Group Hike

Friday we went on a hike with the Valle del Oro Friday hiking group. Three days a week, groups of residents go hiking. There is a 50-cent-per-hiker charge, plus payment to the driver of the carpool group you ride with. We did a 6-mile round trip hike on the Lost Goldmine Trail in the Superstition Mountains. The trail goes through a really nice area of the desert. We enjoyed the scenery.



There were lots of nice, old Saguaros.



We didn't get many chances to take pictures or enjoy the scenery, however. We don't know if all hikes are like this one, but this Friday group hikes at a really good clip. We stopped for about five minutes after 1/2 hour of hiking, then resumed the same pace till we reached the 3-mile turn-around point--that was 3 miles in 1 hour 20 minutes. This is part of our 12-member group walking up the trail.



When we signed up for the hike, our main concern was that the group might stop every few minutes to rest or chat. That isn't what we are interested in. But pushing for the entire hike isn't all that fun, either. We tend to get kind of smug about our fitness. There are only 2 or 3 other runners here in the park, as far as we know. But this hike confirmed that we are living among lots of able, fit seniors. We like that.

This is a view of the mountain we hiked along, with a good stand of Palo Verde.