Trailblazers in the pines. [photo by Vicki]

Michael, Gail, Robyn, Mike.

The fall hiking season is finally here, according to our calendars, however Phoenix is still experiencing record high temperatures. Six hikers decided to escape the heat and drive to the Mogollon Rim for a weekday hike along Horton Creek. We left Fountain Hills at 6:30am and arrived at the trailhead at 8:15am, where we were greeted by a young javelina, who appeared to be monitoring the parking lot. Fortunately, he was alone and kept his distance, as a few hikers photographed him.
Five of us had previously hiked this trail, and this was the first time for one of our hikers. We started hiking at 8:30am at a leisurely pace of 2 miles per hour, and the temperature was 75 degrees. Several days prior to the hike, Karen had alerted us that there was a wildfire burning nearby, so we weren’t sure if the air quality would be poor due to smoke in the area. Fortunately, the air quality was good on the day of our hike, since the fire had been 100% contained prior to our arrival, thanks to the brave forest firefighters.

Karen and Gail at Horton Creek.

There were a few wildflowers still in bloom along the trail. Many trees and shrubs contained nests created by tent caterpillars and we saw what appeared to be three different types of caterpillars with different color patterns. Hopefully this area will be filled with butterflies in the spring. An Abert squirrel was seen running up and down a pine tree, he had a charcoal gray coat with a white tail and chest. This was my first time seeing this beautiful squirrel and I would have loved a photo, but he had no interest in posing for us.
During our hike, we noticed that several of the access paths, which had previously led down to the creek, had been blocked off to help revegetate the area. At approximately 2 miles in we found a beautiful place along the creek for an early lunch break.

Trailblazers by Horton Creek.

While we were enjoying our lunch break, we encountered a backpacking group that may have been camping overnight. We noticed several campsites with fire rings along the creek. This was first time we encountered anyone else on the trail since it was a Thursday.
After lunch we decided to hike approximately a half mile up the trail to another beautiful location along the creek, and then we decided it was a good time to turn back to the parking lot. The temperatures were increasing and the shade was disappearing. On the way back Michael spotted a tiny horned lizard on the trail and we stopped to admire him and take a few photos. Gail found a red orange maple leaf and now we are all hopeful that fall colors and cooler temperatures are on the way! We hiked a total of 5.3 miles and an elevation change of 600 feet.