liked imagining the people of Phoenix on a cool spring night celebrating in that spot, friends circled around fire pits, enjoying the desert night.
There were petroglyphs on this hike, people of simple design carved onto the rock.
One of the nice things about this hike was the change in perspective. It takes a hiker up, up, up, above the city and a hiker can see the valley down below to the right.
There were wildflowers everywhere so many of them were purple I did not know their names.
The hike curls up out of the valley. Other hikers walked by carrying bouquets of picked wild flowers and we stoped to admire a tree on the side of the trail that had beautiful shaped branches.
I waited more time than usual to add this entry into my nature journal and I could feel my mind aching to recapture how truly lovely this hike was.
It was steep enough to give my legs a work out. The work out sweated out my poor choices of the night before. I felt my sleepy-foggy-self burn off and as I gained focus, I felt strong and the hike topped out in an area where saguaros were gold in the setting sun. We rounded a corner to find a hedgehog in full bloom, a blot of fuchsia in the green, tan and gold. landscape. Dessert magnolias with their sage green leaves dot the landscape adding texture and color, not that the desert needs the extra texture but the splashes of yellow and sage let this hiker know it was defiantly spring.
At the top at sunset I turned my phone on to discover the school I was to work at on the 17th of March would be closed due to the pandemic. I panicked a bit as the sun set around me rambling on about my concerns of perhaps being out of work. Having just moved and not wanting to have to rely on my partners income. 
Then
the quiet rocks and landscape
in the dusk
took all my worries
and I
like the landscape
fell quiet.
At least for a moment until I began to worry that I would step on a rattle snake. Or Chad would, and he is too big to carry down a hill. I turned on my head lamp to look about for them and Chad got upset saying "I was blinding him in the eyes" I got fussy about his response then tried to fix the light to a softer setting, embarrassed. In the distance before I turned on the light the city lights could be seen. I found them beautiful like jewels in an otherwise dark landscape. Chad shared he did not like them. I understand they show civilization. We are no longer in the wild. I suppose I love the city and the wild and can feel my feet standing in between.
This hike is just outside Phoenix Arizona 1.63 million people. My expectations were a crowded hike but we only ran across a handful of hikers. I think this has to do with the time we ventured out, returning to the car in the dark close to 8pm or perhaps the other change on the horizon.
We then went to Indian food at Star of India then napped in the car like babies or puppies a quick transition from play to sleep. The world at this this moment was changing. I did not really grasp it yet. The quiet of Corona was arriving, the hike and the restaurant were impacted.
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