Miller Canyon Trail in the snow

I woke up to a foggy morning. It was cold. I forfeited any plans to hike today with "the guys" in the Chiricahua mountains. I didn't want to drive that far for a long hikle. I had planned to take a shorter hike nearby with the dogs up Ash Creek once the sun came out.

But just my luck Ellen asked me if I were interested in hiking this afternoon to check out the snow in Miller Canyon. This was a perfect hike, but it wasn't until we met at the trailhead at 12:30pm that I learned Ellen wanted to hike up to the 8525' Tub Springs. That was four miles up an icy, steep trail! People were coming down the trail as we started it, and never came across anyone else for the duration of the hike.

I needed the exercise, though. I hadn't hiked since before Thanksgiving and I have gotten lazy lately with motivating myself to hike around the trail. The Miller Canyon Trail is not an easy trail, and with the Lutz Canyon trail is one of the steepest in the Huachucas. With the flood damage after the wildfire in June, loose rocks also add to the peril, and many of these rocks were also icy as we hiked higher up.

We chatted with Tom Beatty, owner of the Beatty Guest Ranch, in the Forest Service parking lot. His property borders that with the forest and I'm sure he sees plenty of hikers pass his land. Today he was giving away trees off his property to anyone interested. Ellen showed an interest but not until after the hike. With our late start we needed as much sunlight as possible.

A mile up the road we saw the construction workers for Tombstone tearing up our prized bird habitat so that that meth-infested city can take the water from the creek. Nevermind that Tombstone has enough wells to support their drug addicts. The mayor is claiming a century-old water claim to the creek water in the wilderness. The mayor had approved the new pipe laying without permission from the National Forest in which the springs are located. The legalities are still pending, but I am curious to see how this will end. The National forest Service is known not to have a backbone and always gives in to for-profit businesses.

We began our hike at 12:45pm. There were three of us: Ellen, Steph and I. Steph brought his dog Supai along, who got along well with Sadie once they did the sniff test. Supai followed Steph out of Supai Falls this summer (thus the name) and is a Yellow Lab-Shar Pei mix boy. The two dogs were a bit rambunctious at first but calmed down once they realized we were on a serious hike.

I wore my new Italian-made Zamberlan boots. They were comfy straight out of the box when I got them a few months ago. I've worn them around the shelter these last few weeks, but hiking up the steep rocky trail was not easy! I had no traction and feared all the icy rocks. I realized later it wasn't the boots' fault at all: the snow was freezing to ice as we made it higher along the trail, adding to the danger of slipping. Getting down later was even worse, as my toes were pressing against the toebox. My right big toe has a small hematoma from the constant pressing of the feet against the shoes hiking downhill. I should have taken at least one trekking pole along for better traction.

The snow got thicker as we climbed higher. The snow at the 5750'trailhead was minimal and relegated to the tree limps above us. But as we got above 6000' last night's precipitation was obvious. My eyes were locked on the ground.

The sky broke out at times to reveal the sun. The frosty trees near the Crest Trail sparkled in the sunlight as we got to the Crest Trail near 4pm, jut long enough for me to drink some water bfore we all quickly turned around for the descent. It was cold at the tub! Ice hung off the pine needles around us. We wanted to make sure we had enough sunlight to make it to the cars; sunset was slated for 5:13pm.

We made it back down to the cars at 5:45pm, with barely enough light to see the trail. We were lucky! Sadie was glad to be back in the car. I pulled out of the trailhead parking lot with my headlights on.

Agua Caliente Hill

Calling this 5000+ peak a "hill" is a misnomer. It only looks small because it's straddled between two much taller peaks and lies inbetween the Rincon and Catalina Mountains northeast of Tucson. I had heard about this hill and what a challenge it is to hike it. All reports to that are true. It's steep, with an elevation gain of just under 3000'. There is very little shade on this eastern hill, but the views over Tucson are worth it. From the hilltop other peaks are visible: Mount Wrightston, Mount Lemmon, Babocavari and the distant Mount Graham and Bassett Peak.

Steve, John and I met in SV at Steve's house. I arrived a little early (overestimating the time it would take to get there) and had just enough time for Sadie to leave several small piles of poop on his driveway. What a lovely way to greet his mother by holding a warm bag of poop for her to take away!

