Hunter Canyon Trail #111

Distance: 5 miles (starting at SR92 parking area)
Elevation: 5,600 feet - 6,125 feet
Time: 2.5 hours

I'm on a roll here, with four days of daily hiking to keep me feeling vibrant. Exercise is addicting! I probably did more hiking staying home this week than I would on a road trip. This was especially relaxing after two months of over-extended hours in a classroom, working from 7:30pm to 5pm and then taking work home at night. For two months my pets were ignored, and this week I finally gave back.

The weather forecast initially said a chance of rain until 2pm. It actually looked clear until 2pm when clouds moved in from the south. It was in the 60s all day today. This was actually ideal hiking weather, but I needed a break from hiking and opted to stay local, putzing around in the garden and writing more Amazon reviews. (I never did make a dent in my review count over spring break).

But once Kevin got home at 4pm, I got antsy for a hike. Tomorrow I'm leaving for Tucson to attend two days of the book festival, so today would be the dogs' last chance to romp in the foothills. I couldn't let this chance pass. I took the three-pack with me. I had at first considered hiking up Ash canyon, but opted for a slightly longer (and better shaded)trail in Hunter Canyon. I hadn't hiked that short trail since before the 2011 fire.

I arrived at the parking lot on Hunter Canyon Road just before 5pm. That gave me at least one hour of decent daylight left, so off we went. But something was in me today: I was hiking faster than usual! What started out as an hour hike turned into 2.5 hours, as I ended up hiking the entire length of Hunter Canyon to Miller Creek, arriving at the cascading water in 1:02 hours. There was some severe rockslide in Hunter Creek, but the trail itself was quite passable.

The dogs were delighted in the cool water, as it was their only water source on the trail. I didn't bring a water pack since I didn't expect to be out so late. All I had on me was a thin sweater. All I carried in my pockets was my cellphone, my wallet, my keys and I was holding my camera. I certainly didn't pack for any emergency.

The dogs frolicked in the water. Miller Creek here took a direct hit during the fire and many mature trees are now dead. The creek bed is heavily bouldered now, like Ash and Hunter Creek. There are still enough trees to provide shade for local birds, and the creek still is a pleasant hike destination. Most of the dead stuff is now on the Hunter Canyon side, where dead, blackened trees line the skyline, but where new oaks are growing back to add green to the color scheme again.

Minnie got excited about sticks again, and when I threw one rather large stick down into the creek, she dived down the steep embankment and took off with it, but she was running in the opposite direction, toward the Beatty Orchard where the hounds were barking. What had gotten into her now? Minnie picked a bad time to lose her focus, as it was already 6:02pm and sun set was at 6:30pm. I was losing precious time running after her and calling her name. There was no sign of her. This is the third time in three years that she's taken off like this, oblivious to my calls.

I didn't panic. I went down to near the Beatty house to call her name. One of the hounds came toward us, barking loudly. Minnie surely wouldn't have gone toward those dogs. So I turned back. I'd have to come back and get Minnie from the Beattys. Just before hitting the junction with the Hunter Canyon Trail on the return hike, there comes Minnie out of the shrubs! Relieved to have my pack back, I beat feet back on the return trail. The dogs were energized after their water break, but now they were chasing each other off the trail. It was getting dark enough now to have a hard time seeing them, especially Sadie, whose fur blends in with the dead tall grasses. It got dark enough for me to accidentally lose the trail, too, but I knew that eventually I'd come across a drainage and I could follow that drainage until coming up to the trail again.

We lucked out. Once we were officially off the Hunter Canyon trail, I opted to stay on the forest road for better lighting. That last half mile was so dark, I could barely see the road in front of me. I didn't see my van until I got up close. Venus was sinking below the peaks as the mountains faded behind a darkening silhouette. It was 7:10pm when we got back to the van, making this evening adventure almost 2.5 hours long.