"Where's Sadie?" asked Kevin as we shared some coffee in the kitchen before he left for work. She was still lying on the floor in the bedroom, too tired and sore from last night's hike to run out for her daily morning treat. I was sore, too, especially my ankles. I felt like Sammy again and very stiff.
I was still determined to join Nina and her group for a morning walk up the road to the Falls, something I haven't done for a few months due to the heat and work schedule. I didn't get called in so I left at 8:20am to join the others who had already started the walk at 8am. Eric from yesterday pulled up at the same time as I did, and together we had a slow walk up the road. Maybe it's time for me to cut back on those long hikes, as I can't seem to get rid of the pain, although it does subside during the day.
The weather report said it was 75F with 38% humidity at 8am, and it felt hotter than that. The sky was mostly clear. I took Zeke and Minnie along and both enjoyed their romp, although I worried about being scolded by Ranger Rick again, but no vehicles came along the road. The yellow and purple flowers along the road were especially fragrant this morning.
Two other hikers, Holly O and Steve were walking back down. They don't sit up there for long as they have busy schedules. Nina and Holly W were still at the falls and we joined them for another 30 minutes while the dogs cooled off in the water.
Just as we were ready to go on the return walk back down the road, we heard a large vehicle pull up. it was Robert, who didn't realize that the start time for the walk was 8am. He thought it was 10am. So we chatted some more before the five of us walked down the road together and then had a lunch at Papa's Diner, to celebrate Robert's temporary return to Sierra Vista. He'll be here six weeks before he RVs back to his home state of West Virginia in November. His son is joining the US Army and he wants to spend some time with him before he heads out to basic training.
I dropped the dogs off at home, both who were grateful to be in a cool house with a large bucket of water to drink from. I drove back to the restaurant to spend more time with the hikers. It was a warm day for the dogs and they all lounged around until Kevin came home at 5pm. The heat here is getting to them all.
This was my fourth day in the row for a hike. I may take tomorrow off if I continue to be sore.
Tuesday, September 29, 2015
Saturday, September 26, 2015
Lyle Canyon to the drone crash site
It had been since 2008 when I was last in Lyle Canyon, but we had never gone to the drone site. We instead hike up to a stock pond a few miles away.
The longer we were going uphill on the Huachuca Peak trail, the steeper it got. This area had been spared damage from the 2011 fire, so the shade continued.Just as I was getting tired, we walked past the first debris piece from the fallen drone, and soon the main parts were in a narrow open space, littered among rusted cans from border crossers. I took another well-meaning break, had a Swiss cheese sandwich, and gave Minnie her water. The pieces seemed to have been moved into one area, with two other pieces uphill by 100 feet. Perhaps the clearning was as a result of the crash, taking down several mature Douglas pines. This was a nice place to rest before taking off for the return hike. Attempts by Rod to coax me into going higher fell on mute ears.
Tuesday, September 22, 2015
Carr Canyon through the falls
Yesterday all day we had lingering rain. I quite enjoyed it, as we need the rain. The cooler temperatures reminded me of autumn in Indiana or summer in Germany. No deaths came as a result in the county, but Tucson was hit hard and Phoenix barely got any rain. Our backyard flooded for a while but as usual the water quickly drained through.
I received some dog accessories from Amazon. One item was a doggie raincoat, size XL, that Minnie ended up modeling for me. The rain never bothers her. The coat fits her well. Now I won't need to worry about getting any of the dogs wet on a long hike.
Kevin and I ate our dinner at Vinny's in Sierra Vista. Vinny's hosts a lot of fundraisers for children and students. Yesterday it was for the Buena High School Girls' Basketball team. We were there from 5-6:30pm. When we got home I knew I was short on daylight, but took Sadie, Minnie and Zeke down to TheOaks for a quick 1.4-mile loop. Minnie sported her new glowlight collar as I struggled to maintain some vision. A USBP van was parked along the southern street but the agent was so busy looking at his laptop inside the vehicle that he probably didn't notice me. The dogs didn't bark, either. Apparently this is still a popular illegal border crossing area as the people come down from Hunter Canyon.
Today the weather was much calmer although rain was still in the forecast from Tropical Depression E-16. We had grey skies but it never rained. The sun even poked out by 11am and I knew that I needed to take this opportunity to take the dogs out for a hike. I opted to stay close and explore Carr Canyon Road.
