We hiked the 5.5 mile Guindani Trail the other day - the trailhead starts at the base of a mountain, carries you back around it and down into the Guindani Canyon through a riparian habitat, and then ascends, for a very strenuous mile to the top of the mountain, popping out at a gorgeous summit view of the butte and peak visible from the campground. The descent is gentle (we needed gentle by then!) and you can see for miles. The riparian habitat is home to many animals, birds, and insects, and the flora is different from the desert cacti and shrubs (but it includes them, too!). It's the water. Wherever water runs (through the canyon, for example), life thrives.
These are views of the trail as you come around the mountain and drop into the canyon:
Down in the canyon:
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| These solid black grasshoppers have red underwings, and they look like flying flower blossoms when they jump! |
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| Morning Glory buds, and twining vines |
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| A Morning Glory, with a visiting ant! |
We startled a bevy of quail as we ascended the mountain, where there was low brush, juniper and oak trees, and even some pine trees that drop pine cones on the trail. Guess I was so awed that I didn't get any photos! When we reached the summit, we turned a corner and saw this:
We ate lunch at the summit and then headed back to the campground:
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| That's teeny Darell on the trail |
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