San Pedro River Trail-Hereford Bridge South, Part II

After a relatively lazy weekend around the house and garden I decided I had to take a short hike with Sadie in the foothills. It was 3pm and ALL THREE DOGS wanted to go along. I can't take all the dogs in an area where others may be, so instead of the foothills I opted for the San Pedro River Trail in Hereford again, the same trail I did with them several weeks ago. This time I planned to go further south. I told Kevin I would be back by 6pm.

I got to the trailhead at the hottest part of the day, and the dryness quickly overcame me. I drank a quart of water on this hike, and I probably could have had more.

Despite the lack of rain since my last visit, a few more wildflowers were blooming and the first of the tumbleweeds are now a foot tall.

We are now in rattlesnake season and I kept my eyes open. We were definitely in the kind of terrain where they would be found, hiding under rocks to keep cool. The dogs stayed on the dusty trail but it's Sadie I worry about, as she likes to run on ahead.

Luckily the only thing the dogs found today were two deer in the distance, after which they all took off on the trail. They never seem to run fast enough for the deer, and before the deer disappeared behind a holm, the dogs were back on the trail toward me. I felt it odd that they even thought they could catch up to the deer as it was, so them taking after the deer surprised me. It's no wonder people don't like dogs that chase wildlife; dogs can ver very unpredictable.

The dogs were clearly heated as well and gave them an opportunity to enjoy the water with every opportunity. Had we not stopped for water I could have made this an hour-long hike one way. My mind wasn't in the mood to hike the entire trail, but I did want to go further than last time.

As it turned out, I didn't go any further than the first time I was on this section years ago. The trail stays close to the western banks of the river, but it seems to end at the fenceline of a home two miles down. The trail here loses its marking, so we turned left (east) to head to the river and walked in the shade of the cottonwoods for a while before cutting back to the official trail. Even though this area is allegedly owned by the BLM, a landowner has made the river here off limits going south. I'm not sure this is legal, but I didn't want to fuss with anyone.

The map shows the trail goes due south but I didn't have neither the drive nor the desire to stay out in the hot sun much longer. Two hours plus water breaks is better than no breaks at all, and it was nice to be back at this part of the river again.

This is a pretty section of the trail in the right season as it stays close to the river. In the cooler early spring or late fall this is a lovely area to watch birds of all sorts. I would say I prefer this more remote spot over the San Pedro House further north, where everyone seems to park and meander. I spotted an oriole with its bright yellow body and black wings, and a few other flitting birds. The caterpillars that were out in full force the last time we were here were now gone (yay!). To see birds it's best to come here early in the morning, just before dawn, the same time the illegals wander up the river.

I got back to the truck by 6:04pm. We had hiked a tad over four miles round trip, maybe five, and one of these days I'll explore the nearby Lehrer Kill site, where a wooly mammoth was found on private property. To think that 12,000 years ago some of the meanest beasts roamed this land is quite fascinating.

The dogs seemed happy to be back home. Kevin was already napping but he had gotten up at 3am. All three dogs rested well, too. I always feel better when all three dogs get exercised. This dusty walk was more fun than the usual evening hike around the neighborhood, although with an approaching full moon on Tuesday, our streets are well moonlighted.