I parked at the bridge by the Lower Falls. I had Zeke, Minnie and Sadie. All three dogs were outside with me and I was by the truck adjusting my new daypack. Just my luck that Ranger Rick from the Coronado National Forest was driving by, stopped and reminded me that I had to have the dogs on leash. With other people parked nearby, that was a no-brainer but my pack's snaps were hard to adjust and I was spending too much time outside the truck trying to adjust the fit. I finally gave up and opted instead to drive up the road another two miles and hike up from the middle falls. It was 1:15pm.
MORE LATER
I received some dog accessories from Amazon. One item was a doggie raincoat, size XL, that Minnie ended up modeling for me. The rain never bothers her. The coat fits her well. Now I won't need to worry about getting any of the dogs wet on a long hike.
Today the weather was much calmer although rain was still in the forecast from Tropical Depression E-16. We had grey skies but it never rained. The sun even poked out by 11am and I knew that I needed to take this opportunity to take the dogs out for a hike. I opted to stay close and explore Carr Canyon Road.
I parked at the bridge by the Lower Falls. I had Zeke, Minnie and Sadie. All three dogs were outside with me and I was by the truck adjusting my new daypack. Just my luck that Ranger Rick from the Coronado National Forest was driving by, stopped and reminded me that I had to have the dogs on leash. With other people parked nearby, that was a no-brainer but my pack's snaps were hard to adjust and I was spending too much time outside the truck trying to adjust the fit. I finally gave up and opted instead to drive up the road another two miles and hike up from the middle falls. It was 1:15pm.
MORE LATER
Sunday, September 20, 2015
A hikeless weekend
A hikeless weekend doesn't mean that I didn't go out. I just didn't go far this weekend. It rained Friday as I drove home from work, it rained on and off all day yesterday, but today was rainless but humid. I stayed local and walked the dogs both days. I've been fighting severe back aches now in the mornings and it's taken me a while to get rid of the pain. I dread what the pain must feel like when I'm in my 60s.
Sammy has his good days and his bad days. He walked several times with the pack around the Oaks Estates this week, but yesterday he drove along for the ride and then stayed inside the truck while the rest of us powerwalked the 1.4-mile loop. There were some nice sunset colors. Today I kept him at home to relax and I took the three dogs up Hunter canyon for the 2.7-mile loop, a perfect after-work hike in the afternoon.
I think Sammy is the one who has been peeing by the front door, and relieving himself on the carpet in the living room. It's now a daily occurrence to clean up. The carpet is completely ruined and needs to go. I give him his glucosamine 2-3 times a day to help relieve his pain. He's so stiff now and lays around in the hallway or near the backporch patio door. He still has his appetite and his will. But I know he won't have it forever. He's still part of the pack and wants to be a part of the pack, even when Zeke annoys the crap out of him at times. He's such a gentle soul.
It was in Hunter Canyon that a woman around my age stopped me in her white van to tell me she appreciates seeing other hikers coming out to walk their dogs off-leash. She lives in Stump canyon, the canyon south of Hunter, and has been here for 34 years. I told her to join us for a Meetup hike with the dogs. "I've seen all kinds of things in this canyon Inge told me. "I've seen five dead dogs here over the years. One was shot in the side, a few were buried and a few were probably strays." (Those strays most likely were dumped dogs)
We are expecting a big rain storm by tomorrow night. A tropical depression is moving over central-southern Arizona. Up to five inches are expected. I hope this is the start of the El Nino for us. California and the western states could use a downpouring, too, to get rid of their killer fires.
Sammy has his good days and his bad days. He walked several times with the pack around the Oaks Estates this week, but yesterday he drove along for the ride and then stayed inside the truck while the rest of us powerwalked the 1.4-mile loop. There were some nice sunset colors. Today I kept him at home to relax and I took the three dogs up Hunter canyon for the 2.7-mile loop, a perfect after-work hike in the afternoon.
I think Sammy is the one who has been peeing by the front door, and relieving himself on the carpet in the living room. It's now a daily occurrence to clean up. The carpet is completely ruined and needs to go. I give him his glucosamine 2-3 times a day to help relieve his pain. He's so stiff now and lays around in the hallway or near the backporch patio door. He still has his appetite and his will. But I know he won't have it forever. He's still part of the pack and wants to be a part of the pack, even when Zeke annoys the crap out of him at times. He's such a gentle soul.
