February 6-10, 2025

By Tim Briese

Teresa and I went to Arizona to support our son-in-law Rod as he ran the 100K Black Canyon Ultra north of Phoenix. While we were there we stayed with family in an Airbnb in a semi-rural area northeast of Scottsdale. There were a couple of hiking areas nearby in the McDowell Sonoran Preserve so of course we had to do a couple of desert hikes while we were there.

One morning we drove five minutes to the Fraesfield Trailhead and headed up the Whiskey Bottle Trail along the eastern flank of Fraesfield Mountain.

There was a loop trail all the way around Fraesfield Mountain that we considered hiking but it got pretty warm as the morning progressed so we went part way and turned around.

fraesfield mountain

As I looked up at the mountain I wistfully considered climbing to its summit, but it would have required a bushwhack since there was no trail up there, and a sign along the trail dissuaded me.

a great sign to keep people on the trail!

Another morning we drove a short distance to the Granite Mountain Trailhead and hiked a series of trails on a scenic loop. The rock formations, abundant saguaro cacti, and feathery clouds made for several scenic desert photos.

Over the course of several days we were treated to several beautiful sunrises and sunsets from the property where we stayed.

desert sunrise

the weaver's needle silhouetted against the orange sky at dawn

windmill at dusk