Hiking as meditation

We have been slowly increasing the length and pace of our hikes. We have had some wonderful weather for evening hikes this week. Yesterday promised to be lovely so we took the opportunity to go up the Lost Arrow trail at Sweetwater Preserve off Tortolita Rd. It is a 10 to 15 minute drive from the house and then a 1 hour walk to another world.

The ocotillo and saguaro cacti were incredible in the evening light. The rain has kept the skies clear, so we could see all the way across the valley East to the Catalina mountains. It is so beautiful - peaceful and exotic; it is calming.

Walking up the canyon looking West into the Tucson mountains was fascinating - the different terrain and the plants. The cottontail rabbits and quail were out, as were dozens of different birds. Earlier this week we were followed by two small hawks who were hunting collaboratively. Watching them fly was awesome.

There were lots of sounds in the evening breezes, from dried cactus spines rattling to birds crying and flies buzzing. We saw a black-tailed jackrabbit; we had not seen one in the preserve before. They are almost as big as an antelope jackrabbit, but have black tails and black spots on their ears that look like bobcat ears. Their ears and legs are so long, that when we see them we often don’t know what we are seeing for a few seconds. They are huge compared to the cottontail rabbits that we see all the time. I wish I could have gotten the phone out fast enough to capture a photo.

And, yes, jackalope or antelope jackrabbits are real and are found in the nearby Saguaro National Park. They do not have antlers, but their ears are huge, making them over 2 feet tall. They have white spots on their flanks and run in bounding groups like deer do. We once saw a herd of them on the Naval Air Station at El Centro, running across the open fields. It is a weird sight.

As we were coming down the trail back to the trailhead, we found this barrel cactus in the shade; it was still blooming this late in the season. Gorgeous, but watch out for those fishhook shaped spines!

Hiking these trails is not about steps; it is about mental and spiritual health...