We drove to Benson to meet up with Rod. He was already there. Again we drove in my truck, but Sadie seemed more content with the men around her than last time. She didn't whine at all, much to my relief. We got to the trailhead without getting lost just before 9am. There were around five cars in the parking lot. A woman passed us to jog this trail. We were on this steep trail by 9:04am. The climb began almost immediately as we followed the rim trail overlooking stately homes.

The trailhead starts off Camino Remuda in a nice, expansive development area. It immediately climbs and switchbacks, past saguaros both dead and alive, chollas, palo verde trees and other low desert flora. John entertained us with his vast trivia on Beer History as we lumbered up the trail.

This is the more southern canyon between the Rincon and Catalina mountains. We saw no running water and what pools we did see were stagnant and surely not safe to drink. Milagrosa canyon was to our north and the Catalina Highway was clearly visible. This is a breath-taking area to wander around in when there's water running in the dry creek beds. Today, however, it was hot enough for Sadie and too dry for us all. The grasses were dry and golden, resembling swaying fields of wheat over a prairie.

The cool breeze and warm skies gave us a refreshing start. Expected highs were to hit the 70s and I had two cool-max shirts on. I took the other one off and never missed it all throughout the hike. My dense winter pants, however, were overkill. Both Steve and John wore shorts. Rod, too, wore denim and later regretted it as well.

Saguaros dot the southern slopes of this trail. Why so many dead ones, though? Did a deep freeze kill them, or was these victims of a wildfire from long ago? Even dead these cacti remain majestic, as their fibrous stalks remain upright as if pleading for mercy. Steve also pointed out tops of saguaros that had suffered freeze damage, most likely from our February freeze.

At the 1.7 mile mark we hit the cattle pond, a murky little pond clearly frequented by wildlife. We didn't see any cattle prints, though, but plenty of what looked like mountainlion, javalina, deer. We rested here so Sadie could drink, but she didn't seem interested in this water. We moved on, as the trail pushed deeper up the Canyon with a steeper grade. Two women with two dogs (one was a German Shepherd Dog named Sheeba) were coming down, having forsaken their attempt to get to the peak because the dogs were too tired. We don't think they had enough water for themselves and the dogs. I always carry twice the water, so that there's a gallon each for me and Sadie. She used plenty of that water later one as we struggled that last steep and loose-rock grade to the hilltop.

John was now in the lead followed by Steve, but then Rod went ahead while Steve waited for me and Sadie. My lack of conditioning once again showed. John and Steve have been hiking peaks 2-3 a week and my last peak was with them ten days ago. Steve even conquered Mount Wrightson last Friday and showed no signs of fatigue. I made it to the top at 12:27pm.

The hilltop is worth a visit. It's a small mesa with one lone mesquite in the center that provides some shade for the short-of-breath hiker. Two survey markers are nearby. Golden grass sways in the breeze. It's a pleasant enough destination. After we sat at the peak for a while we walked over to the northeastern slope to gaze into the valley, see the ranch house below, and admire what looked like a bald eagle glide on a thermal. This was one big bird!

The descent was as dramatic. We finally went back down almost an hour later, spreading out as the loose slab rock was difficult enough and we didn't want to pull each other down if one fell. Sadie was also showing fatigue and rested under what little shade she could find. The exposed sun had her tired out faster than up and down Bassett Peak, which provided more shade for her. She was a tough one, though.

Thoughts of making this hike a loop into Agua Caliente Canyon and down into Horsehead Ranch was quickly nixed once we got to the intersection. It was 2:30pm by now and that loop would have added twice the mileage to our hike and required another major hill to climb. We were no longer interested. We made it back to the lone-standing truck by 4:30pm with the sun still above us. We only saw one man on the trail, a local neighbor who hiked up to the trail intersection and back.

Our hike ended at the Magoly's Mexican Restaurant in Benson, a small but decent little place popular with locals. "The only time we go out to eat," said Rod, "is when you're leading a hike!" It's an activity I learned to appreciate while in Germany, when a hike always finished off with a beer at a local Gasthaus.

I came up with this hike Sunday early evening. I hadn't hiked last weekend and needed a good challenging hike before the holidays. I proposed this one for the location and challenge and wrote to the hiking club president and treasurer about this proposal. My response from the treasurer was that he wasn't going to distribute this proposal to other members because of the short notice. What? Other hikes were disseminated on a short notice with no problem. I was miffed. I told the guys who came with me today that I was going rogue. Call me Connie "Going Rogue!" Scammell. Ha! I simply can't plan hikes 90 days out as if the hiking schedule were an army training plan. Too many hikes get cancelled that way, or end up being changed at the last minute. That's how the longterm members want to handle club policies. Let that bite them in the collective butts down the road. It's easiest and less stressful if I only have a week to a few days out to plan as I never know what my schedule will be. There are too many distractors in life. I won't let a hiking group derail me.

