It's interesting you say that; I was in your neck of the woods a few weeks ago and went on a night hike (because it was so darn hot during the day). Along the way I passed by some unidentifiable scat from a large animal and said to myself "No need to worry, certainly the austere desert environment is unable to support large predators". Turns out I was wrong. My loved ones have counseled/reprimanded me, and I have since re-evaluted the wisdom of hiking:
1) Out in the desert miles from help,
2) Alone,
3) At night.
That said, it was an awesome hike, and I got a good photo looking down on the lights of Phoenix. This was at Quartz Peak, in the Sierra Estrella range.
“Along the way I passed by some unidentifiable scat from a large animal and said to myself “No need to worry, certainly the austere desert environment is unable to support large predators”
How big was it, and what shape?
Depending on where you were and the size, it could have been
Cow poop (lots of rangeland)
Mule deer poop (lots of these suckers around)
Large dog poop if on a well traveled trail
Leopards don’t make it this far north... no worries.
Did you see other sign around? Prints, etc? THe photo of Phoenix sounds good - shoulda taken a photo of the poop too though. :)
The estrella mts are beautiful but hiking in the desert at night is not advised. Neither is hiking alone. I only do it on terrain I know inside out, where I know I have cell reception... and I’ve lived here since 91.
Glad you had a great time though! I love AZ. Beats the crap out of metro NY where I used to live.