Ten more months until I see Montana again!

I had mentioned a two-week car-camp with some hiking members a few days ago. They seem interested. My only rule was that we plan this car-camp in July and not in August when schools start up again.

And this time Kevin is coming! YAY! Although it's still ten months away, I'm going to read up on more hikes in the Bozeman area, focusing on the beautiful Gallatin National Forest and perhaps the Bridger mountains, repeating some of the hikes I did last July.

Brenda and Bill seem interested. If for some reason they can't make it--life always gets in the way--at least it will be Kevin and me. I will be in summer school for the first session, but as soon as it's over we're hitting the road. Kevin will save up his vacation time by then. Now that he gets three weeks vacation we have time to explore the West more. I will renew my Montana Magazine as well.

Miller Canyon Trail

I putzed around the house in the morning instead of taking off on a hike. I watered the garden, soaked the new seedlings, got on-line. But by 1pm I was ready for a short hike up the Miller Canyon Trail, a 4-mile steep o/w hike to the Crest Trail.

I hadn't hiked this trail since 2006. I had forgotten the steep switchbacks toward the Crest Trail. I wore my water sandals thinking I could wade with Sadie in the creek, but the creek was dry for most of the hike and the only water was in a short canyon that was hard to reach. Normally this time of year this is a beautiful, lush trail in the shade. Today it was just cool. Since we started so late in the day we had the afternoon sun behind the mountains.

This trail starts out as a wide trail canopied by oaks, junipers and manzanitas. Elevation here is 5750'. This was once a mining road to the upper Miller mines. Two miles further up the road it gets steeper and narrower as it passes two abandoned mines and abandoned mining equipment. The old Holenstein mine (7350') was active here in the 1880s.

We got to the trailhead at 1:12pm and quickly got started. I was the only car in the parking lot. After some Gould turkeys came after us near the start, we were soon on our trail, traveling west past Beatty's Orchard. The aspen are finally in their yellow prime but the rest of the wildflowers were fading. The lack of any monsoon this season has really made this year's fall colors rather drab.

I got to Bathtub Springs at 3:40pm. This bathtub at 8540' was dragged up to its current position by mules belonging to homesteader and miner, Max Baumkirchner, who used to have a cabin here. It now holds the spring. I called Kevin to let him know I had made it and that I was soon back on the descent. Even the bathtub was half-empty. The last time I was up here the tub was green with algae.

We met no one on this trail. Nor was there any trash to pick up. I spotted three people down in the creek hammering on rocks (prospectors) and at one point I saw something dart into the manzanitas (which prompted me to scream at it to keep it away from me). Otherwise this was a pleasant, trash-free (!) butt-kicking hike.

Miller Peak

My last time up Miller Peak was in January with the three dogs. It was Sara's last long hike, as the nine plus miles exhausted her and I had to stop many times to let her rest.

There are several ways to climb up Miller Peak. Hanna, a member of the hiking club, led us from the southern terminus. She had never been up this peak. Neither had Steve. Another hiker, Cliff, had been up here years before. The last time I hiked up Miller from this trailhead was with Kevin in December 2002, and we had 18' of snow on top.

We met at the Montezuma parking (6575') lot at 8am for this hike. This is a mile from the Mexican border so it's not unusual to see many Border Patrol vans here. The new wall is also quite visible from this vantage point.

There were five of us. We left promptly at 8:10am. Sadie knew her place in line and followed the others uphill. Shortly after the start she and I took the lead so that she could run around a bit. But she soon realized that this was a serious hike and conserved her energy.

The first two miles of this trail is steep uphill, exposed to the sun. On a hot day this could be unbearable as the trail is mostly exposed to the southern and eastern sun. Sadie rested a few times in the shade of several manzanitas, even in the shade of one of three abandoned mines while we waited for the others to catch up to us. I always let her rest whenever she wants.

We made it to the Miller Peak wilderness an hour later. From here on the grade is more gradual, as we loop around to the eastern and northern slopes of the mountain range and enjoy the shade of Ponderosa pines. After the pines we enter a burnedout area, more grade, more exposed ridgeline before we hit the steep rocky last 1.5 mile to the peak.

From the intersection of Lutz canyon it gets rocky and steep. The wildflowers here weren't as spectacular as they were last Saturday on Carr Peak, but the views to the west are always my favorite.

This is also the place where we saw a lot of trash left behind by the Mexicans. I picked up a small bag worth of trash on my way down, but even that small bag proved to be tiresome after three miles of shlepping it through thorny brush.