I downloaded my photos as soon as I got home, noticing a sharp difference in IQ between the Canon XS with Sigma kit lens versus the more compact Canon S90. The S90 pictures were clearly of much better quality.

Once I logged back online, I learned about the small aircraft that crashed in the Supersitition Mountains around 6:30pm tonight. All passengers, three adults and three children, perished. The pilot was the father of the children on the plane. He had flown in from Safford where he lives and owns an aviation business to Mesa where his ex-wife lives. The children were to spend Thanksgiving with him. The Rockwell AC-690A had missed clearing the 5000-foot mountains by a few hundred feet. Among the dead are Shawn Perry, 39, his two sons and his daughter, Morgan Perry, 9, Logan Perry, 8, and Luke Perry, 6. I grieve for the mother who lost all her children at once so tragically.

New Puppy: Sieger von Scammell der Wunderhund

Thursday after work I went to the shelter to photograph the new animals there. I instantaneously fell in love with a little black-and-red shepherd mix puppy that had arrived a few days earlier. I took him home to bathe and groom. That night, cuddling in bed, we bonded. Two days later I was sure we would keep him. Yesterday I named him Sieger, or German for Winner, Victor, but his nick name most likely will be "Zeek" which is a spin-off from Sieger. To mock the AKC habit of naming papered dogs long, regal-sounding names, Sieger's full name will be "Sieger von Scammell der Wunderhund." This dog already has proven to be very smart and agile.

The other dogs have accepted Sieger. The cats don't seem to mind, and they are the ones who make the house rules. Sammy growls on occassion, but Sadie seems glad she has someone more her size she can play with.

Sieger follows me everywhere but seems just as content being around Kevin. I want Sieger exposed to all the routines we face: gunshot fire from Kevin's target shooting, my mountain peak hikes (next one's this Wednesday up Agua Caliente Hill!)
and group hikes with other dogs.

Sieger is going prove himself a super dog with amazing physical talents. He already jumps off the bed with grace, jumps straight up a foot, and has a good stride for such a young pup. He'll be ready for his first hike early next year.

South Pass in the Dragoons

South Pass is a low saddle in the eastern Dragoons off Gleason Road. This road is east of Tombstone. It is part of the greater Sulphur Springs Valley in Cochise County. It's a dirt road in parts, cluttered with obstinate cows that refuse to make way for impatient drivers. Ranch homes, mesquite, prickly pear and other cacti line the road on either side. Turn north at the remodeled Gleason Jail and Joe Bono's saloon of this former mining town and one quickly comes across the gated area closed off to the public. Most of the land here is private property now. Fifty homes dot the eastern foothills, but don't let that fool you: most of the homes are empty rentals.

I had the opportunity to hike around here today. Steve A, a hiking club member I chatted with yesterday, invited other members of the group to go with him today. He knows Karen and David from another hiking community. I was the only one interested as others wanted the day off. Sadie came with me as we drove off with Steve under a warm and breeze-free morning.

This made for a small group of five: Karen and Dave, Karen's son Eric, and Steve and I. Their heelers Mata and Estrella joined Sadie as we bushwhacked up the brittle, waterless hills to a look-out facing Tombstone.

Although this three-hour hike turned into a six-hour outting, I enjoyed meeting the hosting couple Karen and David, who designed their own 2100-square-foot home on a hilltop in the valley. From their living room one has an expansive view of the eastern valley: the distant Chiricahuas, the northern Sonoran mountains and the peaks further north. Today the view was hazed-in with mostly hues of tan and brown across the horizon. The sky slowly filled with dark clouds as the afternoon progressed.

"I had a full view of the fire this summer" said Karen. She also got the smoke that blew in from Mexico, the Huachuacas and the north. I found her interesting to talk to. She's a very smart, talented and money-wise woman keen on environmental issues. She's also a trained artist who can design features in her head. Her engineer husband is more technically-minded, who has an eye for finding placer gold in the nearby hills. He is also quite the history buff. Their spacious home is comfortable and yet unique. They can prove that one can get by with a smaller home.

