Tom's Thumb -Rattler - Promise me Fun and Sun! - CycleBlaze

March 17, 2020

Tom's Thumb -Rattler

Hiking

Today we are hiking up to Tom's Thumb!
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It's spring break and there are lots of people hiking today
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We climb, climb, climb and wind around the beautiful boulders
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Magnificent
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Still going up!
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Carol has her walking sticks to ward off any snakes!
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Almost 3 miles to the thumb
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Not as many spring blooms today but here was a very nice patch
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Stephen
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We love the big rocks
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Is that the thumb?
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Looking down over the valley
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Almost to the top
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Still more to go
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Emma and Carol
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Still climbing
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There it is!
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Exploring at the top
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Finding a place to sit
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You can see for a long way
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Having a snack before we head back down
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This snake and I started each other going down. He's a young rattler. The fellow behind me used his walking stick to encourange the snake to cross the path and head on into the brush
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Bill ShaneyfeltWestern diamondback. Most common rattler in the area.

https://www.desertmuseum.org/kids/oz/long-fact-sheets/Diamondback%20Rattlesnake.php

Nice find!
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4 years ago
Lunch after our hike. Veggie fajitas. Very good.
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I got a birthday song and some fried ice cream to share with the group. I made it to 65.
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Bill ShaneyfeltHappy Birthday!
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4 years ago

We got back to the AirBnB and reorganized all our gear. Step and I cut each other's hair, showered up and repacked. We are ready to start back tomorrow. It's time to go home and prepare for the wave of COVID-19. Be safe everyone. 

Bill Shaneyfelt - thank you so much for identifying all the flora and more! You are amazing!

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Bill ShaneyfeltThank you for posting the pictures! It was so good to go hiking in the desert again, if only by proxy.

I got started IDing things when a journal I was following passed through AZ a number of years back, and they asked if anyone knew what something was... Bingo! I followed their journal to the end, providing all I could identify. Only in the past few years I started digging out good websites with more info.

Journals are shutting off one by one with the virus. Looks like I may be "out of a job" soon.

Take care! Wash your hands, and your money and don't touch your face and stay 6 feet away from people. Looking forward to the next adventure, but this one was special.
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4 years ago
Janet Anspach-RickeyTo Bill ShaneyfeltThanks Bill,
We will be using all universal precautions as we head back up to Washington. We had such a wonderful time on our trip. Thanks for joining us.
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4 years ago
Janet Anspach-RickeyHey Bill,
We are home! Traffic was light and easy all the way. People are respecting each other's health which is really fun to see. It's good to be home! Beautiful here in the Pacific Northwest! Take care. We head out to Idaho, Montana and Canada in August on another bike trip. Hope to keep a journal.
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4 years ago