Sunday, March 22, 2015

Carr Peak with Zeke

I posted another Meetup hike for Carr Peak for today. Initally there were six wanting to go, but come Sunday morning, two dropped out for health reasons. It was just Lee, his friend Karen, Susan and I. I brought Zeke along and he loved all the attention he got from passers-by and Susan.

We met at 9am at the lower Carr Canyon road parking lot and promptly left when everyone showed up. There were plenty of mountain bikers here as well and I even saw Ellen finish her ride. She had to go home and get ready for her church service. It was in the upper 60s with little wind and clear skies. A near-perfect day for a hike.
The entire mountain road was busy today with cyclists, walkers and people driving up to the trail heads. Was there some kind of spring event going on? People were gathered at the falls, the creek and even at the upper campsites. Even the trail head parking lot was crowded, which means the trail was, too. We met a group of 12 hiking down and most of them were doctors from Fort Huachuca who hike the trails every weekend to stay in shape. One of the women was carrying an infant named Axel in a baby wrap up to the peak and back. Axel looked very comfortable and never made a sound.
I was concerned about Lee. Lee started out slowly, and he was the pacer. I made sure we stopped many times for him to catch his breath. I always kept him within sight. One mile from the top he decided he couldn't go any farther, and he and Karen returned to their car. They drove off as Susan and I were on the top enjoying the scenery.
My only disappointment today was the lack of wildflowers. There was plenty of water coming off the falls, but the only flowers were small yellow alpine flowers near the peak. Everything still looked so asleep; vistas lacked any color. The firs growing since the 2011 fire seemed to have gotten a growth burst from all the added water this year, but the aspens were just now in pre-bud mode, the elms were still naked. It looked like more dead trees blew over in high winds. The only wildlife were ravens and what Susan described as juncos, birds that resemble robins at first glance. Susan kept her pace and was a delight to have. Indeed I told her she was in better shape than she gave herself credit for.

I enjoyed today's company and will do another group hike in April to see the flowers come up. Zeke was a real delight today and stayed by my side. When he's the only dog he's a true delight. Susan thought the world of him today, and was impressed with how devoted he was to me, nudging me closely when others approached me. No other dog gets this much attention as Zeke does in public.

There were still plenty of people in the canyon when we got back to the lower parking lot and I dropped off Susan. I stopped at the Ramsey Canyon Feed store for another round of dry dog kibble before heading home.

Saturday, March 21, 2015

Rillito River Park

The Rillito River Park is a 12-mile multi-use trail in central-north Tucson. It is a lovely urban desert trail when done at the right time under ideal weather conditions. There are paths on both sides of the river, but the northern side is the more popular one. It is also more paved than the southern path. I decided to take Sadie on a walk along a part of the southern route, after dropping by the Tucson Camera Repair shop on Oracle Drive to pick up my two Canon cameras, my 5DMII that needed a new focusing sensor, and my 7D that badly needed cleaning after dropping it lens first into deep sand several times while on hikes. This cost me for $409, but both look like new! I will now take better care of both cameras and not take them with me on rugged hikes.

I had last been along this route back in 2005, when Kevin still enjoyed hiking. We took Sara along along the northern section and walked to the mall and back from our start on Country Club Road. That was quite a distance, and the river that winter was rushing after heavy winter rains. Kayakers were in the water! The river hasn't run but once since then, during last fall's hurricane rains. There were only traces of wet sand in the wash, but no running water.

It was just after 10am when I got to the Tucson Mall after the repair shop. I parked the van in the open, along the river, but it just happens to be the one section along the southern part that does not connect with the rest of the trail. The path actually ends for an entire block (the length of the Tucson Mall property) and cyclists have to ride through via the mall parking lot. I wanted to take Sadie off-leash down in the wash, and the closest entry was under the Oracle Drive bridge.
Walking her in the wash was not a good idea. I could tell that Sadie was not happy. While the sand was warm and not hot, she wanted shade, and the sand was so deep I felt like I was walking on a waterless beach. The closest exit, however, was .8 to the east at the next bridge. Blooming palo verde trees don't provide substantial shade, and neither do towering saguaros. At least the paved path didn't smell of urine.