It was in Hunter Canyon that a woman around my age stopped me in her white van to tell me she appreciates seeing other hikers coming out to walk their dogs off-leash. She lives in Stump canyon, the canyon south of Hunter, and has been here for 34 years. I told her to join us for a Meetup hike with the dogs. "I've seen all kinds of things in this canyon Inge told me. "I've seen five dead dogs here over the years. One was shot in the side, a few were buried and a few were probably strays." (Those strays most likely were dumped dogs)
We are expecting a big rain storm by tomorrow night. A tropical depression is moving over central-southern Arizona. Up to five inches are expected. I hope this is the start of the El Nino for us. California and the western states could use a downpouring, too, to get rid of their killer fires.
Saturday, September 12, 2015
Bog Springs Loop, Roger's Rock, Santa Rita mountains
Rod led a nice six-mile loop in the Santa Ritas today. We were nine people, two which were a visiting couple from Wisconsin new to the area: JR and Sue, then Rod, John, SteveS, Bill, Don, Jeff, Pat and I. I took Sadie as my dog partner. I had not done this loop since perhaps 2008. All I remember is how steep it was! That part had not changed.
We started at the Bogs Springs campground, where Bill and his wife Saudra were camping. We parked in their lot with their permission to open up parking spots for others. There were three openings. A bathroom was right there at the start. How convenient.
I quickly fell to the rear with Bill and Pat. Why have I continued to lag behind others lately? Is my chronic back pain now hindering my performance? The steep grade and humidity knocked me out from the start, of which I never seemed to recover. The faster group was getting restless with us and Rod came back to check on us. We had taken a rest and water break that perhaps was longer than the waiting group had patience for.
The Bogs Springs trail is a shaded loop of pine and oak that climbs the entire three miles. At some points the trail is a narrow singletrack that periously follows along a very steep ridgeline. One fall and a human may not survive, and indeed I told the others about a 53-year-old woman who had fallen to her death in these mountains last year.
There was water in both Bog and Kent Springs, and later along the Fern trail on our way back. A large group of hikers from Sahuarita was leaving Kent Springs as my straggling group arrived to meet up with the others. The rest stop at Roger's Rock came not a moment too soon, and naturally I discovered that I had left my cheeseburger, yesterday's leftover meal from Chili's, in the truck. I ate the leftover melted gummi bears as energy while Sadie had a more appropriate can of Nutro. And yet she still sauntered around other hikers staring them down for handouts!
More later
We started at the Bogs Springs campground, where Bill and his wife Saudra were camping. We parked in their lot with their permission to open up parking spots for others. There were three openings. A bathroom was right there at the start. How convenient.
I quickly fell to the rear with Bill and Pat. Why have I continued to lag behind others lately? Is my chronic back pain now hindering my performance? The steep grade and humidity knocked me out from the start, of which I never seemed to recover. The faster group was getting restless with us and Rod came back to check on us. We had taken a rest and water break that perhaps was longer than the waiting group had patience for.
The Bogs Springs trail is a shaded loop of pine and oak that climbs the entire three miles. At some points the trail is a narrow singletrack that periously follows along a very steep ridgeline. One fall and a human may not survive, and indeed I told the others about a 53-year-old woman who had fallen to her death in these mountains last year.
There was water in both Bog and Kent Springs, and later along the Fern trail on our way back. A large group of hikers from Sahuarita was leaving Kent Springs as my straggling group arrived to meet up with the others. The rest stop at Roger's Rock came not a moment too soon, and naturally I discovered that I had left my cheeseburger, yesterday's leftover meal from Chili's, in the truck. I ate the leftover melted gummi bears as energy while Sadie had a more appropriate can of Nutro. And yet she still sauntered around other hikers staring them down for handouts!
More later
Monday, September 7, 2015
Slavin Gulch, Dragoon Mountains
Slavin Gulch is my favorite local watering hole, and it's best after several days of monsoonal rains. I decided Saturday night to offer that as a Meetup choice for Labor Day Monday (realizing at the last minute this was a holiday weekend and many weren't home). To my surprise, both Claire and Don signed up. I took Minnie as the dog. We were a nice threesome.