We bushwhacked up the hills nearby, sitting at the top for a while and chatting. The dogs got along very well, fighting only over trivial matters. (Steve told me later that he noticed how Sadie was very protective of me, snapping at the other dogs only when she felt they were coming too close to me.) The sky was a grey overcast and a cool breeze welcomed us at the peak. It looked like rain, but no rain fell until past sunset when I was on my way home. On the way down and ahead of the men, Karen showed me three abandoned mines. One was a precarious-looking dark abyss left open for anyone to fall into. Screams for help would go unheard.

I talked mostly with Karen, who at one point showed me the panorama of all the homes around her. "Most of these are vacant" she said. "We only have around 12 people who live here year-round." Among her neighbors include a writer-couple, a western Hollywood actor, a gay couple, Washington DC lobbyists and a family known to cook meth. Another neighbor, who had just moved into the area from Maryland with a large moving van rental, ended up dying of an oxycontin overdose. The van outside his home drew suspicion and that is how the body was discovered. Oh, the stories Karen could tell!

But Karen didn't just talk about her neighbors. She is an avid hiker who has backpacked all across the world; Uruguay, Argentinia, Switzerland. She is very well-read. She and her husband landed in southern Arizona only after hiking here and falling for the then-cheap land. That was 13 years ago and Cochise County has increased their property taxes 83% (they have two rentals), which is greatly upsetting them.

After the 2.4-mile hike (I thought it was at least four miles!) Karen insisted her guests stay for dinner: low-fat curry chicken and vegetables. Everything was low-fat, no-sugar/no-salt so her son Eric sprinkled sow sauce one everything. After dinner she showed me around her property, showing me her artwork and her plans for the garden and outdoor patio. I like her simple taste. Old trees act as pillars around her home. Glass bottles are used as windows. There is a lot of work going on around here!

Despite the remoteness they have trouble with deer feeding on their garden and wild animals attempting to snack as well. Their fruit trees and garden have to be fenced in to keep them from eating their crops. They eat little meat and most of the food comes from her garden. Trips to the grocery store average every three weeks. We could never do that!

Bassett Peak

Basset Peak is a 7650' peak in Graham county that is renowned for its fall colors in November. Since we were in Phoenix last weekend I proposed to the hiking club that we hike this peak this Friday, once I knew I was off work for sure. I sent out a message Wednesday afternoon. Three others accepted the offer: John S, Rod, and a new member, Steve A. They were a nice bunch and the added plus is that we all hike at around the same pace.

We all carpooled in my Ford from Benson. Sadie wasn't too happy with sharing the backseat with two tall men. She whimpered and whined the entire route, once because she had to pee. Luckily the guys were used to dogs, and one, Steve, grew up with German Shepherd Dogs.

And what a gorgeous hike it is! I told the guys this was the prettiest hike I've done in Arizona this year. It starts out at Ash Creek with maples, oaks, sycamores, elms and ends in a high desert landscape of manzanita, pinyon pine and sotols. Usually the colorful trees are higher up than the cacti.

We were the only ones on the trail, too. Everyone else who had cancelled the hike from last weekend's rain out opted to do this tomorrow. We lucked out. It's hard to enjoy the beauty of nature when there are 20 other people on the trail.

We met at the Love's gas station in Benson and I drove us all in my vehicle. Sadie wasn't happy with the crowded conditions but she managed to keep her whimper to a dull whine. Once we got to the trailhead at 9am, though, she was ready to take off. She hadn't hiked a decent trail in three weeks.

There were plenty of hunters car camping along the lower creek but the trailhead parking was empty. We had the next 11 miles to ourselves as we practically frolicked up the trail that followed the seasonal Ash Creek in a northwesterly direction, taking plenty of photos of the fall foliage and also taking photos of eachother taking photos. The maples were red or orange, the elms were yellow, and the aspens further up were just beginning to change from green to yellow.

I had left Sadie's water bowl at home. The only water she got was from the two springs along the trail and from icy snow about 7000'. She didn't seem to be suffering in any way. The overcast sky and the cooler temperatures made this hike very manageable, but I had hoped to have the sun pop out from behind the clouds to bring out the colors. It never did.

Both springs had water in it. The Upper Ash Springs is 2.8 miles from the trailhead, a bit away from where the trail makes a sharp east at the higher aspen grove. I would have missed the springs had Rod not shown it to me.

