Senator Wash & Reservoir Hike (Yuma, Arizona)

I can't deny, desert hiking is not my favorite. I much prefer the verdant hills of a mountain range in late spring, or the rugged trails along the coast. I like it cooler, wetter, and greener, and the desert doesn't give you much of any of those things. However, any hiking is better than no hiking in my book, so when an opportunity came up to hike along the Senator's Wash and Reservoir, Dan and I decided to go. We joined a group of hikers from Hidden Shores Village who go out every Tuesday. The hike started fairly early, around 9:30ish. I wouldn't have minded earlier; this is the desert, and temperatures begin to rise early on in the day. But this still being March, the heat was tolerable, and there was a brisk breeze that day, lessening the effects of the desert sun. We were lucky enough to skirt right along the reservoir for a good portion of the hike, adding some blue to the barren landscape, and there were a few ocotillo in bloom, another bright spot. Here are some pictures of our first desert hike this year.