Pleasant Surprise

DAY ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY EIGHT

This morning I was planning on doing a little lap around my usual dog walk trail near home and then come back and call it a day. Not every hike can be exciting, new and rewarding. Some days are just like that. I figured I could write about the Lakers winning the championship, the upheaval in Iran, the new iPhone or the weather. You know, stuff that everyone blogs about. But I found another new trail. Actually, two new trails. I cannot believe it; I thought I'd covered every inch of this area and to find something new is amazing to me and every exciting.

I head out on the trail with Kahlua and try to hike a little different path than I've taken before. It's not easy because I've probably been here about six times this year.

The golf course looks awful lonely today. I guess people don't know how perfect the weather has been out here.

This trail will lead me up to another trail and then my loop will be complete. Once back home, I'll shower and then head off to work.

But as I go to make a left turn on the trail that will lead me back I notice this trail. Up until today I have only hiked this trail in the other direction and never looked down to see this. I don't have much time but I have to see where it goes.

This trail is amazing! It is very well built and goes in the direction of the wash heading toward the ridge between Indio Mountain and Eisenhower Mountain.

The work done on this trail is very substantial. Someone put in dozens and maybe hundreds of hours of hard work creating this. Amazing.

It is obvious that this trail was originally an Indian trail since there are several rock monuments all along the more modern improvements. There may be some water source up the canyon or some hunting blinds or something else that would bring the Indians up here. Look closely and you'll see three monuments in this picture.

Another trail branches off and heads up the hill. I have no idea where this trail would go or what the point of it would be but I will find out. Just not today.

The trail keeps on going but I've got to get going home and to work. I will be back here soon when I have more time. I'll try to get out in the morning when it's cool so I can follow the trail however far it goes.

Kahlua's got her nose to the ground and for all I know she's sniffing out another trail. This little section of the desert is loaded with them. On what I was expecting to be a little short loop ended up being a day of discovery and I couldn't be more thrilled.