We met only one other hiker, a lone man, who passed us all to the peak. By the time I reached the summit he was already on his way down. "You have isolated thunderstorms all around you!" he said, but we were lucky: the one lightning storm stayed north of us, moving toward the northeast.

We got to the peak at noon, enjoyed the views. Carr Peak and its flowers was still covered in yellow. We saw several rain clouds aroud us but nothing closeby. I ate my cheese tortillas, Sadie had her Turkey Bites and wanted more, looking at both Steve and Hanna for hand-outs.

We went down after 30 minutes. Since I was the lone trash picker-upper I went ahead with Sadie and didn't stop until we got back to the shady rest area at the wilderness boundary. We made it back to the trailhead parking at 3pm. I had a hot spot on my right foot and my left knee was hurting. I must have twisted my knee and not known it.

Sadie drank an entire quart on this hike. I finished a little but more than that. There was no other water available on this hike.

I'm glad I made it up this peak again. It's a rough climb no matter what trail you take to the peak, but the vistas are worth it, and the trail is nice.

Colonel Bill

I have written about Bill in my other blog. He is a 76-year-old retired army colonel who hikes, cycles and travels the world. He had been so busy traveling this past year to places like Antarctica, Africa and China that it had been a year since we chatted over beer. He has been my mentor since we met several years ago through the hiking club; he doesn't let age get in the way of his dreams and is physically fit enough to do things most 40-year-olds cringe at doing.

Friday, however, we finally met again. It was at Applebee's, a place Kevin and I go to about twice a month now that the local franchise brought back some of its old microbrews. I worked nearby at the middle school Friday for a math teacher, and afterwards Kevin and I agreed to meet at our old watering hole. I was already in town and getting together was an excuse to make up for Tuesday when I had to decline meeting him there because of a reading assignment.

I walked into Applebee's at 3:30pm. I walked toward the bar, looked around. I recognized several regulars but did not see Bill, so I sat down at two vacant bar tools. Bill had seen me--he had been partially obscured by the beer handles across the U-shaped bar--and had come over to hug me like old times.

"BILL!" I exclaimed. He smiled. We hugged and together we sat down at his bar stool. I ordered my usual Blue Moon (the only microbrew Applebee's now sells) and an order of boneless buffalo wings.

We had a lot to catch up on. I wanted all the details to his travels, but Bill has never been one to talk much about his adventures. He's a man who experiences so much yet talks so little. What a shame. But one trip he did talk about was his two-week car-camp trip to Idaho this past August with the hiking club. It's a trip I would have gladly gone along on if it weren't for school and other requirements. For the second year in a row the hiking group has traveled to the Northwest in August.

"That place is beautiful" said Bill, a statement that needs no affirmation. Visions of the Bitterroots came to mind, although the group was more toward Devil's Canyon this year. "I wouldn't mind going back there next year!"

"I want to go!" I replied. "If only you guys plan the trip in July instead of August, I could go."

And when Kevin finally arrived 15 minutes later, we continued the conversation about Idaho-Montana.

"I would love to come along, too" he added. By next summer, minus the week he is taking off to spend time with his daughter Katie when she gets here next month, we will have two weeks saved time together. I would forfeit summer school if I can spend time in Idaho or Montana with him.

The three of us sat at the bar until 4:30pm when Bill had to leave to pick up his dogs from the groomer. We hugged one more time and off he was, not to be seen again until the next time we meet by chance.

Carr Peak just before the storm

It turned out to be the perfect hike, logging in 4:15 hours on the trail and getting back to the car before the rain set in. Wildflowers were in bloom all along the way.

Emily and Rodney from the hiking club joined me at the trailhead. I was glad to have company, as this hike can get beset with illegals coming across from Mexico and I no longer feel comfortable hiking alone in the Huachucas.

The 2.6-mile hike up to Carr Peak (just under 9220') took us 1:20 hours. It would have taken us 15 minutes less had we not had to stop to look for Emily's camelback plug that had gotten stuck on a manzanita shrub or I having to run back down to the SUV to grab my camera. We left at 8:50 and got to the peak at 10:20am. The first mile was the hardest. It was hot and steep. Both Emily and I were tired, we hadn't slept well the night before, and I didn't want to slow her down.

This was Emily's first Arizona peak. She's originally from Maine and has hiked all over that part of the country. She is now in this part of Arizona doing her commitment to the Vista Program: a program to help disadvantaged kids. Carr Peak was my first ever mountain summit, so getting up this mound is a bit sentimental for me. I first climbed it in 1991.