The wash is heavily overgrown with desert broom, a common desert shrub in Arizona that can take over yards within a year with its deep taproots. Broken glass, a few abandoned shopping carts and homeless encampments were visible under the bridges, in the dry wash and in some culverts, although the city has gated off a few culverts to keep the homeless out. Urine was strong under the bridges. Going under the bridges is the only way the path prevents users from having to stop or cross busy streets. I wonder if this section gets busy with transients at night, when the restaurants and mall close?
The southern section where I started at the mall was not very busy when we started. The path got more scenic the further away I got from the mall. Palo verde and other desert trees were in bloom, the birds were in love, and we spotted rabbits and chipmunks as well. We could see the Catalina mountains to the north. Parts of the trail are also crushed granite, which Sadie preferred over asphalt, but I was getting concerned about the lack of real shade. On a very hot day this path would be brutal. What I appreciated were the many directional signs noting the distance to the next major cross street. There were a few picnic tables and partial shade along the route, but no water fountains, no doggie bars. (I had water for Sadie in my backpack)

We made it to Campbell Avenue, 2.14 miles from the van. I had passed quirky trailer parks, upscale apartments and a few colorful condo-plexes, before I opted to cross the bridge north and look for a place to sit down for lunch. I didn't see any eatery right on the path. A lot of the restaurants on the adjoining streets weren't open until 4pm or were closed entirely for the day. I didn't want to veer too far off the river trail as the streets here are all busy and traffic makes Sadie nervous. We ended up going back the way we came, walking west now on the southern section until we got back to the van. Sadie was happy to be back in the van and in the shade.
There were more people on the trail on the return walk. People walking their dogs, cyclists, joggers. Sadie did well on-leash although she did lunge at one small dog that we passed. I'd have enjoyed this walk more had it been cooler and overcast. At least Sadie didn't pull much on the leash.

We were a street crossing away from the mall on the return hike when a man yelled over to me "What happened to Indiana?" and I momentarily had no idea what he was talking about. He was referring to my red IU cap, an old cap I was wearing to block on the sun. The Indiana Hoosiers, my alma mater, did not do too well this year in men's NCAA basketball. They last did well when Bob Knight was coach and I was still living in Bloomington in the mid 1980s. (He even coached the Olympic team there that summer). He and I started a conversation about basketball--he's from Rialto, CA and went to high school with a former NFL player, dogs, and living in Tucson. He praised Sadie for her calm behavior.

Much to my surprise the van's thermometer only read 71F when we drove off. It felt much warmer than that.

It was 12:30pm when we got back to the van. The In-N-Out burger joint was just down the street. We went there for lunch. Sadie sat in the shade as I dined outside, and I gave her chicken jerky treats when we then went back into the van for the ride home. The 4-mile walk did tire me out, but hopefully that was from the sun and not the exercise.

I stopped at the Park Avenue recycling center and opted in the last minute to check out the Barrio Brewing company on 16th Street and Euclid. It's in an old Tucson warehouse in an old industrial part of town. Parking is spacious but the neighborhood smels of creosote used for train tracks. The place was crowded when I got there. A group of cyclists were leaving and we got ourselves a small table outside on the patio, a line of bar tables along the railing with a view of the parking lot and industrial yard across the street. Inside a UA game was going on. Beer and burger were good, but service was lacking.

Thursday, March 19, 2015

Hunter Canyon Trail with Nina

We have been blessed with two days of rain. I will never curse the rain here as the forest and wildlife need it. I cancelled an afternoon hike up Carr Canyon Road because of the rain, but when it rained again shortly after noon today, I was worried that I'd have to cancel a hike again. Storms don't linger here and weather can change within 30 minutes. I had the Hunter Canyon hike scheduled for 2pm but rain was coming down hard at 1pm when I got home.