It was a hot day, though with no cloud cover. Luckily we got started early enough, at 9am, but an hour into our hike I felt the sun. To my surprise we were alone. If there were any holiday celebrators, they had already left the primitive campsites. I was on the look-out for snakes but luckily didn't see any. These rocky crags are famous for housing aggressive Diamondbacks.
Today's pace was slow-to-moderate. None of us were in a mood to hike fast, and Don was very accomodating to Claire. She kept apologizing for making us wait on her, but we didn't mind. We all benefitted from taking many rest breaks as the heat reflected off the rocks. My goal of leading this hike was to show others the beauty of this little-known rock treasure. It was not to train at Olympic speed up the rocky trail! Minnie also needed the shade.
As expected, there wasn't as much water in the creek as last year, when I led a hike here August 24th, but there was still water crossing the trail at tributaries and higher up, near the "hippy shrine," more water. There was more than enough to keep Minnie hydrated.
It had been a year since I was here, but the trail seemed overgrown and I could barely remember where the shrine was. After taking a shaded break near the three-mile turn-around, we found it!
We rested at my favorite falls on the way back. All of us got into the water to get our hair wet. We tossed sticks for Minnie. We all agreed that the waterhole was a pleasant escape, a piece of paradise, and a shaded spot that offered some relief. We saw no trash anywhere to take back with us.
I don't know how long we were at this spot but by 1:30pm the clouds started getting darker. We were at least 1.5 miles from the trailhead so we headed back to our cars, hiking back the way he hiked in. Claire drove herself and I drove with Don back to Sierra Vista. This was a pleasnt, non-exhausting hike. I'm glad I got to lead it.
It was a hot day, though with no cloud cover. Luckily we got started early enough, at 9am, but an hour into our hike I felt the sun. To my surprise we were alone. If there were any holiday celebrators, they had already left the primitive campsites. I was on the look-out for snakes but luckily didn't see any. These rocky crags are famous for housing aggressive Diamondbacks.
Today's pace was slow-to-moderate. None of us were in a mood to hike fast, and Don was very accomodating to Claire. She kept apologizing for making us wait on her, but we didn't mind. We all benefitted from taking many rest breaks as the heat reflected off the rocks. My goal of leading this hike was to show others the beauty of this little-known rock treasure. It was not to train at Olympic speed up the rocky trail! Minnie also needed the shade.
As expected, there wasn't as much water in the creek as last year, when I led a hike here August 24th, but there was still water crossing the trail at tributaries and higher up, near the "hippy shrine," more water. There was more than enough to keep Minnie hydrated.
It had been a year since I was here, but the trail seemed overgrown and I could barely remember where the shrine was. After taking a shaded break near the three-mile turn-around, we found it!
We rested at my favorite falls on the way back. All of us got into the water to get our hair wet. We tossed sticks for Minnie. We all agreed that the waterhole was a pleasant escape, a piece of paradise, and a shaded spot that offered some relief. We saw no trash anywhere to take back with us.
I don't know how long we were at this spot but by 1:30pm the clouds started getting darker. We were at least 1.5 miles from the trailhead so we headed back to our cars, hiking back the way he hiked in. Claire drove herself and I drove with Don back to Sierra Vista. This was a pleasnt, non-exhausting hike. I'm glad I got to lead it.
Sunday, September 6, 2015
Carr Peak with Zeke
I was not feeling up to hiking Carr Peak this morning, but I didn't want to disappoint Pat, a new gal in the area who had never been up Carr. It was just the two of us, going at our pace, and made this a slow-to-moderate hike. It was Zeke's turn to hike today and he did splendidly.
Weather was forecasted to be warm and partly cloudly, with rain in the PM. We met at 9am at the Perimeter trail parking area and then drove up together to the Old Sawmill trailhead. A few cumulus clouds were already gliding across the sky but nothing threatening. It was humid, and I felt my energy drained from the start.
Was I dehydrated from yesterday? Overcome with heat? Or just tired from yesterday's hike in Rucker Canyon? Were my Keens not the right footwear? Am I just getting old and plagued with this chronic back pain?
