photos from the weekend's hike up a volcano

SP crater hike.
I make it look easy, eh?
(A friend of mine wrote, upon seeing this photo,
"Nice views. I hope you were able to enjoy
them on your klutzy waltz to the top." ha!)

So Sunday we hiked up SP crater, about 25 miles from here. (Don't worry mom, it's no longer active! The last time it erupted was 11,000 years ago. :)

It took 2.5 hours to get to the top, 800 feet high, because that baby was STEEP, a 35-45 degree angle. And difficult! You ever climb a sand dune? One step forward, two steps back. You know the feeling you get watching your feet sink into the earth and slide backwards as your hiking companion (and their rescue cell phone) disappears over the horizon? Yeah, it's awesome.

Seriously, it was a blast. Here are some photos from the day:

Walking up.

See the angle? It's pretty steep!

Dan at the top. The mountain ridges
all around are old volcanoes.

I'm really into flowers lately. They're
so striking against the Arizona sky.

There are more flowers than normal
because of the unusual amount of rain
this region has seen.