Scrambled Rocks

 Today Annie and I hiked the Cottonwood Trail at the Sanoita Creek Natural Area just up the road from Patagonia Lake State Park. It was a fantastic morning for a trek on the rocky path that winds down hills, over boulders, through mesquite woods into the canyon where Sanoita Creek runs. We stopped by the stream's edge to rest and eat our snacks hoping to get a chance sighting of a green kingfisher. We didn't, but we were ready for the hot walk up and out (it was 1:00 by then) and back to the car.

A few days ago, Michael and I did the Petroglyph Hike from the campground visitor's center. It was led by Ranger Pat. We walked the birding trail, crossed the stream, and continued walking to the opposite side of Lake Patagonia to the base of a big hill. We had hiked that trail 3 years ago - you know the time Michael slipped on rocks when we were almost back to the base of the hill and pulled a few muscles as he created a small landslide of rocks.
It's a rocky watch-your-feet kind of walk and this time we hiked right up to the top of the hill to a big pile of large red rocks. That's where the petroglyphs are. On the rocks. Tumbled every which way. These petroglyphs - "images created by removing part of a rock surface by incising, picking, carving, or abrading" - were created up to 2000 years ago. In order to see the petroglyphs up close, one must scramble around on the big red rocks. That's what we did - on all fours, inching down the rock faces and climbing over them.

                                                                                

Rock Scrambling - The art of climbing over large rocks in such a way as to not fall off a mountain.