Fremont Saddle

Yesterday we went on another great hike--exhausting, but great. We hiked the Peralta Trail west of Mesa to Fremont Saddle. This is a very popular trail, with a huge parking lot.



We were hiking in the Superstition Wilderness in the Tonto National Forest.



Whoops! The hike got off to a bad start. I pulled my hat out of the back seat and put it on backwards.



There is a 1500 foot elevation gain over about 2 1/2 miles and the trail is full of large rocks. So we had to work. But the area is beautiful. We saw this hole in one rock.



A local hiker told us some people think this cave was used by Geronimo.



Balanced rock is another formation we saw along the way.



We have never seen so many century plants and sotol in one place. The century plant is on the left here. It only blooms once in its lifetime, although it doesn't live 100 years before that happens. The tall plant on the right is the sotol. Both tall flowering stems grow out of a plant that is a variety of yucca.



When we reached Fremont Saddle, we could look over the ridge into another valley. Center stage was this large rock formation called Weaver's Needle. It is really impressive. We wondered if it is the core of an old volcano.



The area around Weaver's Needle is full of multiple spires. This gives you a little idea of what we saw.



As we hike back to the trail head, the view was magnificent. But going down wasn't any easier than climbing up. Downhill is hard on the knees and pushes my toes into the front of the boot. But we will try to this hike again sometime this winter.