White Tank Mountain Park

Published on 27 December 2023 at 07:00

In mid-December we did a quick two-night trip to White Tank Mountain Park in the west valley (Phoenix metropolitan area) with a friend. We experienced a sensational sunrise as well as a magnificent hike and wonderful conversation. Here are a few iPhone snaps of our trip.

We were up early on our first morning to get things ready for our 10-mile hike up into the mountains. It was worth the chill of the early desert morning to witness this spectacular sunrise.

I'm glad I thought to turn my head and view the light above the mountain. The Four-Wheel camper in the distance belongs to our friend. It's a funny thing...sunrise and sunset. Most folks think it is the actual act of the sun rising or setting. However, the best light tends to happen BEFORE the sun reaches the horizon and after she goes to bed. And it's always fleeting. The light can change in mere seconds. 

Here is a fun example of our two sunrises the two mornings we were there. The time is almost exact. You want clouds but TOO many can stifle the light. 

Our hike up into the mountain was strenuous and beautiful. On the walk-out we came across an old camp full of tin cans and even some porcelain.

We were also treated to explanations of these rocks. I should have taken notes. To the right is a line of quartz that squeezed itself and cooled in the granite. Quartz is a mineral composed of oxygen and silicon atoms that crystallizes around magma or hydrothermal vents. It is the most abundant mineral on planet earth and can be found in the form of points, masses, grains, and prisms.

This was a disturbing sight. The Saguaro is iconic to Arizona. It's the only state where this stately cactus is found naturally. It can be found in our open deserts and city landscapes. What we found at WTMP was shocking, but apparently happening throughout the Valley of the Sun. Arizona's drought is killing them. Nighttime temperatures in Phoenix only drop to the upper 80s or low 90s and that’s not cool enough for a saguaro’s metabolism to work efficiently. Unlike most plants, saguaros (and other cacti) open tiny pores on their skin at night when temperatures are cooler to take in carbon dioxide. But with these warmer nighttime temperatures we’re now seeing, the amount of carbon dioxide the plant can take in is reduced, so it has a harder time growing and thriving. Saguaros have a lifespan between 150 and 200 years.  These plants have evolved to live on very little water, not NO water. And the heat is unprecedented. We walked past many whose trunks look sickly and have or are about to fall over. We saw even more whose arms have simply crashed to the ground. 

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Comments

Sara Goodnick
a year ago

Love your new blog site!

Kit
a year ago

Glad I found your new Blog!
Beautiful, but sorry to hear about the Saguaros.

Arla LeCount
a year ago

Such amazing photos, but the saguaro story is heartbreaking.

I’m happy you’re back at it. Your photos bring me so much pride and pleasure. 👍😃

Laurie
a year ago

I love this sight!
Your pictures are…well…magnificent! And love the learning that goes along with them.
I’m looking forward to your tutelage because you absolutely inspire me to keep taking pics on my adventures.
💛

Jeff Insel
a year ago

Very good as usual, I love experiencing and learning thru your eyes and mind...

Roxanne Augenstein
a year ago

Everytime I see a sunrise like that, I always think of my Grandma. She always had little bits of wisdom and this was one of my favorites. She always said "red in the morning, sailors take warning. Red at night, sailors delight".

Being a night owl, I don't see many sunrises, but when I see a red one, I always watch for the storm that is coming. And it usually does...