Hiking up Nipple Peak

This morning Kevin joined me for a quick jaunt up this little ridgeline. He wanted something short and intense and I was able to deliver.

The USBP was still documenting a large marijuana stash they found in the canyon as we drove in, and the van ahead of us on the way to the trailhead was looking for more. Bundles wrapped in burlap in an open truck bed bounced ahead of us in the streaming dust.

All the snow from my last venture up here on 11 Feb was gone, which was bad news for the dogs who were thirsty once we got to the top. All that remained was one narrow ice batch in a shadowed north slope. We stopped there to let the dogs refresh themselves as they bit into the crunchy ice. A large group of hikers had beat us to this isolated viewpoint this morning. This place is more popular than I thought! It's a meandering, steep trail up loose rocky soil and small manzanita shrubs.

The views were just as spectacular as last time I was up here. The vista was actually prettier as there was no trash anywhere. Kevin liked this view point, too. We stayed up along the ridgeline for a good thirty minutes, watching the lands south of us. The border fence shone in the sunlight, the black line traveling behind the mountains in either direction.

"You can tell someone came by and pruned the edges of these shrubs for easier night-time walk-through" said Kevin as he pointed out the pruned edges of some of the manzanitas. Leave it to an infantryman/hunter to notice these things.

It took us just over an hour to make it to the top, and 45 minutes to get back down. In two more months this is going to be one hot hike! This would be a good hour-long training hike to the ridge and down. Kevin showed an interest in using this trail to get into shape.

I guessed this trail to be no more than two miles uphill. He guessed about the same.

There was more illegal trash once we got back down. The stuff never stops!

I think today is going to be my last day of my H1N1 virus. I hacked up pretty much any left-over phlegm. My appetite is coming back.

The swine flu prevented me from getting as much done as I wanted over spring break. Tomorrow it's back to work. The budding garden alone will be work.

Kevin liked Ash Canyon and wants to try some of the other steep canyons in later weekends. Yay!