This is Blue Ridge, didn’t you say?

Chuck leads some of the hikers on the trail, while the others go with Ted to climb the bean-shaped volcanic boulders. We all re-convene on the road which leads to several lookout points on the top of the ridge. Although Blue Ridge is relatively smooth on top, there are steep drop-offs.

It’s a nice view, but look before you leap.

Triple Trail Junction, where the Blue Ridge Trail meets the Orohai Trail, is in a valley that slopes north to Bulldog Canyon. We continue northeast on the Orohai Trail to a junction where an unmarked trail branches off to the left. The Forest Service has developed a network of trails in this area of the southern Goldfields. “This trail needs a name,” Ted advises.

At the Green Thumb Trail we turn southeast to walk a smooth ridgeline with a grand overview of the Superstition Mountains, Weaver’s Needle, and the Massacre Grounds. We’re walking through a saguaro – palo verde forest with lots of prickly pears and Teddy bear cholla. The lichens on the rocks are in many colors. It turns out that each color is a different species of lichen.

The gently rounded hills are punctuated with bright formations of volcanic tuff.

One of the formations has a window in the rock. We’re walking south on a trail on top of a ridge with fantastic views in every direction. The hikers carrying cameras stop to take pictures.