Papago Mountains

One of the advantages of braving the heat in Phoenix is that you are consistently rewared with the most beautiful sunsets on the face of the planet.

Earlier this week I took an evening out to hike the buttes at Papago Park, a Sonoran Desert preserve. As expected, the views were breathtaking and I even saw some fellow hikers conquering a taller bluff which I'll have to try on my next visit.

A Sherriff's helicopter does a pass-by to check if all the hikers are okay

Self portrait

A strange "inverse cloud" casts light instead of shadow due to the angle of the sun

The hot sun begins to set over uptown Phoenix

Downtown Phoenix is visable via telephoto lens

The sun hides behind some fleeting desert storm clouds

The sun finally sets behind the Papago Buttes

A purple desert night sky sets in

And a drastic nightime chill sets over the desert

All in all, I had a good hike. Despite the amazing heat and scorching sun, it was quite refreshing to get out of the office/legal world for a brief few hours and enjoy some good, down to earth nature.