We had now left the riparian area and were now hiking up through high desert landscape of sotols, agaves, pinyons and manzanitas as the panorama opened up around us. We started with a view to the southeast, with Mount Graham, the Dos Cabezas Wilderness and the San Rafael Valley below us. The craggy rocks around us resembled the rocks in the Chiricahua mountains, dominated with rhyolite. Here is where the trail became steeper, and climbed the rest of the way to Basset Peak.

Rod stopped 1.4 miles from the peak along the lower ridge. He didn't seem itnerested in hiking to the peak, but the rest of us wanted to bag it. Rod reluctantly came along. He led us along the shady ridgeline through rock formations, manzanitas and pinyons. It is a beautiful stretch of the trail! An old crash site from a B-52 lay on the side of an eastern cliff. We now had view of Mount Lemon, the Rincons with Mica Peak, the distant San Pedro River, the Santa Teresas and other distant ranges. To me this was unchartered territory, and I relished the remoteness of our location.

Bassett peak didn't look that far away, but it still took us an hour to reach the peak at 12:56pm as we pushed uphill through an inch of wet snow across some dubious sections of trail that looked like they were ready to fall down the mountains. I would not want to be caught on the peak during a snowstorm; one bad move and a hiker could tumble straight downhill. The last 300 feet were a bushwhack.

We didn't stay at the peak for long. We were getting cold. We took a few group photos and descended the same way we went up. The overcast sky seemed darker and my hands were cold from the snow around us. What saved us was that there was no wind.

I was glad to be back down in the creek area as the colors and the smell of the deciduous trees were very refreshing. It was back at the springs that I realized we hadn't seen much wildlife on this hike other than a few hawks and song birds. Bear and cow scat were on the trail, but no other signs of life.

We got back to the truck at 5:07pm. Several large car camp sites had been established while we were hiking. The Tucson MeetUp group that planned the hike for tomorrow will have a crowded trail to contend with! The full moon rose behind a thick layer of clouds. I think the rain will start falling in the afternoon and spoil many of these hiker's experience tomorrow.

We stopped at Salsa Fiesta in Wilcox for a decent Mexican meal. I got back home around 9pm. Sadie went straight to bed.

Animal welfare

I have always admired people who work for animal rescues and shelters. They devote a lot of time and money for a cause many others are responsible for. Two of our dogs and two of our cats are currently from various local shelters

I thus finally am volunteering, too.I have been volunteering at a local animal shelter for the past two months, ever since I came back from California. I knew this would get emotional and depressing at times, and I was right. But what bothers me more than these homeless animals is the negligence of the people in that town. The stupidity from some of the callers enrages me. And it enrages me even more because these people then pass on their problems to the animal shelter and its volunteers. We are VOLUNTEERS, we earn no pay.

My first observation of the area was that all the dogs we get are unneutered, mostly male. The dogs are allowed to roam the neighborhood and nothing is done about it (nothing can be done about it because there is only one animal control officer for the town of 12,000 and he's busy catching aggressive strays as it is.) unless an animal attacks a person or another animal.

The shelter does not take in surrendered pets, but exceptions are made on a case-by-case incident, such as an owner dying. That happened recently to three youngish cats who then were brought in, traumatized and scared. They eventually settled down and luckily all three were found new homes through a county-wide adoption program.

There is a feral cat problem in town. One woman called and asked if she could drop off two of her dead friend's cats. She was hesitant to tell me the story, but in the course of her oratory she confessed that she didn't have two, but twelve, and that those cats were really hers. "I think it's a sin to neuter an animal" she told me. Oh fine, I thought, and when you get overwhelmed with cats you think you can just dump off all your excess on the city?

The animal control officer is well-known within the community. Everyone calls him by his first name and everyone expects him to take care of the problems. The man is overstressed. I know he's basically kind to the animals, and anything else that may be said about him is probably a vicious rumor.

Just a few days ago while I was at the shelter a woman called. She sounded in distress. "My pet is dying and I need the ACO (Animal Control Officer)to come over and help me!" she told me.
The ACO wasn't in the office, he was perhaps out trapping strays.
"Can't you take him to a vet?" I asked.
"The vet won't take him because the pet needs to be tranquilized."
"I'm sorry, but he isn't here. You are going to have to call the police department and they will dispatch him."
The woman was not pleased. "What am I supposed to do? Take my dog out into the desert and shoot him?"
What did she expect the ACO to do? He doesn't carry drugs or tranquilizers on him as he is not a veterinarian licensed to do so; all he has is a pistol. It sounded like the woman just didn't want to be a responsible
petowner. The woman hung up before I could get the police number.

