“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.
"...How big was it, and what shape?.."
Hard to tell, it was night time. However, since it was found way up on the side of the mountain, I rule out cow patty (lots of that down in the valley floor, though); in retrospect it may have been coyote.
This was about the time I was scrambling up the rocky trail and almost put my hand on a rattlesnake, so I was a bit rattled, pardon the pun.
"...Glad you had a great time though! I love AZ..."
I love it too; I make it a point to hike/explore the mtns every time I get out there; it is a lot more hilly than Houston!