Catching up, 2: A lake in the desert? Hiking the Butcher Jones trail at Saguaro Lake

 

March 20, 2022

Soon after leaving the campground we were once again able to see what water can do even in the desert: lush fields of alfalfa, possible because of irrigation, surrounded one of several enormous dairy farms we passed on the way to Mesa. Every one must have thousands of cows, in this climate without the need for a barn, except for milking, only shelters to provide shade in the heat. They'll never see a blade of grass in their lives, I'm sure.

The highway led through the town of Gila Bend, with one chain restaurant and box store beside the other, and we were quite happy to continue on the scenic John Wayne parkway leading to Maricopa – another town we didn't feel called to visit. Late yesterday afternoon we arrived at our friends' Aaron and Evelyn's place in Mesa, which, by now, feels like coming home: this is at least our fourth visit here.

Aaron was looking forward to accompany us on hikes, but we decided to leave the Flatiron for the second day. A random choice from '60 Hikes in 60 Miles – hikes in the Phoenix area' led us to today's venture, the 'Butcher Jones Trail' on Saguaro Lake.

It was a beautiful drive out from Mesa, up the hill past Usury Park into the Tonto National Forest. Saguaro Lake is one of four man-made lakes along the Salt River; the other three are Canyon Lake, Apache Lake and Roosevelt Lake. They all act as reservoirs for the Salt River which provides much of the water supply for Greater Phoenix.

The parking lot was fairly busy on this Sunday morning, some people ready to enjoy the lake boating, some to sit on the beach, and we encountered quite a few people on the first part of the trail. Butcher Jones trail is named after a 19^th century rancher, miner and entrepreneur from the area who, supposedly, also performed surgeries, maybe without much success, judging by the nickname.

For the most time the trail hugs the shoreline of Saguaro Lake, following its contours, with some up and down through the hills lined with all kinds of cacti. It's strange how a landscape dominated by them can seem almost lush. Beautiful vistas along the way let us enjoy the lake with its amazingly clear waters from above; it emitted a sense of freshness and cool even on this warm day. Many people were out boating, some with kayaks and canoes, others with motorboats or a bit larger pleasure boats. Some were brave enough to swim, even though the water is still fairly cool.

We stopped for a bit at the end point of the trail, 'Burro Cove' to eat our picnic lunch and take in the great view before heading back the way we came. With only maybe twenty minutes left to go we suddenly heard a slight hissing sound. 'Rattlesnake?' I wondered. 'No, it's a pop can somebody threw away,' was Johann's reply (sadly, there is a fair amount of garbage along the trail). 'No, look!' Aaron exclaimed, 'it IS a rattler!' And indeed, there it was, half hidden in the shrubbery right beside the trail, a small rattlesnake, its rattle moving rapidly. Aaron, who was closest, took a photo and video, careful not to get any closer, and we warned several hikers approaching from either side, some of them with dogs, to be careful where they stepped.

This was the first rattlesnake we ever heard and saw, and since it is still not really hot I'm surprised we found it, and not even in a warm, exposed, rocky area but pretty much in the shade.

We finished the rest of the hike without further surprise encounters and found the parking lot even fuller than when we started out: this obviously is a favourite spot for the people from the Phoenix area, and I can well understand why.