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As the temps cooled off, I thought I’d try another hike in my unofficial bucket list (is there a different name for it if you are not known to be terminally ill?). This is the Picketpost Mountain trail, which is right off US-60, pretty much in the backyard of Boyce Thompson Arboretum. I had driven by it several times, and being the tallest peak in the area, thought it probably had some spectacular views.

I should have been wary when the trail guide book rated it as difficult, and mentioned having good navigation skills. That combination lead to what I would almost classify as an ordeal.

As you can tell by the first set of pictures, it starts out rather mild, with the ground sloping up towards the base of the rock peaks. Even early on, I got off the trail I was supposed to be on, and was surprised to encounter a large black cow blocking the trail. I didn’t think to take a picture right away, it’s not like I’ve never seen a cow before, but the by the time I thought of it, she had already covered quite a distance. You can barely tell that’s what the black blob in the one photo is.