Backyard Nature Photography

Went out for a walk today through the neighborhood park. I saw alot of different species of birds (mostly American Robins, but a few Northern Cardinal, Chickadees, House Sparrows, and a White Breasted Nuthatch) and a few white-tailed deer. I'm still learning how to use the Canon EOS 10D so the pictures aren't perfect but I'm having alot of fun with nature photography! Here are a few pictures from today:

Cheers!

Cap Sauers and Swallow Cliff Loop

Christmas this year was pretty special because it was marked by me moving back to Chicago from Arizona. After 2 years I finally completed my masters in environmental engineering and graduated at the beginning of December. Last week I moved back home to find a job and be with my family and although I will miss all of the hiking adventures and great friends I've made in Arizona, I can't wait to start exploring the midwest the same way. Christmas was also special because of some sweet outdoors gifts: a new pair of hiking boots (switching it up from Merrells to Vasques this time) from my folks, a Wisconsin State Parks pass from my girlfriend, some hiking clothing from my sister, and "60 Hikes Within 60 Miles of Chicago" a book by Ted Villaire from my girlfriend's sister. I couldn't wait to get outdoors as it's been 3 weeks since my last hike so we picked out one the hikes from the book, laced up the new boots, and headed down to hike the Cap Sauers and Swallow Cliff Loop in Palos Park.

Located in southwest Cook County, the Palos/Sag Valley Forest Preserve is home to the Cap Sauers and Swallow Cliff Loop. The trail is a 3.8 mile loop through a giant grove of Oak trees, known as an "Oak Savanna". Oak Savannas feature grasses and prairie plants growing among forests dominated by Oak trees. The trail is named for Charles "Cap" Sauers, the first Superintendent of the Cook County Forest Preserve District, as well as for the Swallow Cliff, a 100 foot tall bluff carved by glaciers (like much of the terrain in the Chicago area).

The trail begins at Teason's Woods, a nice picnic area located near Route 83 and 104th Avenue. The parking lot connects to the Yellow Trail, which moves through a valley of trees at the base of a large hill. Within the first quarter mile of the hike we saw a family of whitetail deer and we had a few additional sightings of deer along the trail.

The trail then reaches the Swallow Cliffs Stairs, which were constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1930. The 125 stairs climb almost 100 feet and at this point in the trail we saw a bunch of people climbing up and down the stairs for exercise. The stairs once led to the top of a toboggan run which was removed in 2004.

After reaching the top of the stairs the trail continues through the forest on the cream trail before joining the brown trail and then linking back up to the yellow trail. The trails are extremely well marked with posts and each trail either paved with crushed stone or well maintained dirt. The recent rain made the trail a bit slushy in some parts. After passing Horsetail Lake and crossing 104th Avenue we entered the Cap Sauers Holdings Nature Preserve for the second half of the trail. Hiking among the leafless Oak trees on a cloudy, gloomy day made for an almost eery feeling that was pretty cool. After passing Swallow Cliffs we hardly saw any other people. After 2 years of sunshine and cactus it was something different to be out on a gloomy day among tall hardwood trees.

The Hike: Cap Sauers and Swallow Cliff Loop, 3.8 miles, 120 ft. elevation gain

Check out 60 Hikes Within 60 Miles of Chicago here
As always Leave No Trace!

The Flatiron

 

Last weekend I finally crossed something off my Arizona bucketlist that I've wanted to do since I got out here for grad school: camp on top of the Flatiron in the Superstition Mountains. Before I got to Arizona I was researching the best hikes to do and the Siphon Draw Trail to the Flatiron at Lost Dutchman State Park consistently came up. Within the first week of moving to Arizona I completed the hike for the first time and as I descended from the summit I ran into a group of backpackers who were slowly heading for the top. "You're allowed to camp up here?" I asked, "That's so cool!". I promised myself before I graduated I would spend the night at the top of the Superstitions and with graduation looming next week last weekend was the perfect time to do it.

