Weekend Photos: Where the Rains Aren't

This is an almost-real-time photo post--these pictures are cell-phone photos (easiest to handle away from my home computer) of a hike on Thursday in Saguero National Park East. I fled down here a week ago to get some light and reset my winter brain. Predictably, while Seattle has been awash in rain, the desert SW has been horribly dry (a part of the reason for the LA fires). I noticed the effects of that drought all around on my hike.

I started from the Douglas Springs trailhead on the far fringes of Tucson, and hiked a loop incorporating the Douglas Springs trail, the Three Tanks trail, and the Garwood trail for a 6.25-mile hike with a modest 1100' of climbing and descending.

Yes, Petey Possum came along!

The hike started with easy walking along the valley floor before beginning a stiff climb up and around a hill.

This is the Sonoran Desert, and the iconic plant of the Sonoran (at least, the northern part) is the saguaro--outlined against the horizon.

I hadn't been walking long when I noticed how very thin the prickly pears are. I at first attributed that to different species, but soon realized that they were shrunken from lack of water.

Seen side-on they barely exist.

Once I noticed that, I could see the signs of drought everywhere around me.

Barrel cactus.

You can see how tight the folds are in the barrel cactus and saguaro. Those folds are bellows--when the plant is full of water, they stretch to barely be creases at all. When dry, the plant shrinks and they fold in on themselves. This is normal through the dry season, and if the winter rains don't come they will wait, with the patience of desert plants, for the summer monsoon.

Saguaro

Young cacti of many species get their start in the shade of mesquite trees and other shrubs, where they are protected from the full impact of the sun, and the vegetation concentrates the rainfall (while also protecting the tiny starts from being washed away in the heavy rains).

The high point of my trail (at about 3800') gave me expansive views of the valley housing Tucson, and across to the mountains of Saguaro NP West.

One of many species of cholla--I think a cane cholla--this plant had fruited heavily in the previous season, so things were pretty good for it even if very dry now.

As I came down the Three Tanks Trail, I could see where the tanks should be, but all were stone dry.

In a different season, this would be one of my favorite things--a stream in the desert. Not a hint of water now.

There were a few signs of the continuing life--birds were not as abundant as in a wetter time, but they were there. That included at least one hummingbird feeding on an ocotilla blossom, which bird was too uncooperative to photograph. It was a surprise to see the plants in bloom this early, and with it so dry that they hadn't put out any leaves! (Ocotilla drop their leaves when it's dry and grow them when conditions are good).

Ocotilla blossoms against the Arizona sky.

Apparently no one really knows why one saguaro might have only one branch, and another look like an octopus on steroids.

Broken branches or stems might encourage more branching? I'm guessing here.

Palo verde--"green stick"--always has green bark, to keep on photosynthesizing even when the leaves are off.

And that was my hike! A pleasant workout among the thorny things! I will head back to Seattle loaded up on sunshine and prepared to endure a bit more darkness.

The happy hiker.

©Rebecca M. Douglass, 2025
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