This time, instead of cancelling, I opted to postpone the 2pm hike to 3pm. I really wanted to do this hike and postponing this by an hour would hopefully allow the rain to pass. I actually don't mind hiking in the rain. I just don't like starting in the rain!
Claire and Barb cancelled due to the hike, but Nina wanted to do this, so at 2:45pm I took off for the trailhead with all three dogs (!). Was I insane, or what? This was the first time I took all three dogs with me on a Meetup hike, but considering the time and place and having only one other hiker with me, I took the dogs along as protection. As I approached Hunter Canyon I could tell it was still raining hard in this canyon while Miller Canyon, just north of there, was mostly dry.
I pulled over into the parking area with three anxious dogs. I had no choice but to let them out and romp around while I waited for Nina. They did their business and gladly jumped back into the van while I waited for Nina, who arrived at 2:50pm. She looked as concerned as I did about hiking this trail. It was still drizzling, but she had her rain gear with her.
We opted to go ahead anyway. We started promptly at 2:55pm with three happy dogs. I hiked this trail exactly like I hiked it last Friday, along the creekbed (which was dry) to the official trail head a mile away. The dogs chased each other through the tall, wet grass and I bonked myself on a low-hanging tree branch early on. Nina was enjoying this hike, and not because of my clumsiness. We saw a lone Forest Service truck drive up and down the road. We waved at the driver. It was the only other sign of humans we saw on this hike.

And then, a mile into the hike and still inside Hunter Canyon, the clouds broke and we could see blue sky. We both took off our rain gear and continued on. I still had two layers on but kept my rain coat off for the rest of this hike. It never rained again.
Despite two days of heavy, sporadic rain, there was no water in the creek bed. All the rain had soaked into the deep, sandy soil, and the rock slabs only had a few, small pools of water. There was also no signs of further erosion of the creekbed as we slowly climbed up the canyon toward the old mine, where the creek took a severe blow. While climbing in and out of the creekbed was rough for Nina because of the steep embankment, we did manage to get in and out of it. We took a break here to look at the old mine. It's a deep vertical hole that the Forest Service has never bothered gating shut. There's no sign for this mine and it gapes its opening in wanton abandonment.
If it weren't for the mine tailings on the hillside visible from the trail, it would be hard to spot this mine.

From the mine we continued on the trail, which now begins its steep climb up the one big hill before descending into Miller Canyon. The dogs were ahead of us. One we crested the rise and saw into Beatty's Orchard, it was a fast downhill for us all. It took us 90 minutes to get this far, it was 4:45pm and I figured we could rest here until 5pm before heading back. Sunset was at 6:33pm. That is what we did.


We walked back the way we came, even walking on the forest road toward the old targetshooting area to show Nina the damaged trees by the target shooters. How the CFS handled this mess will forever anger me, but that's all water under the bridge. This was a popular campsite for snowbirds every winter until before the 2011. Now it's just a dump and the no target shooting restriction will be lifted this summer.

We got back to the cars at 6:30pm, just as planned. I was a little tired, but happy that I had human company on this hike and was able to show Nina another hike in the area.

Tuesday, March 17, 2015

Carr Canyon Road


Today was the first day this semester that I had a work day off. I took advantage of that. By 9:30am I knew I'd have the morning off and decided to join the Tuesday morning group with Nina. Minnie came along. I got to the meetup place just at 10am. Nina was not there, but five others were. We opted to take off for the uphill climb at 10:10am. I only recognized Susan and Claire, Susan being the Englishwoman from last week. Another gal, Hollie, brought her smaller dog Kelsey along. Kelsey was rescued from Dead Dog Beach in Puerto Rico and walked on leash for 1.5 miles before she returned to her car. Hollie had other plans for the day and had to cut the hike short.
Minnie was a bit show-offish today and kept fetching sticks along the road. Traffic was light and she was off-leash for the most part. She didn't stray far from me. One of the walkers, Lee, enjoyed throwing the stick for Minnie, but Minnie got overheated a mile into the walk. It was mostly clear with no clouds. I had to slow down now and calm Minnie down, and even stopped to give her water. Once we got to the waterfall two miles up the road, I knew I had to sit down with Minnie and let her rest.

But would Minnie rest? Oh no! The water seemed to invigorate her even more! Others in the group joined me at the falls, where Minnie ran non-stop for the stick.
Nina and Robert, by now regular diehards for the Tuesday morning group, showed up an hour later. It turns out Robert's truck had stalled and he had called Nina to pick him up. We had been sitting by the falls for an hour now, chatting and laughing and simply enjoying the cool breeze. Robert is an animated talker who can get most people laughing at his oratory. No one bothered with the time until we noticed it was noon. I climbed up some rocks into the canyon with Minnie just to spend some time. Minnie was cool and wet and totally invigorated by now. I picked up some beer cans left behind by careless partyers.
We had time, it seemed, so I showed Claire the abandoned mine. Lee and Nina joined her to explore the opening, although no one went into the mine because the ground was flooded.

