Saturday the hiking club had its annual Christmas picnic at Fairbank. Although I didn't go on the hike that preceded the picnic, I brought my water-loving dogs Zeke and Minnie along, with the intent to take them to the nearby San Pedro River after the picnic. There were three other dogs there, all separated from each other. Minnie barked at a few of them as I kept a tight leash on the dogs, who were more interested in having some leftover chicken anyway. They got plenty of chicken when the food was delivered at noon.
Only 23 people showed up, and everyone left as soon as they had eaten, an hour later. There weren't that many leftovers. The wind was getting colder. The storm that was predicted to come through by 11am never materialized, as it blew north of us. The grey clouds made for nice backdrop, however.
The fun began when the picnickers left and I took the dogs down to the river, a one-mile hike to the turn-around point. This is where I took them off-leash (there was no one around) so that they could enjoy the water.
The river has returned to its pre-flood levels. Water is clear and flowing well. It's actually quite pretty here as the banks are sandy and walkable, not muddy and stinky as in other areas, and offers a wide path along the banks. Both Zeke and Minnie ran into the water, with Minnie chasing sticks and Zeke chasing Minnie. Zeke seemed to not mind the cool water. I followed along on the "illegal" trail until a large pile of snags and flood debris prevented me from going forward. I doubt I even got two miles in with the dogs, but they certainly enjoyed getting out.
By the time I returned back to the picnic area, there was no sign that people had gathered here just an hour earlier. Even the parking lot was deserted, save for a few equestrians started out on a trail going north. Clouds were looking pretty impressive and it was colder, but no rain ever fell along my route of travel. I only saw isolated rain clouds over the higher peaks. We were back home by 3:30pm.
Sunday, yesterday, was also another fun day. I had planned on hiking up Carr Peak as it would probably be the last chance for me for the year. Next week will be too busy with school just before Christmas break, and then Eric and I are leaving for Chicagoland next Sunday. Then Saturday night Ellen, whom I hadn't hiked with since June (and that was in the morning, the day of the US-Portugal soccer match and I left the dogs at home in order to hike faster) asked me if I was interested in hiking up Carr Peak with her Sunday afternoon. Of course I would join her! I also needed to make sure that the road was still open. A local announcement in the paper said the road would be closed for the season, but didn't say exactly when. Other roads up peak trail heads in the Coronado National forest will close on the 15th.
Sunday morning started with no snow on the peaks. From our front door, the peaks were naked! So much for taking the dogs through a snow romp up Ash Canyon. Even aging Sammy enjoys that. I packed all four dogs into the van and drove toward Carr Canyon Road, to make sure it was still open today for cars. It was. So I parked at the Comfort Springs trail head, off the road, for another nice 1.5-mile walk with them. Frost was still shimmering in the rising sun. There already were muddy sections from frost that had already melted, but there was no obvious sign that we had gotten any decent amount of precipitation.
This trail is where I like going to watch the moon rise over the Mule mountains. On a winter morning this is where the sun shines quickly, as the trail is exposed for most of the way, thanks to the many dead trees from our 2011 fire. While the road itself had small pockets of frost, and there was some ice in the crevaces of rocks, this trail was free of all that. And the nicest part? There was no one around and the dogs could run to their hearts' delight. Only one solitary hawk spooked us, but we had the trail to ourselves. It was a cold, snowless winter morning out in nature.
Knowing that I was going to hike in the afternoon, I cut this walk just long enough to benefit the dogs. They chased each other, Minnie relocated branches, snags and tree stumps, Zeke chased Minnie, Sadie barked at Minnie and Sammy made sure he peed on all the plants along the trail. Sometimes I do have to wonder if they stop to enjoy the view. They apparently all had had just enough exercise in the morning, that none of them fought me to get outside and in the van on my drive to meet Ellen for the hike. And when I returned five hours later, they didn't seem to mind my suspicious absence.
My hike up Carr Peak makes this the 12th hike up the peak this year, making it to the summit every month. I will try to continue this tradition, as the 6-mile hike does seem to keep me in good condition. The dogs were with me ten out of 12 summit hikes.
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