February is a big month for me! Valentines, my late mom's birthday, and then my own. My last two hikes have been to mark occasions. Fitting that this one have some incredible views for us.

Starting out the hike through volcanic basalt led me to think we wouldn't be seeing anything in bloom quite yet. I was mistaken. Shortly after starting we were greeted with some Apricot Mallow in bloom. Not long after that we also saw some Scarlet Paintbrush as well!

The climb up to Scout Cave itself was tough but so worth it. We spent a solid few minutes enjoying the shade and the views from inside the cave itself. It's a popular enough hike and we had seen a handful of other hikers so I didn't expect to have the cave to ourselves. We enjoyed it though!

After leaving the caving and starting our decent Azure suggested we detour on our way back to the car and hit Johnson Canyon. It's seasonally closed to protect wildlife habitat, so we can't always hike it. We had already done most of the climbing there was to do so I agreed and I'm glad I did.

Hiking back into Johnson canyon was an amazing opportunity to hear a number of bird calls. I loved seeing the moon over Johnson arch. I especially enjoyed the incredibly green and lush landscape that water can transform a desert into.

10/10, would hike again!

Today's hike was meant to be a big one. Then Azure got really sick which was a huge bummer. And then we realized that if I didn't go for a hike today (even a small one) I'd fall behind on my goal of getting 40 hikes this year.

So I decided I'd go for a quick 45 minute hike. That turned into an almost 2 hour, five mile adventure lol. Enjoy some photos! Happy Valentines!

Today’s hike was more business than pleasure lol. I only had a few minutes of stopped time because some days you just need to get the miles in and grid it out.

Today Azure had to get 10 miles (she ended up doing a tad over 11). Since I had to work I couldn't join for the whole thing but I was able to meet her on trail for her last bit!

It's been a rainy new-years day but Azure and I didn't let that stop us from getting outside!

It was gorgeous in the desert today. The colors are magical when it's been raining.