Now we were six people for the walk back down to the cars. I stayed with Nina up front. Claire, Susan and Lee were in the rear. Robert jogged down by himself and waited by his pick-up truck. The clear sky gave way to grey overcast, making the return hike easier on Minnie. She was her normal self now, carrying a stick with her for most of the way.

Friday, March 13, 2015

Hunter Canyon Trail #111

Distance: 5 miles (starting at SR92 parking area)
Elevation: 5,600 feet - 6,125 feet
Time: 2.5 hours

I'm on a roll here, with four days of daily hiking to keep me feeling vibrant. Exercise is addicting! I probably did more hiking staying home this week than I would on a road trip. This was especially relaxing after two months of over-extended hours in a classroom, working from 7:30pm to 5pm and then taking work home at night. For two months my pets were ignored, and this week I finally gave back.

The weather forecast initially said a chance of rain until 2pm. It actually looked clear until 2pm when clouds moved in from the south. It was in the 60s all day today. This was actually ideal hiking weather, but I needed a break from hiking and opted to stay local, putzing around in the garden and writing more Amazon reviews. (I never did make a dent in my review count over spring break).
But once Kevin got home at 4pm, I got antsy for a hike. Tomorrow I'm leaving for Tucson to attend two days of the book festival, so today would be the dogs' last chance to romp in the foothills. I couldn't let this chance pass. I took the three-pack with me. I had at first considered hiking up Ash canyon, but opted for a slightly longer (and better shaded)trail in Hunter Canyon. I hadn't hiked that short trail since before the 2011 fire.

I arrived at the parking lot on Hunter Canyon Road just before 5pm. That gave me at least one hour of decent daylight left, so off we went. But something was in me today: I was hiking faster than usual! What started out as an hour hike turned into 2.5 hours, as I ended up hiking the entire length of Hunter Canyon to Miller Creek, arriving at the cascading water in 1:02 hours. There was some severe rockslide in Hunter Creek, but the trail itself was quite passable.
The dogs were delighted in the cool water, as it was their only water source on the trail. I didn't bring a water pack since I didn't expect to be out so late. All I had on me was a thin sweater. All I carried in my pockets was my cellphone, my wallet, my keys and I was holding my camera. I certainly didn't pack for any emergency.

The dogs frolicked in the water. Miller Creek here took a direct hit during the fire and many mature trees are now dead. The creek bed is heavily bouldered now, like Ash and Hunter Creek. There are still enough trees to provide shade for local birds, and the creek still is a pleasant hike destination. Most of the dead stuff is now on the Hunter Canyon side, where dead, blackened trees line the skyline, but where new oaks are growing back to add green to the color scheme again.
Minnie got excited about sticks again, and when I threw one rather large stick down into the creek, she dived down the steep embankment and took off with it, but she was running in the opposite direction, toward the Beatty Orchard where the hounds were barking. What had gotten into her now? Minnie picked a bad time to lose her focus, as it was already 6:02pm and sun set was at 6:30pm. I was losing precious time running after her and calling her name. There was no sign of her. This is the third time in three years that she's taken off like this, oblivious to my calls.
I didn't panic. I went down to near the Beatty house to call her name. One of the hounds came toward us, barking loudly. Minnie surely wouldn't have gone toward those dogs. So I turned back. I'd have to come back and get Minnie from the Beattys. Just before hitting the junction with the Hunter Canyon Trail on the return hike, there comes Minnie out of the shrubs! Relieved to have my pack back, I beat feet back on the return trail. The dogs were energized after their water break, but now they were chasing each other off the trail. It was getting dark enough now to have a hard time seeing them, especially Sadie, whose fur blends in with the dead tall grasses. It got dark enough for me to accidentally lose the trail, too, but I knew that eventually I'd come across a drainage and I could follow that drainage until coming up to the trail again.
We lucked out. Once we were officially off the Hunter Canyon trail, I opted to stay on the forest road for better lighting. That last half mile was so dark, I could barely see the road in front of me. I didn't see my van until I got up close. Venus was sinking below the peaks as the mountains faded behind a darkening silhouette. It was 7:10pm when we got back to the van, making this evening adventure almost 2.5 hours long.