"Is it always this pretty?" she asked me. She loved all the flowers along the way, stopping many times to take self-portraits, posing at times like a naturegirl in front of a statuesque mountain drop.
"In the fall it sure is. But hike up here every month and you'll see something different every time: red-tailed hawks flying overhead, wild flowers, autumn colors, spring flowers, wild onion, even black bears..."
There are black bears here?" she asked.
"Oh yeah! I hiked this trail in 1992 and came across a mother bear and her cub right before the Carr Peak trail to the summit. I had to abort that hike. There's a sign at the trailhead warning hikers that this is Bear Country."
(Later on, on the drive back downhill, I admitted that there had been a few incidences with old co-workers of mine who had gotten held up at the upper campground by several armed Mexicans.)

Yellow asters, Mexican Paintbrushm, fleabane, phlox, red and blue salvia, yellow columbine, St John's Wort, all covered the trail the entire way. The aspens were still very green but the smell walking through the grove energized me. These trees regew after the 1977 fire. They are now tall enough to provide a refreshing coolness.

Rod, Emily and I sat on the peak gazing at the valley below. Our shirts were all wet from sweat and humidity and it felt good to take the loads off. We stayed there just under 30 minutes, but dark clouds were gathering over Miller Peak from the south.

"We better get going!" said Rod and stood up at 10:50am. I figured we had some time to enjoy the top, but went down anyway. The clouds didn't look that menancing to me...

We had been at the peak for almost 30 minutes and I wanted to make sure we got back safely. It was a breezeless summit, and views were in all directions: The Whetstones, the Mules, The Dragoons, the Santa Ritas, the Mexican Sierra Madres. The next canyon to our north was Ramsey Canyon, perhaps the prettiest canyon in the mountain range. (Too bad the Ramsey Canyon Preserve is so anal with its management, though.)

Dark clouds starting getting darker as we made it back down to the Carr Trail. A mile further downhill it began to thunder. Emily got concerned and I could hear her pace pick up. A few rain drops fell at the .5 mile mark. If we were going to get hit with rain, it wouldn't be for long as we had a few minutes to go.

It was 12:15 when we all got back into the Ford to drive down the mountain. A Border Patrol jeep was parked near us, (perhaps an agent doing a quick cursory check as part of his daily duties) as there were no other vehicles around.

Fifteen minutes into our drive it began to rain; thirty minutes later it began to hail. We had been lucky!

I stopped at the feed store in town on my way home. From that vantage point I could see the entire southern range of the Huachuca mountains. Rain and fog shrouded the upper peaks, but had kept the valley mostly dry.

There was dogsnot on my windshield on the passenger's side.

It's now been three hours since I got back home and it's still raining and thundering. The weather guys say this is the last monsoon of the season. It's been a nice finale. I think I am going to hike Carr Peaj every month from now on, at least for a year, and record the observations.

Carr Peak this weekend?

I had originally scheduled a six-mile hike up Carr Peak for this Saturday, my annual pilgrimage up this local peak. The hike goes through the Southwest's most southern grove of quaking aspens. Last year I took people up this peak in October but by then the colors were past their prime. This year, because of the dry and warm nighttime temperatures so far, none of the deciduous trees have changed colors yet. But perhaps the alpine wildflowers will still be in bloom?

Rain is now forecasted for this weekend, what the meteorologists are now saying is the last rain for the monsoon season. I don't mind rain but rain here in the Huachuas also mean storms in the peaks. I am not going to lead people up into the peaks during a storm! I'll still show up at the 8am meet-up time and go from there. If no one shows up I'll just take Sadie up the illegal trail I go to several times a year just to pick up trash the illegals leave behind.

Apache Kitty is doing fine. He shows no fear toward the dogs. Sadie, however, thinks the kitten is a play toy like her tennis balls and I've had to remind her to take her mouth off of Apache's head a few times already. The little guy's fur is often wet with dog slobber. Sara also shows an interest in the kitten but I don't think it's a friendly interest. When I leave the house for class I put Apache in my bathroom for safekeeping. "Protective custody" says Kevin. It's going to be a few more months before Apache is old and strong enough to defend himself. A swipe across Sadie's nose with his claws should remind Sadie that cats are a force to be reckoned with.

Apache's learning where the cat box is, thank goodness. I've only had that one night of bedtime accidents with that cat.

Reina, the aging mother cat, continues to be aggressive toward Apache. Vinnie, too hisses at him. Neither cat is happy about sharing their food with the new kitten. Apache, too, growls at them at feeding time.

