There were 14 of us on this hike. We met at the Desert Vista Trailhead at 8 AM. Getting to the trailhead is a little deceptive as it is behind a housing community. But once you are up in the trails, and looking out over the hills, you see wilderness. The morning was quite chilly and we wanted to get moving, so we did not dally too long at the trailhead.

The hike had a shorter option and a longer version. Most of us did the long version, which ended up being a 9.5 miles. The first part out of the trailhead was up the short, rather steep Hawks Nest trail. Then, we took a left and wound our way around the Dixie Mountain loop. We took the Valle Verde trail to connect with the Cactus Wren Trail and the Great Horned owl Trail. Return to the trailhead was via the Desert Tortoise Trail. Jim’s stats record the total ascent of 1,403'.

Although it started out chilly, once we got moving and the sun came out we warmed up and were shedding layers. It was a perfect day for a hike.