Carr Peak with Zeke and Minnie

The original plan was to hike up Miller Peak with Beth yesterday, but she cancelled out and drove home to Phoenix for some family matters. Instead of hiking it anyway, I slept in and worked on both school work and class work yesterday and only went outside to walk Sara and Sammy around the neighborhood.

Today was my last chance to bag a peak for August. It was also my first peak bagged since Zeke and Sadie got sick last month. I didn't even leave the house until 12:15pm because I was busy in the morning working on my students' grades. I had promised them all they'd be online by Sunday afternoon or early evening. When I went outside to see the peaks, though, they were shrouded in dark clouds. But this time that did not defer me.

I should have hiked the peak first thing this morning. When I left the house after noon it looked dark over the peaks. Forty-five minutes later and higher on the mountain, the trailhead was sunny, as if those clouds I saw an hour earlier had dissipated. I took the chance of getting hit with rain and I lucked out. Although there were some clouds over Carr as I hiked up to the peak, the clouds provided the dogs a cool breeze and they seemed energized after the more warm ascent from the lower trailhead.

I left Sadie at home because she didn't seem herself these last two days, appearing tired and a bit off-kilter. This coming Friday she goes back to the vet and I will see then if Sadie is healthy enough to start hiking again. I'll start slow and short with her, hiking the lower canyons on the weekends starting next month. I don't want her to have a seizure while high in the mountains, but I also don't want her languishing at home when I know she loves hiking the peaks with me. Hiking with two young dogs other than Sadie still doesn't feel right; I miss Sadie's presence when I'm in the mountains.

I gassed up Essie at the Jumpin' Jack near Hereford Road ($3.49/gallon and rising again!) and drove up Carr Canyon Road with two excited dogs. Minnie's learned to enjoy driving with me. Perhaps Zeke's showed her there's nothing to be afraid of in the car. The mountains were busy today. Besides the many people picnicing near the creek, there was also much USBP action. One USBP vehicle was parked in the lower parking lot. The driver had his binoculars facing the upper Falls. Later on the hike I met two more agents hiking back down, who both tolerated Minnie and Zeke barking at them. A USBP helicopter hovered near Carr Peak around 4:30pm and later a second helicopter, a non-USBP type, flew up there as well.

And even though both dogs barked at the agents and later at an elderly woman hiking uphill at 5pm by herself, they did well today. They stayed close and stayed together, sniffing things along the trail and staying mostly on the trail. The only time they took off was on the descent when they caught movement behind manzanitas. I saw that movement too and am not sure if they were chasing a bear or a black-clad Mexican hiding off the trail. Whatever it was both dogs were determined to get it.

All that aside, it was a much-needed hike. The first mile felt straining to me since I hadn't hiked elevation since May, but I soon caught my rhythm. Even the dogs did well, especially Minnie who was much slower the first time she bagged Carr Peak with me last May. I think she did better today because there was water at the upper falls, and the clouds provided a cool layer we didn't have in May. There were storm clouds in all directions but the storms stayed away.

There was so much green up in the mountains that it was hard to see the burned areas from last summer. Grass over four feet tall was crowding the trail near the aspen groves. Both dogs would disappear in the grass as they walked ahead of me. There were lots of yellow flowers out today, from Columbines near the aspens to Black-eyed Susans, Golden Rods and sunflowers; butterflies and a few birds. I saw grasses there I hadn't noticed before. Although the manzanitas are dead and won't regrow, the oaks and junipers that were burned are coming back.

Wildlife consisted mostly of various orange butterflies. I saw and heard a hawk on my way down. In another month the flowers will turn to seed and the grasses will die off. Then hawk migration will begin.

We had the peak to ourselves. There was rain falling to our north over Huachuca City. Smaller showers fell over eastern Hereford. And more rain was coming down in northern Sonora. We drank some water, enjoyed the view and then turned around to hike back down. We stayed dry and not once did we even come close to getting rained on. We lucked out. Although I took a risk leaving so late in the day, I will try to start my hikes earlier to avoid the heat. One sees more wildlife earlier in the day, too. I fed the dogs extra chicken when we got home. Both were tired the rest of the day.