Saguaros Gone Wild

Everybody knows saguaro cactuses have arms. The classic cartoon version has two symmetrical ones; real ones typically sport up to a half-dozen or so. But occasionally, some kind of genetic defect causes a cactus to sprout arms like crazy! Here are a couple of especially odd ones that I have come across in my travels in the Arizona desert.

Desert Wells Multiuse Area, Arizona

Thanks to Rick Scott for giving me directions to this giant; he counted at least 62 arms. Rick also estimated the height at 39 feet -- very tall but not a record-holder (see my mountain bike for scale).
Directions: Near Florence Junction, within the Desert Wells Multiuse Area; just off of Route # 26, approximately 1/4 mile southwest of the intersection of Routes # 1 and 2. GPS coordinates for the saguaro: 33d 15.282m, 111d 26.576m. Warning: The cactus is several miles away from the paved road; do not attempt to locate it unless you have a well-equipped, high-clearance four-wheel-drive vehicle, the Desert Wells Multiuse Area map, a State Trust Land permit (required), and good route-finding skills or a GPS unit.
Last Visited: October 2008.

Hog Canyon, Arizona

I didn't notice this cactus at the time I took the photo; I discovered it later while looking at the telephoto image of hundreds of saguaros on a distant hillside.
Directions: Hog Canyon is a rough off-trail hike in the Superstition Wilderness; the trailhead is one mile west of the Hieroglyphic Spring Trailhead. The hillside with the cactus is on the left as the wash enters the canyon.
Last Visited: December 2006.