After a long trip, a few of us went hiking in Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument!
As we strolled along the trail, the views were truly 360. However, once the pathway ended, we decided to walk along a creek/stream/river that either once flowed with water or sporadically flows today. Regardless, walking through the rocks was quite fun even though it probably was not the greatest for my shoes, feet, and knees.
Near the middle of the hike, Pat, Katherine, Professor Guse, and I hiked up a mountain and made it to a cave. Professor Guse showed some great rock climbing skills as he quickly and easily made it into the cave. Pat and Katherine made their way into the cave as well, just slightly less swiftly than the professor. When it was my turn, I knew that either I just did not have the necessary upper body strength or lacked the will to quickly pull myself up such a steep slope. Eventually, Professor Guse laid on his stomach with Pat grabbing hold of his legs to pull me up. Finally, I was able to get into the small cave.
I must admit that looking out at the scenery from the cave was truly a great experience and a wonderful way to cap off the fun and memorable trip to Arizona.
(P.S. the picture above is the view from the cave.)
That sounds like quite the ordeal to get up there! The view from that cave looks amazing. Seems like you guys had an awesome time in Oregan Pipe. I wish I had gone with you, but my body was thankful to get a little bit of extra sleep that morning.
I have to thank you for leading the way up to that cave! I was going to cave (oh, yes) to my fear of rattle snakes, bushes, scorpions, etc. and not climb but when I saw you going it encouraged me to join. I never really viewed hiking as anything but a sometimes boring and difficult activity until this trip!
The important thing is you made it Jacob. It was no doubt a great experience, judging from the pictures and descriptions
Jacob, scrambling up to the cave with you Pat and Kathryn was one of the highlights of the trip for me. Not only was the cave interesting and views great, but I actually felt privileged to be doing that with you. Scrambling over rocks has been a favorite activity of mine since I was a kid taking walks the Lake Superior shore with my parents. It seemed like you hadn’t really done that sort of thing before and I could definitely sense some fear, but then you handled it no problem. This opens a whole new set of recreational opportunities for you. Just, please, don’t get into free climbing or base jumping.