The Dragon Head No One Talks About

Substantial rain in the days before this hike allowed me to rinse the underbelly of the RAV4 on the way to the trailhead where Ranger Art was very helpful with my many questions about desert hiking and post-rain conditions.

As Art had described, the path criss-crossed the waters of Peralta Canyon where I got to practice my rock-balancing skills and keep my Solomons dry.

The sound of rushing water in the desert was a first for me, as were the multiple waterfalls of all sizes throughout the meandering uphill trod.

The trail changes from the typical gravel/sand/rock to flat yellow sandstone (?) near the top which it was a bit slick in parts.

I managed to look up between slips and there is this dragon, frozen in time and missing its body and fire-breathing parts but otherwise completely intact! I had not read about him (or her? not sure how to sex a dragon) in any of the trail reports so must be new ;).

The dragon seemed perfectly friendly so I carried on past to the saddle and equally impressive view of Weaver’s Needle where the only people I’d seen on the trail helped me snap my signature star-jack pose.