We headed to Fountain Hills and to McDowell Mountain Park at dusk so that we could participate. Side note: we almost ran out of gas...seriously we didn't realize that you have to drive many miles once you get on state park land, just in case anyone decides to head out there with only 1/10 a tank of gas.
I was genuinely surprised to find ourselves in a very large group of people varying in age from elementary school to grandparents. We had to gather at the entrance of the trail and introduce ourselves (oh boy) and then head out with a good warning that if you see something that looks like an S on the trail don't step on it.
Our poor ranger, Ranger Amy decided she would show us what cholla, aka Jumping Cactus would do if you get too close to it. She tried to lightly tap the spines, instead of getting one or two stuck in her hand...she had 5 or 6 spikes VERY deep in her fingers. She tried to flick it off with no luck, I think it made the situation worse. Finally, someone had pliers (who carries that around???) with them and they had to spend 10 minutes yanking the spikes out of her hand. Needless to say, Ranger Amy's hand immediately got swollen and she suddenly didn't have patience for all of the little kids running around.
It was a gorgeous night with lightning popping off in the distance, owls hooting and you could hear the coyote pups yipping under a full moon.
The destination point of the hike is a small pond where there are many different kinds of frogs and toads that survive the summer in the waters. Ranger Amy caught a Sonoran Desert frog, which is poisonous and well-known for its "effects" aka hallucinations. I was a little bit concerned that Ranger Amy was holding the frog in her compromised hands, but who am I to question?
We had a great time, it was a little toasty even though the sun was down but I fully plan on coming back in a few weeks to go scorpion hunting with a black light.
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