Trailblazers hiking First Water Canyon to Acacia Point. [photo by Li]

Cindy, Kevin, Yannis, Robert, Robyn, Li, Tom, Lin, Tamar, Bill, Peggy, Joyce, Terry.

Hike started at Needle Point vista parking lot after positioning our cars for the shuttle. We took the trail that starts at the end of the concrete walkway, rather than the more familiar route up a wash. This turned out to be a mistake as this trail goes up and down and veered too far to the south, so we took off cross country until we intersected a better trail.

Fire damage. [photo by Peggy]

Hackberry Spring was untouched by last summer's fire, but everything downstream from there was severely scorched. In some ways, that made the hiking easier as we were able to cut off the loops of the creek unhindered by the formerly thick vegetation.

Only a few stagnant pools of water remained in First Water Creek. [photo by Peggy]

Tom, Tamar, Robert, Lin, Peggy. [photo by Li]

The canyon narrowed as we approached Canyon Lake.

View from ridge into First Water Canyon. [photo by Li]

After a tough climb over loose rock and through thick brush, we reached a ridge. At the end of this ridge we spotted a Bighorn sheep ewe, standing on a rock pinnacle. We expected it to run away as we approached, but she stayed still. We got much closer, as close as I have ever been to a bighorn outside of a national park.

Robert and Lin, fifty yards from bighorn. [photo by Li]

Closer. [photo by Li]

More Bighorns. [photo by Peggy]

A short tunnel through the Achin Cliff took us to within a hundred yards of the parking lot at Acacia Point.

Lin in tunnel. [photo by Li]