People drop their unwanted animals at the Safeway in town. We are always getting calls from that area of loose animals running around scared. A few weeks ago two beagle pups were trapped there and brought to the shelter. Both were adopted out but a few days ago two more very similar beagle pups were brought in. They look like they are from the same litter. They are tan and white and bark incessantly. Both are in need of some training.

We also have two vicious pitbulls that were brought in this week. They killed a dog that had gotten into their yard and now the owner of that dead dog wants to sue the owners of the pitbulls. The owner is trying to build a case despite there being a city ordinance about unleashed or unlicensed dogs running loose. The pitbulls will stay at the kennel until this case is resolved. This could take weeks, months. One dog was at the shelter for ten months while his owner was in prison. The dog is now back with the owner, tethered to a shed.

So these are just some of the issues. We have had much luck finding homes for most of the cats and dogs. Ferals are altered and then released nearby. I am fostering three kittens right now that started their life as strays somewhere. I think two of them will make it to loving, affectionate cats.

Another volunteer at the shelter has been there a year and stops by most days to tend to the cats. She is a passionate cat person and is very devoted to them. She is an angel for these animals. Yet she's already burned out from all that she has seen and heard at that shelter. I don't know how long I'll be there, but the friendships I have fostered there have encouraged me to stay on. I was recently asked if I were interested in taking over the job as photographer for the website. I agreed to do that.

We now have eight dogs and six cats at the shelter. We have room for more cats but the dog kennels are getting pretty crowded and loud.

Another trip up Ash Canyon

The original plan was to hike up Carr Peak today, but the road to the upper trailhead is closed. So my alternative plan was to take all the dogs for the much shorter hike up Nipple Peak and see Ash Canyon from the upper trail. This was a hike that I had originally planned for yesterday afternoon, but was held back by a short but intense shower in the upper foothills.

It was in the upper 70s and breezy, but mild with mostly a clear sky.

We got to the trailhead and started the hike at 12:05pm. Sara quickly tired 25 minutes later so we stopped for 20 minutes before tackling the rest of the trail.

The trail wasn't as bad as expected. The bales of hay that the Forest Service had dropped in the upper canyon in July had collected in many crevices, creating a thick, soft mulch layer that retained some rain water. Sara liked that. But I didn't want to sit much and pushed everyone to hike to the ridge, which we made in just over an hour. Despite no serious hike in almost two months, I felt fine. (My big hike is this Saturday with Ellen up Mt Timball, and that is a dogless hike.)

It's been four months since the fire swept through the mountains. Damage to the upper canyon was bad, but there is already so much regrowth. The emory oaks that are standing scorched along the trail are all growing new shoots from the rootbase. Even some manzanita that looked burned is growing a few green branches. It's so odd how life can renew itself.

And thanks to the seeds that the FS also dropped with the hay, there's more grass growing ON the trail now than before. In fact, there was an eerie orange-brown hue in the hills, with black lines caused by the oaks that stood blackened along the way. My photos did the scenery no justice.

We were back home by 3pm. Sadie was still ready to hike some more, but the two older dogs collapsed in the hallway, still breathing hard.

I enjoy this little hike. Once I found my rock of solitude, I sat in the sun while the three dogs rested in the shade of a tall shrub. I looked around me. The vantage point I had didn't show that much damage on the ridge. The fire kept north of Nipple Peak and rushed down Ash Canyon. There were few burned trees on the peak's southern slopes. The trail itself is still very passable although many of the manzanitas are now scorched.

There's even new trash that the Mexicans have been leaving. I found two backpacks full of clothes and empty plastic bottles. A group of 12 Mexicans were rescued from that area a week ago; I wonder if that was their trash?

We never saw a soul. I liked that today. I'm going to start doing more afternoon hikes on days I don't work. I need the mountains like others need a church, and I need to concentrate on getting back into shape.

Ash Creek in Ash Canyon

I didn't work today and decided I needed to get out with the dogs for a quick jaunt up the nearby canyons. I wanted to check out Ash Creek, a lovely three-mile out-and-back hike to the springs and back.

This jaunt would give the dogs and me some exercise as well as let me see some flood damage from the recent rains.

