Visiting Wild America: Every plant in the desert can bite

I just finished bushwacking off trail to the top of a mountain which provided 360 degree views of the surrounding area around Saguaro National Park. I started fairly early, around 8, and finished the hike by 11. I honestly should have started earlier to avoid the heat....like before the sun came up! I wore plenty of sunscreen, but I was tripping sweat by 830. Oh well, Im in the desert. Thats the price you pay. Yes, that is the cost of a hike in the desert. But that's not all you get. Youre also rewarded with beautiful cacti: some taller than a house, others just hugging the ground, some that are spindly like spider web, and others that stick to you with the slightest graze of your shirt. And if they look painful, they feeling of having one of those spines jab you is even worse. I was fortunate to only feel the shooting pain of the prickers on two occasions. Once in the finger and once in the foot through my shoe (I guess thats what I get for wearing my Brooks adrenalines for all my hikes). Pulling out a cactus pricker isn't as easy as it might seem, as most have a barb at the end that keeps them in once theyre in ya.
I made it to Saguaro yesterday, Tuesday, after a 260 mile drive from Flagstaff. I had left Flag around 11, after putting my car through its second oil change. The light didn't come on this time, but it had been over 4k since my last change, so I didnt want to half to worry about it anymore. Smooth drive all the way down, with one stop off the highway to do some desert birding, which was quite successful, with new birds like Barn Owl, Summer Tanager, Verdin, and Yellow-breasted Chat to add to the trip's list. But yesterday was a scorcher. Quite possibly the hottest air I've ever experienced. Driving the highway through Phoenix, the car outside temperature read 109. True that the blacktop of the road can have some effect on that, but even off the main highway, it was always above 100. It's a strange feeling to put down the windows and feel a hot breeze hitting your face. Not so appealing.
Like I mentioned, I spent the night in Saguaro National Park, amongst the giant Saguaro cacti and other unique plants to the area. By dusk though, the days simmering temperatures had dropped down into the 70's, thanks to the beginnings of the monsoon season, which hit Saguaro with an hour's worth of rain, plus strong winds and lightning. I watched the whole storm pass under an overhang outside the visitor center. It started off as a dust storm, with wind whipping up the topsoil into a wall of dirt that blotted out even the nearby hills. I had to squint to keep the dust out. Then the rains came...and they came hard. Somewhat ironic to watch a desert get drenched in water. I walked out to look for more birds after the rain stopped. It was still thundering, but the temptation was too great. I made it 10 minutes or so before huge thunderbolts lit up the sky above me and sent me cowering back to the visitor center. Totally worth it, saw Cactus Wren and Rufous-winged Sparrows, both new birds for me.
Due to lack of hunger from the previous day's amazing July 4th food, and the food coma that ensued, I wasnt too hungry for dinner, so went with a can of corn and called it a night.