Mark’s Photos- #27

It was late March of 2017, and I was well along on my hike of the Arizona Trail, or AZT, as thru-hikers call it. I had hiked from the Mexican border through the desert up past Tucson and was on my way to Superior, AZ. (Just east of Phoenix.) I had crossed the muddy, churning Gila River the day before. Fortunately, there was a fire station near the river with a faucet where hikers could fill up. If I’d had to use the river, there would have been so much silt in the water that my filter would have been instantly clogged and rendered useless.

But it was now early the next day. I was trying to get a jump on the heat and had left camp well before dawn. Later today I would encounter a Gila Monster and have to get water from one of the most foul stock tanks (aka ponds) on the trail. But I didn’t know those things yet. I just knew the sun would be up soon and it would be getting hot. I looked back to see how much time I had before dawn and I was struck by this lovely pre-dawn scene. So, I took this picture and scurried on my way.