All three dogs were clearly ready for a decent walk again. They hadn't had their exercise lately and Sadie was getting cabin fever.

There weren't the downed trees as there were in Miller Canyon. Instead, the creekbed has been ripped open to three times its width. Most of the wash was easy to walk through since sand has covered all the loose rocks from before. It was actually quite pleasant, although the old trail alongside the creek is now completely gone. The old gold panning area is completely washed away as well as the old mining trail to that site. The open green meadow is also no longer. One good thing is that target shooters are back shooting up their trash and then leaving it behind for the floods to wash it all downstream. There's already a small heap of plastice, brass shell casings and blown-up old hoursehold appliances thrown in the creekbed.

New shoots are coming up from many of the sycamores. Grasses are coming up. It's not as bad as I had expected, however, the flood season hasn't ended yet. We are due our first "winter storm" late Wednesday across the state and we may get rain. Temperatures will drop 20 degrees. So at least I got to walk the old canyon creek I always enjoyed taking the dogs up.

The creekbed will probably not be restored in this area. Further downhill, where the homes are, is more construction to regulate a creekbed that's threatening to erode property. That area is obviously a more important area to reenforce for right now.

We were only gone about two hours. If I am not working Wednesday I will attempt the upper region to the overlook. Clouds were looking menacing and it began to thunder shortly after we got home at 1:50pm.

Miller Canyon Trail to Miller Peak

With Beth leaving next weekend, I opted to take her up to Miller Peak. She had never been up this peak and I wanted to document the fire and flood damage along the way. Kevin was originally supposed to go with us, but opted out yesterday because of the "60% chance of rain."

At 6:30am this morning it was 60F with 70% humidity, yet the sky was clear and the wind was negligent.

There was no rain, at least over us, and I knew Kevin just wanted an excuse to not hike. It was just Beth and I with Sadie and that was fine with me.

We agreed to meet at the upper Miller Canyon Trailhead at 8am. Her car got stuck in the soft sand. Two massive landslides hampered the drive to the trailhead.

We made it to the start at 8:15am. I had no idea what to expect here. Would downed trees make the trail impassable? Would flash floods have washed parts of the trail away? How many trees were destroyed? Luckily the damage overall wasn't so bad. Burn damage varied across the region, with anywhere from 40-90 percent of an area damaged. Most of the damage was in pockets.

Water damage was more intensive. Miller Creek tore down that mountain and ripped its banks, taking dead trees with it. Fissures deeper than I am tall were in parts of the creekbed. Two massive floods in the lower canyon created new creeks. The loose rocks, soft ash and downed trees made this a slow and ardous hike as we had to watch our footing.

Yet despite the damage, overall it wasn't as bad as I had expected. The lower Miller Canyon endured serious damage, but once we got to the bathtub the last 2.1 miles were easy in comparison. Although there was heavy burn damage near Miller Peak itself, the trail was quite passable. The Forest Service had already cleared away some of the bigger trees.

We knew that we may have to turn around if it got too dangerous, but it never did. Most of the aspen grove had been destroyed, but new life was already sprouting from rootstock. Thick fern-like trees grew along the Crest Ridge, making Sadie look like she was walking through a jungle.

The only damage we saw to trail signs was at the Miller Peak junction, where nothing remained of the Crest Trail sign. It would have been difficult for first-time hikers to Miller Peak to know where to turn here for that last half-mile up the peak.

A group of five or so 20-something-year-olds were descending the peak as we approached at 1pm, giving us the peak to ourselves. It was amazingly calm on top, as we sat at a small level area where once a firetower's foundation was securely anchored. I ate an apple and Sadie got more chicken breast treats. From the top one could see the heavy damage of the aspen groves, but Carr Peak looked spared. Carr Peak had seen its share of damage in 1977 when its peak was swept through with fire.

We sat on top for a good half hour, chatting and enjoying the view. This was an accomplishment for Beth, who called a few friends to let them know she had made the challenge.

Our hike back down was the same way going up. It's easier to hike downhill, but the trees near the lower slides were no easier. We didn't come across any more people. Three lose beagle dogs from Beatty's Orchard came after Sadie in the parking lot, and despite her fatigue she was able to outrun those beasts. The dogs were a bit terrifying at first but they kept Beth and me alone and were only interested in Sadie. Sadie made it inside the truck before the dogs could get to her, and Beth wielded her hiking stick at them to keep them at bay.

Thus ended our long day adventure.