Ellen had contacted me last week while I was still in California about hiking up Carr Peak today. I agreed to that, which was one reason to get back to Arizona when we did. I knew I'd need the exercise after this week.
Meet-up time was 7am. I got up with Kevin at 5am. Getting ready was slow. Since it's only a ten-minute drive to the lower picnic area where the trailhead is, I didn't leave the house until 6:50am, only to discover the left rear window shattered. I only had clear packing tape to secure the glass and got delayed, but a quick message to Ellen via Facebook told her of the news. I was at the parking lot by 7:15am and we made it to the upper trailhead by 7:43am.
As expected, everything was green and water was flowing from the intermittent falls. I had brought enough water for the dogs but they drank only from the flowing water, and other times from water found in rock depressions.
We started from the Reese Township parking lot. No other hikers joined us on either the ascent or descent; we had the peaks to ourselves and the dogs enjoyed the exercise.
The forest is slowly returning to its normal habitat from before the fire of two years ago. Last summer all I saw were goldenrods. Pink penstemons, Red Cardinal capes are now coming back. The only flower that's still missing is the red sage, which should be making a comeback this time of year. Even several landmark trees along the trail, which looked badly burned two years ago, are now coming back to life with new growth. It has taken two years, but I see the rebirth of most of the forest.
There were plenty of Lady Bug beetles in the shrubs near the peak. At first glance they look like reddish flower buds. I didn't even notice them until Ellen mentioned them to me. They are present on the high-elevation shrubs this time of year.
`Ellen and I hiked up at a constant pace. Neither of us had done much hiking since our hike down to the Grand Canyon in May. We made it to the peak in 1:40 hours. This is by no means a personal speed record! We were both surprised at how warm it was on the peak, despite the fog over Miller Peak and lower storm clouds in the valley.
We stayed long enough for a peak snack and some photos. The grey clouds alone were dramatic. The dogs just wanted to relax and get some treats, but with a 40-50% chance of rain in the afternoon forecast, we opted to get off the peak once we had eaten. This was a wise decision as we could hear thunder to our north. We didn't see lightning, though, but that didn't mean we could take our time on the descent.
Finches and orioles flitted about. Amazing how this forest comes to life with water!
We made it back to the truck by 11:20am, just as the first cars were coming uphill. Two hours later, safely back home, we had a downpour. My garden is also coming to life. The cantaloupe and cucumbers I planted before the CA road trip have all now sprouted.
No comments:
Post a Comment