Arizona Washes and gulches

[blackchipjim]

Good evening all, I just got back from my annual prospecting trip to Arizona and had a few surprises this year. The washes that were normally dry were surprisingly wet. The sand bars and vegetation that were there years before were gone or submerged under water. I found that mother nature has once again altered the terrain and moved everything around to her liking. I never thought I could go to a remote areas and find so many bullets and shell casings. I also found out how inconsiderate people have trashed such far out places their trash and garbage. I learned that Google earth may not be the same pictures from one device to the next and some are old. I'm sorry to say that during my stay three kids and one adult had drowned trying to cross streams and rivers. I have a new respect for the washes and gulches around here and check the weather before going out in them.

 

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[Terry Soloman]

Growing up in the Arizona desert, I know first-hand when to go prospecting, and when not to. "Monsoon" season moves gold, and drowns snowbirds and low IQ types that try to cross moving water. You need to time your trip to late October, early November, mid-March, early April.

 

[Mad Machinist]

If you don't understand or respect Mother Nature's ways in the desert, she won't hesitate to kill you in a heartbeat.

 

[Johnnybravo300]

You gotta be some kinda moron to drown in a desert haha.

 

[IMAUDIGGER]

You gotta be some kinda moron to drown in a desert haha.

Clever comments like that are appropriate only on the Internet and out of earshot of mixed company I guess.
I hope none of the Az. miners here knew these families.
I feel sorry for the children that drown.

 

[Johnnybravo300]

Yeah I do too but people drown in bathtubs everyday.
Just to drown in a desert sounds kinda funny. That sand must be deep!

 

[DDancer]

Arizona's deserts, and most deserts, are like what you describe after wet seasons. Its good in the fact that it moves things around and occasionally opens up new treasures to find. However it always disappointed me in all the bullets, trash, back packs and migrant camps I found. I often found it better to just hunt for rocks in some area's due to the trash but still there's a lot of nature in the scenery there that's just as satisfying. As to people who lose their lives regularly due to flooding or just plain foolishness I never found that funny at all. Whether its a lack of common sense, poor judgement or just being stupid I'm sure I dont know. Its an environment that demands respect at all times of the year. A person can drown anywhere and sadly its usually pretty avoidable.
Terry's advice is great for taking trips there as they are lower risk times in the year for one who does not live there and accepts all the problems hunting during other times of the year there. Good luck next time you go out.

 

[IdahoGoldGettR]

I lived, worked, fished, and hunted in Arizona for 15 years prior to my move to Idaho. Still have family there. Back in the 80’s, much of Phoenix did not have street gutters for runoff. Why would you need them in a desert you ask? Simply put, monsoon season (the August rainy season) can be brutal down there. These rain showers can pop up in a minutes notice, many times without warning. During such times, it’s quite possible to get between 6-12 inches of rain in just a short few hours and when there wasn’t any street gutters, you did not want to be in the far right turning lane. I’ve experienced 3 foot water swells in such a case while coming home from work. Once while I was hunting for quail just south of Phoenix, I saw dry washes just turn to high rivers with a quick thunder burst of rain. I was fortunate to have camped on higher ground and did not leave through that particular wash until it subsided the very next day. The typical individual would considers a desert to be made of nothing more than dry sand. That may be true with some deserts and for the most part, nearly all have some subsurface sand. However Arizona is a bit of a different sort. You see what lay beneath this sand is not gravel, not soil, but a hard “cleachy” clay matter for which water cannot penetrate. Hence the runoffs. I’ve operated backhoes and excavators that struggled to break this stuff up. And so when I say it rains there in August, I mean it pours! The desert can be an unforgiving place. Fortunately most of the city streets have gutters and the drainage in Phoenix has been resolved (with the exception of those local roads with dips). On a final note. My thoughts and prayers go out to the loved one’s whose lives may have been taken by such tragic foods.

 

[Mad Machinist]

You gotta be some kinda moron to drown in a desert haha.

Not cool. Every year we have people die here from simple lack of respect for the environment here. Arizona is different from most deserts. It can rain a dozen miles away and still kill you if you don't pat attention to what is happening.

It wasn't that long ago a bunch of people were killed in a flash flood from rain 20 miles upstream.

Like I said, the Arizona desert IS NOT kind to the uninitiated or unaware.

 

[Mad Machinist]

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.fo...ily-members-who-were-celebrating-birthday.amp

 

[Mad Machinist]

Another thing about the Arizona desert. Everybody claims a rattlesnake will always rattle. Not always. Little guy in my garage, never rattled, just hit the side of my boot. He wasn't harmed, just taken out amd left go.

 

[IMAUDIGGER]

Rattlesnake bites are cool. You get to see how all the muscles and tendons connect.
Almost like being dissected alive! They call it a fasciotomy.

I'd share a picture but it's too gruesome for most to look at.

Anybody with rattlesnakes in their area should google "rattlesnake fasciotomy".

 

[Mad Machinist]

Yea, nasty stuff without a doubt. One thing I forgot to mention is our Mojave rattlers here are hybrids, both a hemotoxin and a neurotoxin in their venom. And they have a rather mean disposition.

 

[IMAUDIGGER]

My dad's friend picked up a cute little snake like the one in your photo in order to relocate it away from his house.
He had been messing with rattlesnakes for decades.

Landed him in the hospital. Did I mention that he was in the middle of dealing with malaria at the time?
He monitored the progression of the swelling up his forearm and decided to check himself out before he used up his retirement funds. He's kind of an old school bad ass logger if I'm being honest.

Apparently ended up being a semi-dry bite and he recovered without complications.

Don't take it personally..but it seems foolish to take unnecessary risks like that.

 

[Mad Machinist]

It is to an extent. I actually have the proper tools to pick them up. Only problem was with this guy being so small there was a serious chance he would have been hurt pretty bad. I put the hook on his head and got ahold of him so he wouldn't be hurt or him hurting anyone else.

Here's another of Arizona's little "surprises". I don't like killings thing unnecessarily.