Friday was hiking day. We into the desert where a group of us triumphantly reached the top peak in the senora desert national park. It was a total hike of 7 miles, 3.5 up and 3.5 down. At the top were around 3,000ft above sea level. Before embarking on the hike my friend Joe and I thought it would be a piece of cake. However, we ended having a heavy weight bout with the inclines we were walking up. It took above 1.5 hours to reach the top. We could see all the surrounding peaks of Kitt and Mt. Bigelow. Down below we could see the valley filled with living places. It was so clear and warm, around if not above 70 degrees. The breeze though was refreshing and actually caused my body to chill. The battle took its toll causing blisters and sore muscles. Going down was fun, though being easier on the legs the looses pointy rocks could penetrate the soles of our shoes. It was good to get back to the motel and relax after hiking for 3 hours or so. There weren't many animals to see, but the scenery was worth it. We did end up sleeping well that night.
Saturday is our first day of observation. We're using a 61 inch telescope to study planetary nebulea. We started taking our first exposures at around 8 pm mountain time. As the sun has gone down the more stars have come out. We can make out the Milky Way galaxy streaming across the sky from horizon to horizon. It is magnificant. It really makes you feel incredibly small in this huge universe as Isa and I conversed about. It's wonderful and there is nothing more that I enjoy then getting away from city and looking at the stars in the night sky. The peace is a gift from heaven. Living in the city my whole life and having noise always around has worn me out. It's just good to get to hear nothing but wind. It allows me to think and really experience the created world around me. Sound distracts me, and this peace allows me to focus my eyes and concentrate on the heavens above. Beautiful!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I split from the main group with Erin, Isa, and Brad. We choose to take the route that did not go to the highest peak. Unfortunately the first half of the hike was not even on a trail. We went up a wash trail and were stopped by a stone ledge about 15 feet high. After backtracking to the start we found the real trail and took off. We took yet another wrong turn and went from the easy Gould Mine trail to the 4.1 mile long Hugh Norris trail. This would have taken us far away from the cars if we pressed on, but decided against it at what we think was the highest point. So began the trip back to the cars. At least it was downhill this time.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, thanks Brad for getting a burr stuck in my shoulder.