Ash Canyon in the snow

I woke up to snow this morning. By 10am it had all melted. Two hours later another storm front moved in that brought us more flurries. I was busy with Spanish homework but had to get out and play. By 2:40pm I had all three dogs anxiously riding with me to the Ash Canyon trailhead where we powerhiked up to the ridgeline near Nipple Peak.

I don't think I have ever hiked in these mountains during a snowstorm. I had been up Nipple Peak after a snowstorm last year, but never during an on-going storm front. The rain we were supposed to get today never materialized, and this front seemed to linger over Tucson longer than predicted.

And it was cold up there! Luckily there were no gusts of wind, it was only gently flurrying, and I could feel sweat build up underneath my layers of fleece and polypro.

The mountains were shrouded in storm clouds and I feared getting stuck in a potential blinding storm. I had no watch and my cell phone had died on me, so had something happened to me I would have been at the mercy of the Border Patrol. I thus had little time to linger anywhere and this hike truly was a quick up-and-back-down hike. The four-mile hike took me 90 minutes. It flurried only gently in the mountains, but the dark sky always warned me to hurry up. I wasn't about to try my luck with Mother Nature.

The lower elevations were muddy, but shortly after leaving the trailhead and ascending up the rocky jeep trail, snow quickly accumulated. It was around three inches deep at the start, but grew to 4-6 inches at the ridgeline. My dayhikers and jeans were wet by the time this was all over.

The dogs, especially cold-loving Sara, had fun. They romped around in the snow, bit into the white stuff, and frolicked and pranced around me. I didn't need to worry about a backpack or water as they had what they needed right on the trail.

We were the first ones on the ridge today, breaking the white, pristine fresh snow with our clumsy footprints. The views in all directions were hues of greys and whites. We didn't come across anyone until we almost made it to the trailhead, where four Bud-drinking adults and a tobagan-holding boy were trying to slide down the steep trail. If they planned on sliding down that rocky trail they needed to get higher up in elevation!

I made it back to the truck at 4:07pm, just shy of 90 minutes. This was a nice-enough and fast workout and more fun than the three-mile power walks I've been doing lately. I don't feel like I benefit from walking unless I do at least three brisk miles.

I am so grateful to be able to have the mountains so close for a quick hike like today. I truly needed the exercise after several weeks of sequestered studies.

I was chilled and hungry when I got back, and by 5:30pm Kevin had a roast beef ready.