Carr Peak with Sadie,Minnie and Zeke

Today was my last chance to hike up Carr Peak for the month, since I'm back to work tomorrow for a few days. The weather was overcast and cool, much like it was on Sunday, with cooler wind near the peak.

We started the trailhead at 9:55am, and, as expected, no one else was around. The Buick was the only car in the parking lot. We started at the Old Sawmill trail, where a 1/2 mile uphill we stopped to let the dogs drink from the spring. I noticed the wildlife camera near the springs had been removed.

The vegetation around me was much like what I saw during the Lutz Canyon hike two days ago: very little new growth and much dried vegetation from the oaks. But perhaps the cold front that is due in this weekend will bring much-needed cooler temperatures and rain or snow. The elms and aspen haven't budded yet so there would be no damage done to those trees. We desperately need the rain NOW or else we have a repeat of 2011.

All three dogs did very well today. Zeke is learning trail etiquette and staying close-by. Minnie and Sadie got into a fetching contest right away that made Sadie bark non-stop at the start, something I had little patience with. "SHUT THE FUCK UP, SADIE!" I yelled, and she quieted down. The last thing I need is a dog to ruin my experience with nature.

I could see the cold front coming up from Mexico: the southern hemisphere showed a band of grey cirrus clouds moving north. This made for great hiking today, although the wind was a bit cold on top and I never took off my ski cap that kept my ears warm. I wore my blue-grey Columbia wind breaker, a nylon shirt, and my jeans. No gloves were needed.

There were a few small patches of snow on the northern slopes along the aspen grove, but there was no water running off the upper falls. We drank a quart of water today, half that from a few days ago.

I spotted one falcon overhead, and a few sparrows, but that was all the wildlife we spotted today.

We made it to the peak at 11:43am. The wind wasn't too bad as long as I sat near the manzanitas. It was on the cool side today, cooler than my January hike, but I'm glad I managed a hike for this month.

Each dog got their hotdog and water. I ate some KitKat bars and drank water, took photos, and then we scurried back down as I had to get to the shelter later today (made it there by 2:20pm)

I'll post photos tomorrow.