Carr Peak for September with Sadie and Minnie

Today was a picture-perfect day for some peak bagging: temperatures were in the upper 70s at the trailhead, with scattered clouds and a cool breeze. I wore a long-sleeved t-shirt, jeans and had on my running shoes. The jeans help keep the dry weeds from scratching my legs. The dry heat prevents the cotton material from staying damp.

This was also Sadie's first hike since her epilepsy and she did well, albeit she was slower than usual. Minnie, on the other hand, enjoyed being up front tracking whatever scents she caught. The gawking ravens intrigued her, especially at the peak, but there wasn't much else distracting her today.

We started the hike at 11:35 and got back to the truck at 3:33pm. There was not another soul to be found the entire time. My only company were the two dogs and a flock of gawking ravens overhead. I couldn't have asked for a better day to hike.

The water along the way has dried up from the monsoon. The grasses are starting to dry up. The dogs finished off a large quart of water by themselves. At the peak they enjoyed a bag of raw steak to replenish their bodies.

I drank a bottle of Powerade at the peak, sitting there and enjoying the birds overhead. This is normally the time of year to start seeing migrating hawks and I did see one among the ravens, a Cooper's hawk, but the show today went to the ravens that entertained me with swoops, dives, glides and pirouettes in the sky. I sat at the peak for almost 50 minutes watching them. The dogs were bored and rested in the shade of the manzanitas.

The only disappointment today were the dying aspens. They never reached their fall prime, as they are suffering from spotted leaf virus, a soil-borne virus that attacks the leaves and denies them a color change. I had hoped that last year's fire killed off the virus, but the leaves weren't burned so that tells me the soil didn't get hot enough and the virus survived. Trees with spotted leaf virus go from green to brown without the usual dramatic colors.

I had around me swaying Golden Rods all across the higher ridges instead. There is yellow in every photo I took today. The yellow Columbines and red salvias are gone and the thistle is going to seed. It's just one huge carpet of yellow in all directions.

I got home at 4pm and immediately began downloading the pics. I edited some and uploaded 20 to my Facebook album. I didn't have time to do more as I had to race back up Carr Canyon Road for the 6:22 Harvest Moon rise. On my way up the road I slowed down to talk to a KVOA reporter; I had seen the van go uphill as I was descending at 4pm and wanted to know why he was here looking at a peak. He said there was a lone marijuana plant growing along the slope and did I know about this?

Well, we do live in an active drug smuggling route, and yes, I've seen all kinds of stuff in these mountains, especially on the "illegal" trails. But a more active marijuana growing area is in Bisbee. I probably shouldn't have said that to the reporter, but that is pretty well-known among local hikers.

We chatted a bit, I got interviewed for the 10pm news wearing an old red Indiana hoodie. My hair was unwashed...I looked like I had just gotten off the mountain. The dogs were barking in the background.

I made it to my overlook site with ten minutes to spare. I had all five dogs with me, with Sara staying inside and the rest following me to some boulders where I propped my camera and waited for the harvest moon to rise. It was as spectacular as I had expected. I don't think I have ever been up Carr Canyon Road this late in the day just to watch the moon rise.