Today was my day off, so I decided to get out and get some fresh air and exercise by hiking up Pima Canyon Trail.  I didn't even get to the parking lot and I got quite a surprise.  About 50 yards from the parking lot there in the middle of the road was a Gila Monster.  I've seen one at the Desert Museum and other zoos, but this was my first live experience.  I immediately stopped the car and got out my camera.  The Gila kept moving across the road and I managed to get one pic while he was on the road before he made it to the bush.  I would have got some more, but a car was coming the other way and I had to wave it around so it wouldn't run over the Gila.  I followed the Gila into the brush... no to close, of course, and got a few more pics before I got back in the car and made my way to the parking area at the trail head.

As I was getting my camelback out of the trunk (which my lovely fiance' bought for me) my phone starting to ring.  It was my fiance'.  I immediately started to tell her about the Gila only to find that I had a very poor signal and she was breaking up very badly.  She ended up hanging up and I was left wondering if she misunderstood about the Gila and that I was OK. 

I then made my way to the trail head where an older gentleman, Dennis, was sitting with a large backpack.  I proceeded to tell him of my experience just up the road and he was upset because he had been hiking all over Arizona trying to find a Gila.  So, I offered to show him where I saw it in the hopes that it was still there.  We walked back up the road and, at first glance, thought we were out of luck.  I then looked under a grouping of prickly pears and there the Gila sat.  Dennis was ecstatic.  I got a couple of more pics before we headed back to the trail.  The whole walk back Dennis kept thanking me over and over for helping him to finish his quest.  The guy couldn't stop grinning which made me happy to be a part of his experience.

I had a much lighter pack then Dennis, so we quickly separated going up the trail.  The rest of my 2 hour hike was pretty uneventful.  I ran into Dennis on the way back down, he thanked me again and we exchanged a hearty handshake and wish each other good luck.

What a day!

 

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