Thursday, March 12, 2015

Brown Canyon Loop

I organized another medium-length hike up Brown Canyon, starting off Ramsey Canyon road and the Brown Canyon trailhead parking area. We met at 1pm and everyone was on time. Mountain bikers were getting done with there loop, so the trail wasn't as crowded as it at first looked to be. It was also cooler and overcast today; perfect weather for a hike!

Nina, Eric T, Robert and Claire joined me. I took Zeke along. We hiked this at a slow-moderate pace.

A controlled burn on the east side of the trail blackened the grass to our right as we hiked around the foothills, but that burn quickly stopped once we started climbing into the canyon. Robert was up front, I was in the middle with Eric, and Nina and Claire took up the rear. Zeke was at his best behavior and stayed with me. I made sure that I had a visual of the people in the rear.

There was water in some of the deeper pools the higher up into the canyon we got, from which Zeke got his refreshment. I had water in my backpack, but wanted to save that for emergencies.



MORE LATER

Wednesday, March 11, 2015

Perimeter Loop Trail

I hosted a nine-mile Perimeter Loop trail, repeating the direction from last month when I scouted out this trail. This is a challenging hike only for the many roller-coaster ups and downs and the distance: nine miles on mostly exposed eastern slopes. I had a decent turn-out: Bob, Nina, Cidney and David from Tucson, who was down in town for the day for his wife's job. David saw the hike online via the Meetup and hadn't RSVPed. The more, the merrier, and everyone was in good shape. Today I brought Minnie along for the hike.

I had posted the start time as 9:15am, knowing that Nina arrives late, and wanted to start this at 9:30am. I arrived at 9:20am and she hadn't arrived yet, coming in at 9:40am. We finally got going at 9:45am, walking up the road, stopping briefly at the Carr House, and continuing for two miles before the first turn-off at Clark Springs Trail. Minnie wanted to show off her fetching skills, but by the two-mile mark she was getting tired and focused more on the trail. There was no water the first four miles and keeping her a little thirsty kept her from running amok among the hikers.

We lucked out with the weather, but had it been any warmer, this would have been a hot hike. We started out with 63F but it quickly warmed up. There wasn't much of a breeze, and shade was minimal. Views sure are spectacular along the Clark Springs trail, and for a newcomer to this area this is a nice taste of the valley offerings.

Halfway on the Clark Springs trail, the path descends into Miller Canyon where that section of the trail ends. We could see the clearing in the upper canyon that is now Beatty's Orchard. Here is where we had to cross Miller Canyon road and continue along the creek going downhill. The Forest Service was busy downing some dead trees in Miller creek, but the crew was nice enough to let us walk past safely. This one mile along Miller creek is still mostly shaded, and this was a relief for Minnie who came back to life in the water.

We stopped at the restrooms in lower Miller Canyon. It was now approaching 1pm and the little shade on the northern side of the building felt so good. I could feel the muscles in my legs. I wanted to rest at the rocky overlook on the Perimeter Trail, so I could give the dogs some water and eat an apple. Both Cidney and David, however, just wanted to get done and continued on. We were down to Robert, Nina and me. Even Robert jogged on ahead and I stayed back with Nina, who was starting to slow down. Even Minnie was stopping at every little drainage looking for water. There was more water here than on the Clark Springs trail.

Clouds were starting to move in overhead, cooling the trail down that last mile. We were back at the parking lot at 2:15pm. Robert was waiting in the back of this truck with the tailgate down. Minnie lay in the shade and I sat on a cool rock as we waited for Nina. We ended up eating at the Papa's 50s Diner again, and this time it was Minnie who got a free puppy patty.

Tuesday, March 10, 2015

Walking up Carr Canyon Road

I'm on spring break this week. This year I opted to stay local and to save my travel money for the summer, when a possible road trip to Virginia is in the calling. Nina has been hosting a 4-mile Meetup hike up Carr Canyon Road to the falls and back on Tuesdays, proving a quick but challenging workout with a valley view at the turn-around point. I signed up for this hike a few days ago, knowing I was around for this, and brought Sadie along. I finally got to meet some of the Tuesday regulars! The parking area near the lower Carr Falls was crowded with fitness walkers.