We started at 9:20am and slowly meandered uphill. We were the only ones on the trail. I stopped four times to give Pat a chance to get her breath back; hiking Carr for the first time can take one's breath away. Zeke's fur was warm to the touch and I made sure that I stopped only in shaded areas.
The trail was lined with golden rods all throughout the hike. Thistle, fleabane, lillies, wild geraniums were all out. The golden Colombines were still in full view along the aspen grove. There was some water trickling from the falls which Zeke used, but we didn't break long here. Three soldiers from Fort Huachuca passed us by. They are here for their AIT as 35M, the new nomenclature for Humint Intelligence, which is what I did for 23 years. That's what I did in the army, back when it was numbered as 97E, or "interrogator/linguist". This was their first time up Carr. They had to pay a taxi driver $32 to drop them off at the Carr house and they walked the rest of the way, making their hike more like 14 miles. I offered to drive them to post so they could save their money, but they politely declined.
It turned out to be a great day for a hike afterall. While I never got my energy today, I'm happy we made it. We made it to the peak at 12:20pm, making this a three-hour hike. Pat said it was more like 2:45 hours. Still, that is awfully slow for me. Pat has now seen the peak. She'd stop every few steps and sigh out "Every step is different!" She loves the terrain here, but she's only visiting as she's staying with her army son who's here for the Captain's course and should only be here nine months.
Zeke had a can of Nutro food, I ate a few melted gummi bears, and then we descended. We saw a few hawks at the peak, but most of the birds were vultures circling overhead. The raptor migration should be underway soon; perhaps next month we'll see more hawks and eagles.
We gave the three soldiers a ride down to the Mesquite Inn where they told us a friend is picking them up. Pat and I had alate lunch at Culver's as Zeke sat in the shade outside with us. We chatted some more. My legs were tired, too. Clouds were starting to billow over the Huachucas. I predicted rain clouds to come over by 6pm and I was right.
Weather was forecasted to be warm and partly cloudly, with rain in the PM. We met at 9am at the Perimeter trail parking area and then drove up together to the Old Sawmill trailhead. A few cumulus clouds were already gliding across the sky but nothing threatening. It was humid, and I felt my energy drained from the start.
Was I dehydrated from yesterday? Overcome with heat? Or just tired from yesterday's hike in Rucker Canyon? Were my Keens not the right footwear? Am I just getting old and plagued with this chronic back pain?
We started at 9:20am and slowly meandered uphill. We were the only ones on the trail. I stopped four times to give Pat a chance to get her breath back; hiking Carr for the first time can take one's breath away. Zeke's fur was warm to the touch and I made sure that I stopped only in shaded areas.
The trail was lined with golden rods all throughout the hike. Thistle, fleabane, lillies, wild geraniums were all out. The golden Colombines were still in full view along the aspen grove. There was some water trickling from the falls which Zeke used, but we didn't break long here. Three soldiers from Fort Huachuca passed us by. They are here for their AIT as 35M, the new nomenclature for Humint Intelligence, which is what I did for 23 years. That's what I did in the army, back when it was numbered as 97E, or "interrogator/linguist". This was their first time up Carr. They had to pay a taxi driver $32 to drop them off at the Carr house and they walked the rest of the way, making their hike more like 14 miles. I offered to drive them to post so they could save their money, but they politely declined.
It turned out to be a great day for a hike afterall. While I never got my energy today, I'm happy we made it. We made it to the peak at 12:20pm, making this a three-hour hike. Pat said it was more like 2:45 hours. Still, that is awfully slow for me. Pat has now seen the peak. She'd stop every few steps and sigh out "Every step is different!" She loves the terrain here, but she's only visiting as she's staying with her army son who's here for the Captain's course and should only be here nine months.
Zeke had a can of Nutro food, I ate a few melted gummi bears, and then we descended. We saw a few hawks at the peak, but most of the birds were vultures circling overhead. The raptor migration should be underway soon; perhaps next month we'll see more hawks and eagles.
We gave the three soldiers a ride down to the Mesquite Inn where they told us a friend is picking them up. Pat and I had alate lunch at Culver's as Zeke sat in the shade outside with us. We chatted some more. My legs were tired, too. Clouds were starting to billow over the Huachucas. I predicted rain clouds to come over by 6pm and I was right.
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