Perimeter Trail

Ellen and I had talked about hiking up Miller Peak today. But in the end she still felt weak after a bout of pneumonia so we settled for seven miles on the perimeter trail, a foothills trail connecting Carr Canyon and Miller Canyon for a 3.5 o/w hike. We started at the Carr Canyon picnic area at 8:20am. Minnie and Sadie were our canine guards.

It was rather chilly in the morning shade, and even when the sun was out it felt chilly. It wasn't as warm as it was yesterday. The exposed sunny stretches were nice, even emphasizing the burned trees against a blue sky, but even the sun played tag with us and going behind clouds on our return hike at 10:06am.

We didn't come across other people, but we could see dog, bear and horse scat along the way. As usual, Minnie had to sniff everything. She even chased a family of deer briefly. Sadie stayed by my side.

I took my new Canon S100 which takes amazing photographs, but even this camera didn't know what to make of the varied light we had today. Some photos look so dark and gloomy in the shade, while the earlier sunny shots are cheerful and colorful.

We kept at a good pace. There was some water for the dogs in one of the drainages. They managed to hold out until we stopped near the Miller Canyon intersection, a mound overlooking the vista. Here's where they gave me the sad "Feed Me!" look German Shepherd Dogs are known for.

In the end we did a nice seven-mile hike in low elevation. Tomorrow the weather may be chilly and rainy, which may be a mission stopper for Carr Peak. I need to continue this hike-a-day while I'm on school break, just to stay in shape.

The lower Perimeter trail is the perfect beginner's hike for the area. It offers eastern vistas of the San Pedro Valley and an introduction to the various native desert flora here: mesquite, scrub oak, sotols, prickly pears, yuccas and a variety of grasses. More importantly, one sees how quickly a forest and its desert can rejuvenate itself after a devastating fire.