Hike to Wave Cave, 20 Mar 2020

Hike to Wave Cave - still keeping our social distance!

Since all our venues closed on Thursday, Mar 12th (during the middle of our Thursday afternoon Clinic Class), we have been struggling to stay busy, healthy, & happy!  We are folks who love a routine & this abrupt cancellation of all of our sessions was quite unsettling.  We are very lucky that none of our dancers in the Mesa area are sick with Corona Virus (even as I write this on March 23rd!  And the weather is lovely.  Lots of folks immediately left when the dancing stopped, heading back home before any of the quarantines or transportation cancellations could effect anything.  Those of us left continued to have some small get togethers - maintaining the suggested social distancing.  George & I were getting out to walk around our neighborhood & enjoying having our windows open to hear the birds & enjoy the warm breezes & lovely smells from the citrus trees & wisteria vines.

When we discussed meeting with Marlyn & Michele, we decided to choose a day we could get out & hike.  It rained on Wednesday & Thursday was chilly, so we waited for Friday & Michele met us outside their park to show us their space.

We sat outside their 5th wheel for a little while before heading out.  Enjoying the lovely weather & discussing afternoon plans.  Enjoyed watching a Red Tail Hawk soaring overhead in the beautiful blue sky.

We decided on the hike to Wave Cave.  We'd not been there before & they had just done it recently & knew it was easily accessible.

Distance:

3.2 miles Elevation Gain:872 feet Route Type:Out & BackWave Cave Trail is a 3.2 mile heavily trafficked out and back trail located near Gold Canyon, Arizona that features beautiful wild flowers and is rated as moderate. The trail is primarily used for hiking and nature trips and is best used from September until April. The spectacular views at the top and the shaded cave make this a great hike. The trail has a steep climb at the end and a rocky descent.

We drove & it was easy to get there & park.  We knew it would not take very long, so we didn't have much with us.  Marlyn had the only back pack with some water & a few snacks.  Marlyn & Michele both had their binoculars, but I had forgotten mine.

The Trailhead was easy to find & even though there were quite a few cars, we didn't see anyone as we started out.

The majority of the hike was fairly level with a wide dirt, clearly marked trail.

As we got closer to the bottom of the mountains, Marlyn pointed out a waterfall in a crevice beside us.  They had followed a faint trail towards it, but it was not maintained & they were having to maneuver through brush.  Not such a good thing to do in the desert!! 

They saw a Gila Monster.  Here's the pictures.  We thought about wandering a ways down the trail to look for it, but decided we didn't want to risk getting scratched up on the brush.

We soon started gaining a little elevation.  Amazing to get such incredible views in such a short time uphill.  

Before we knew it, we were at the cave.  There were a few folks up there, but easy to maintain our social distancing.

Michele gave us advice for our unforgettable picture!  On one & only time to surf!!  Great fun!

It was cool up at the top, so we didn't hang around very long.  

Our only real bird sighting was this guy.  Couldn't get a picture that showed any color.  Started walking up to him, but he flew of course!

Anyway, it was a lovely day.  Highly recommend you use this slow down social distancing time to get outside a little!  Even if you could only walk a few steps up a trail, it's excellent to get outside & breath some wilderness in - helps to get away from the depressing news!