Camping and hiking in the Bouse, AZ area. A different type of desert terrain

We have been in our most recent spot for three days.  Will go into Bouse, AZ, tomorrow to restock, and then come back to these mountains for Christmas.

They are beautiful and remote.




While hiking here we discovered a new type of desert terrain.  It wasn't rocky (typical) or sandy (typical).  Instead, there were hills of red "dirt" that would stretch for several acres among the rocky and sandy soil.

What was interesting about these areas of red dirt was hiking in them. At first they looked delicious.  Soft, few cacti to avoid, no rocks to twist your ankles, etc.

But what we discovered was that there were holes everywhere covered by a layer of the red dirt.  When we hiked we would frequently step into one of these holes, usually about a foot deep.

The danger was walking too fast so that when you stepped in a hole you hyper-extended your knee.  So even though the surface looked ideal for hiking, we instead had to proceed slowly, staring at the ground for a stronger surface.

Still fun, of course.  But it once again illustrates the point that the "desert" is not just a single type of terrain or environment.  There are dozens of different types of deserts.  We discovered another type.