There were seven of us, some of whom I recognized: Robert, Jim (the county search and rescue volunteer), Eric, Nina. I got to meet young Cidney, whose husband is at Fort Huachuca attending the Captain's Course, and Susan. Julie came with two of her dogs, Zane and Grey, whom she kept on leashes. Had I known others were bringing dogs, I would have taken Minnie or Zeke instead as they are more dog friendly. With Sadie I had to keep my distance and hike up ahead. (Later, when we were all resting at the overlook, Sadie snapped at Grey, so I separated myself from the group and stayed away so Sadie could relax).

Hiking up this forest road is fun! We didn't have much traffic and everyone seemed to find someone to talk to. I went around people to take photos. Traffic won't be a problem until the end of April, when people start heading up the upper campsites for fun. Eric said we made it up in 41 minutes.

We stayed at the top for a long time. I took Sadie down to the falls for water, and it was Cidney who told me we were leaving again for the return hike. I stayed with her on the return walk while others found their own clique. This is the true definition of a fitness hike: you find someone your own pace to make it challenging but not grueling.

Once we got back to our cars three hours later (!), Robert suggested going to Papa's 50s Diner for lunch. Nina and Eric agreed to go, so I went along, knowing that dogs were welcome on the patio. What I didn't know was that the owners serve patrons who come in with their dogs a free "puppy patty" which was served prior to our meal. That food quieted Sadie down and she was more relaxed when the rest of us got our meals.

Sunday, March 8, 2015

Full moon hike up Reef Townsite

I had scheduled a Meetup hike for 4:30pm at the Carr Canyon Road lower bridge. The plan was to hike up the road for four miles, turn off at FR 5793 (a once-popular ATV trail)and hike that last mile to the overview. It's a hike I led last November and three others joined me.

Eight people had signed up but two were AWOL. Nina arrived late, as usual, so that made us six at the start: Bob, Eric, Nina and older couple George and Jill. All of them are day hikers with Nina's Tuesday group.

I brought Sadie, as she does so well around other people. George and Jill stayed in the back holding hands the entire time, then decided at the two-mile mark to turn around and hitched a ride down with a pick-up.

I was glad we didn't have much vehicle traffic now that the road is open for the season to motorized vehicles. There was no other traffic once we got past the upper falls. (People were leaving the falls as we were coming) One odd-looking VW bug came tumbling down and the passenger yelled at us that they didn't have any brakes, that they were going downhill using the emergency brakes. The guys surely made it down safely, as we didn't see any carcass on the return hike. The car didn't look road safe just from the looks of it. The headlights were too dull.


Nina has been walking this road every week since November and has gained much strength in her legs. We didn't have to slow down at all for her. I figured it would take us two hours to hike the four miles on the grade, with a short break at the two-mile mark and the upper falls. I was right about our timing. We all hiked at about the same pace.

We didn't take off until 4:42pm, and those extra 12 minutes are what got us late for the moon rise over the Mule mountains. Moon rise was slated at 6:36pm with 99.8% illumination. I got to the overlook first, but the moon was already losing its reddish glow and rising fast. And oh my, how cold and windy it was on the exposed top! My hands were so cold, I could barely get my camera settings set.

It was so windy, I couldn't get any decent photos. I took too may blurry shots. Why didn't I bring my gorilla pod to give my camera a steady hold? The lights of Sierra Vista were glowing yellowish. One can't but be in awe of the view from that vantage point.

The upper trails were still a little wet from the rain earlier in the week. The falls were flowing nicely, and there was water for Sadie in the gullies, even though I had packed enough water and treats for us both.

The sun had set at 5:52pm, so by the time we left the overlook for the return hike, we were in the dark. The moon hadn't risen high enough to cast its light on us, but when it did, WOW did the road light up. The moonlight against the rock outcroppings, and our bodies casting long shadows against the terrain brought out the kids in all four of us. It was quiet here, with just the blustery wind whistling around us. This was Nina's first night hike and she was loving it.

Nina stayed with Eric and I was with Bob on the return hike. Bob and I waited for the other two at Nina's Ford Escape; once they were off it was just Bob, me and Sadie for the last two miles. We got back to our cars at the lower falls at 8:20pm. My legs felt tired but I'm so glad I hosted this hike. I plan on doing more full-moon hikes, with the Meetup gang or even the hiking club (or both!)