The Superstitions are appropriately named for the numerous legends and myths surrounding the peaks. When settlers first arrived in Arizona they heard Pima legends about the mountain range, stories that the mountains were haunted with the ancestors of indigenous people or home to wicked spiritual deities. The mountain range has only grown more mysterious since European settlement in the area, particularly due to the legends of the Lost Dutchman's Gold Mine. Lost Dutchman State Park, the site of the Siphon Draw Trailhead at the base of the Superstitions, is named after the tale.

According to legend, a family from Mexico, the Peraltas for whom the Peralta trail is named, discovered a gold mine in the superstitions around 1840. As they attemped to bring the gold back to Mexico they were attacked and killed by Apaches and the mine was lost. 30 years later a German immigrant named Jacob Waltz (German, Dutch, who cares. Arizonans are not too concerned with the details) supposedly found the mine with his partner, Jacob Weiser, who was mysteriously killed, leaving only Jacob Waltz aware of the location of the mine. The mine has been lost ever since Waltz's death and is rumored to be somewhere in the vicinity of Weaver's Needle. This has led many people to attempt to locate the mine, resulting in the deaths and disappearances of several people who become lost, run out of water, or fall to their deaths.

Goldmine or not the Superstitions themselves are an incredible attraction. Towering rock spires have been carved from the eroding volcanic caldera, making for some very unique and interesting geology. The mountains are part of the Tonto National Forest and have been designated as a federally listed Wilderness Area. During the spring after winters with high precipitation the base of the mountains at Lost Dutchman State Park become a field of golden flowers from the blooming Brittlebrush and Palo Verdes. The area is also home to a wide variety of desert wildlife.

Our hike started at the Siphon Draw Trailhead in Lost Dutchman State Park. Entry fees are $7 per vehicle with a $5 additional overnight fee if you are camping on top of the Flatiron. The hike takes about 6 hours round trip so it can easily be done in a day. The first mile or so of the hike goes through open desert with plenty of Giant Saguaro and other desert vegetation. The trail is relatively gentle in slope so not much elevation is gained. Along the way the trail passed through a gate to enter to the Superstition Wilderness, leaving Lost Dutchman State Park behind.

The next half mile gets much steeper and within a mile and a half the trail enters a basin of polished rock where water is "siphoned" from the Superstitions. From this point forward the trail becomes very steep, required alot of rock scrambling and climbing to get to the top. Over the last mile and a half of the trail, a majority of the nearly 3000 ft. elevation will be gained.

Canyon Wren

 

Once the top of the draw is reached there are several options to explore. Following the trail to the left will take you to a scenic overlook at Lost Dutchman State Park. There is also a memorial to a family that was killed in a plane crash on the mountain in 2011. Heading to the right will take you to the Flatiron, which will provide an incredible view in each direction. The view from the Flatiron is panorama, Four Peaks to the north, Gold Canyon (my favorite golf course in Arizona) to the south, the Valley to the west, and the Superstitions to the east.

We put up the tent, which was more difficult than usual due to the high winds on the Flatiron. After cooking a backpacker's meal of Mountain House Teriyaki Chicken, which wasn't bad!, we were treated to an incredible sunset and amazing views of the city lights coming on below. As darkness set in we had an unbelievable panorama of lights coming from the sprawl of metropolitan Phoenix below and the stars above.

 

We woke up just before sunrise and headed for the summit of the Superstitions, a 15-20 minute scramble up some boulders from the top of the draw. We arrived at the summit just as the sun was rising over the horizon. It was one of the most beautiful sunrises I've ever seen. We could see Weaver's Needle in the distance, a 1000 ft. tall spire and rumored marker of the Lost Dutchman's Gold.

 

Our descent was uneventful and we made it down off the mountain within about 3 hours. We were incredibly sore the next few days as a result of the steep elevation change but the hike was absolutely amazing and it was one of the coolest places I've gotten to spend the night outdoors.

The hike:
Siphon Draw Trail: 5.9 miles round trip, 2640 ft. elevation gain
There is no water or bathroom on the trail so pack accordingly!
For more information check out Lost Dutchman State Park:
http://azstateparks.com/parks/LODU/index.html

Leave No Trace!