A loop hike up the Pyramid, a hill in west Sedona, and a visit to the odd polygonal white tracings on red sandstone that is characteristic of the area, returning via the Scheurmann Trail
1 PYRAMIDS AND POLYGONS
2
3 We first climb the Pyramid, which is the hill next to Red Rock High
4 Daisies are coming imto bloom
5
6 Sooon we get high enough for good views across Oak Creek to Cathedral Rock
7
8
9 Houses on Oak Creek
10
11 A very old juniper
12 At the top of Pyramid, we climb the Fort Apache limestone
13 The top of this layer has circular depressions created by algal weatehring in rainwater
14
15 Learning about the geology as we go
16
17
18 Oak Creek is easily visible by its green deciduous vegetation
19
20 Right behind Cathedral Rock
21
22 A small pit house
23
24 Back of the pyramid
25
26 This banana yuccahas edible fruit
27
28
29 Explaining the House Mountain ancient volcanic structure
30
31 The ocotillo will soon be in bloom
32
33
34
35
36 This private bridge across Oak Creek goes to one subdivision
37
38
39 As we go down into the large wash containing polygons, we see columnar basalt up on the hill
40 There are several theories about why white polygons fprm around cracks in this one particular sandstone. It may be light-colored dune sand infiltrating cracks dueing long eras of dryness. or it maybe impoverishment of iron inside the polygons by bacteria.
41 There is still some water in this scour hole
42
43
44 A good place for lunch
45
46 This wash is where we will climb next
47
48 More columnar basalt, which cooled slowly from buried magma
49
50
51
52 Small concretions form atop this exposed sandstone
53
54
55 Basalt boulders clogging the wash
56
57
58
59 We emerge on top, crossing the Scheurmannn Trail
60
61
62
63
64 Scheurmann Tank, dug for cattle but now a waterhole for wildlife
65
66
67 An old shagbark juniper
68
69
70
71 From the top of the ridge heading back along the Scorpion Trail to our starting point, we can look back on Pyramid. Behind it are Cathedral and Courthouse Butte.
