Went on a night hike a couple weekends ago with BJ, some of her Search & Rescue (SAR) friends and their families. It was supposed to be a nearly full moon but was slightly overcast so the moon wasn't as bright as it could have been. The rocky trail runs through desert landscape most of the way.
Hiking up the hill towards Hieroglyphic Canyon in the Superstitions did give lots of opportunities to view the city lights which were challenging to photograph without a tripod.
The creek wasn't flowing but there was some water in the deepest pool. There are several panels of petroglyphs that are quite interesting in the daylight. After a break and conversations, we started back down the hill.
We hadn't gone far when one of the people behind us called for the leader to return. It didn't take long to find that one of the people still near the top of the trail had broken their ankle.
What started out as a hike with friends quickly turned into a rescue. The SAR team's gear trailer was only a few miles away so they were able to get it before the remainder of the team responded to the callout. BJ, along with several of the SAR members that were on the hike headed back up the hill with the Stokes basket to carry the stabilized patient down the hill.
About 3.5 miles & 800 feet elevation gain for me. Double that for the SAR team - and a lot more work! Sure is nice to hike with the "right" people. It's definitely SAR season! In addition to the Friday night rescue, there were three more rescues in Pinal County before the weekend was over.
Enjoy the outdoors but be careful!
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