This aggression from Reina toward Apache means the little guy isn't getting the usual attention he would be getting from his mother and he's seeking it instead from me. When I brought Vinnie home last year Reina was the protective mother cat, attacking the dogs if they came too close to Vinnie. Toward Apache, though, she shows no interest whatsoever. She doesn't even lick him or let him come close to her despite his attempts to cuddle.

I pet him instead, I stroke him, I rub his little belly and he now responds with kitten purrs and contentment. He hates being placed in "protective custody" when I leave the house and meows uncontrollably until he falls asleep on his fleece blanket. For right now he's sleeping on my lap as I write this. When I get up I carry him with me around the house, but only for short walks here and there. When I leave for the garden he goes into the bathroom and out of sight of the dogs.

Labor Day Weekend

A dream weekend would have been spending two days in Canyon de Chelly. But when the time came Kevin wasn't interested, I had assignments to work on, and the weather was iffy at best. We did get some rains over the weekend, but not enough to make a difference in our two-inch rain deficit for this summer.

So, the long weekend consisted of reading up on Edward Abbey for a paper the istructor wants me to work on, studying for the American History exam this Thursday, and getting my thoughts organized for an English paper. I didn't do much else and neither did Kevin.

I did manage to get away for an hour here and there into the foothills with the dogs, an event they always look forward to. Yesterday I took them up Ash Canyon. I hadn't been up there since April! The creek was trickling but there was no other life there. The dogs ran the entire three-mile trail for a decent work-out.

Both Eric and Katie are going to be visiting us this fall. Katie, Kevin's youngest daughter, is flying out sometime in October for two weeks. He will take a week off to take her on a state-wide roadtrip in the van, and the second week she's staying local here. I hope to take her to more local sites, to include Tucson.

"What's there in Tucson?" Kevin asked.
Duh. "There's the campus, 4th Avenue, the mountains? I could take her up to Mount Lemmon for the views alone!" I love that drive. And in October the fall colors should be spectacular.

I am not sure when Eric is coming. He's more like me, traveling on a whim. He is (and has been planning) a roadtrip with two band members to California, stopping in Colorado Springs, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and here along the way. He's only giving himself two weeks, though, which just isn't enough for an enjoyable roadtrip. If all the bandmates come along, this house is going to be crowded!

Little Apache Kitty has really bonded with me this weekend. He knows his name and comes when he calls. I carry him around with me whenever I can so that he doesn't get roughhandled by the dogs. He's slept with me every night sofar and seems to have gotten used to the dogs. Unfortunately, twice last night he pooped on my blanket, so I still have to teach him where the catbox is so that he stops shitting on me! The little guy's already taking a great liking to raw and cooked chicken.

Bouncing tennis balls, school work and a new kitten

Sadie really loves her tennis balls. A few days ago she woke me up by throwing a soggy tennis ball on my face at 4:30am. She was awake and ready to play!

School work has kept me busy this semester. All four classes want a research paper from me. One class wants three. That's a lot of reading, filing, citing. Ugh. And I am not getting out in my mountains much.

This morning I drove to Bisbee to drop off my plastics and paper at the recycling plant, which is right across from the animal shelter. I stopped at the shelter out of curiosity and immediately fell in love with a Siamese-mix kitten, Apache Kid. What a cutie. I took him home on the spot. The little guy cuddled in my lap during the entire drive home. Even Sadie seems to like him and Sara watches out for him. Dogs and cats, after some butt-sniffing and a few muffled hisses, are getting along.

As for Kevin, well, I simply told him that Apache reminded me of him: short, fat and handsome. How could I resist such a pretty face? I know I needed another cat like I needed a penis on my forehead, but I also wanted to give a kitten a new chance on life. This is kitten season, and shelters across the country are overflowing with puppies and kittens.

"In a few years Apache is going to need a playmate, and its name will be Hopi. Another playmate will be named Zuni..." I told him excitedly. I could tell that
Kevin was thrilled. Reina is now over 12 years old and suffering from hyperthyroidism; I don't think she will live much longer as despite her being on medication (Tapizole) she sleeps a lot and her fur looks dull. The medication hs kept her from vomitting every day, but she's still bony.

So busy

Shit. I am so far behind in adding to my hikes here. I'v been overworked with my semester classes, doing the time-consuming research. I will get to adding photos to this blog one of these days. I looked through the dates here and realized that I am missing so many good photos from my South Dakota, Wyoming and Montana trip.