Waterfalls Galore!

 

Last week I went for another adventure!
This time I went to a place near Payson, though I'm going to keep the location quiet.  You'll have to find it for yourself!  It was the BEST hike I've done yet, and one of the prettiest!

The drive is really pretty, too.  There is Four Peaks!

I drove through the Pima-Maricopa Indian Community.

We live in Maricopa county.  Pima county is another nearby county.

I also entered the Tonto National Forest.  When we first moved to Arizona from Minnesota almost 25 years ago, I found it amusing that anything in the Valley could really be called a "forest".  Mostly it's scrub and brush and cacti.  Still beautiful, though, and quite unique!

It was a beautiful day.

This looks a bit more like a forest.

Then I came out onto what I think was part of the Mogollon Rim.  It runs across the northern part of Arizona.   

Once I reached the trailhead, I was warned to be very cautious of flash floods.  Since there were only a few clouds in the sky and no prediction of rain, I didn't feel worried.  

There was a sign about "living in bear country," which surprised me.  I would have been even more surprised had a bear showed up in this highly-trafficked, full-of-people area.  Though there was a lot of water.

I didn't have to go far to find it, either!

I first tried walking upstream on the east side of the river, but I didn't get very far before a huge cliff blocked me off.  I crossed the river to the west side, and that's where the trail continued.

I couldn't believe I've never heard of this trail before!  Perhaps everyone who's discovered it keeps it to themselves as I certainly will.  

There was quite a bit of scrambling up rocks to get to the top of the gorge.

Here's looking back at where I started.

In order to follow the trail to the end (though I didn't realize at this point that there WAS an "end"), I needed to cross this rushing river.

I decided here was the place.  There were some other adventurers who encouraged me.

And then I was on the other side!

On this side, the water dribbled down gently over smooth rocks.  It was delightful to play in!

A good number of families had brought their small children here to enjoy the water.  I was impressed by this because the walk to this area is a bit treacherous.  I'm glad no one fell off the edge into the gorge.

Even though I wasn't near Sedona, the rocks were kind of red, and I came home with red dust on my shoes.

I kept wandering and exploring, and I came across a group of people who asked if I had been to the big waterfall yet.  I didn't know there was more up ahead, so I kept going!

There were Juniper Pine berries on the ground.  I like Juniper pine; it smells fresh and spicy.

I found another area of water sitting in shallow pools.  At this point I didn't want to stop because I didn't know how much more was ahead of me and I didn't want to miss out on the big waterfall!  Next time maybe I'll budget more time for poking around and wading.

Some of the leaves were turning a bit yellow.

Then I emerged from some trees onto a rocky flat area with a waterfall at the end.

Here it is!

Of course I got up close.

I sat on the big branch that was propped to the side.  It was actually bobbing up and down a bit even though it was sturdy.  I sat on it to take some video of the waterfall.  

Here it is.  I don't know how it got wedged like this!

After a lot of appreciation (and sore feet from walking all over the rocks barefooted),

I decided it was time to head back.  This hike is only about 90 minutes from our house, and it was nice to spend more time exploring and not as much time driving (even though I like the driving, too!)

I found this pit.

I was still very happy on my way out.

I also found what looked like a petroglyph.

Before I crossed back over the river, I decided to check out another waterfall where the river came around a corner into the main gorge.

Majestic!

And then time to head back downriver.

Here is a compilation of water experiences from this day!

The mountains were pretty on my drive home.

What wasn't so happy and pretty was the devastation of the beautiful desert from the wildfires this past summer.  I almost cried thinking of how long these saguaros have been growing and how the new ones will have to start all over.

There are wild horses in this area, but I didn't see any.

What a wonderful perfect day!