Sunday, January 29, 2017

Upper Bear Mine (Lutz Canyon, Huachucas)

Yesterday's hike in Gleeson must have worn me out.  I woke up with a pained back and sore ankles at 7am as the sun had already risen.  I had no energy.  I had today planned to hike up Miller Peak, since today was the first mild day in almost two weeks.  But it was not to be.  Heavy snow, a pained body and a mind worried about what the president will tweet next were on my mind.  I made it to the Upper Bear Mine (7901' and an elevation gain of 2117'), but the hike took me almost six hours for a distance of just under five miles.  I should have taken the day off from hiking.  My body was screaming for me to stop.  I've hiked or walked the dogs every day this month.

The dogs, however, enjoyed the romp. Sadie, Minnie and Zeke chased each other and stayed close to me. It was in the upper 50s when I started.  I brought my rain jacket and a fleece jacket that were packed in my pack.  The sun felt good. There was no wind and the skies were clear.  The snow that had fallen the last time I was in the canyon two weeks ago had settled and compacted, making the walk uphill even harder as I didn't have good traction in my clunky Merrells.  I stopped a lot and just stared at Thompson Peak to my south, wondering about where we are heading as a country. The dogs were of course oblivious to my worries, although they did seem curious as to why I kept stopping for such long breaks. The last time I felt so exhausted was on my climb up Mount Whitney in 2010. I should perhaps stop reading the news and stop reading trump's Twitter page, as the news has been depressing me.  Perhaps I should also take more breaks from hiking.

Lutz Canyon has changed so much in the 13 years I've been hiking these mountains. It was once such a lush, remote and challenging trail to the Crest Trail. The canyon continues to suffer landslide damage.  More trees were downed since my previous hike in the canyon, and to my amazement, a large burned oak tree that died in the 2011 fire had toppled across from the mine, crashing down on the tailings, breaking in half, and causing a rockslide.  Its upper branches are now piled up along the trail. It won't take too much more rain damage for the tailings across from the mine to collapse and roll downhill, chocking the creek below and perhaps closing off the trail.  The snow was 6" at the mine (deeper in drifts) and I had neither the energy nor the proper boots to go much farther.  I picked the wrong canyon to hike up to Miller Peak!

The only people I met on the hike were two young men I had encountered last week while walking up to Carr Reef.  They had camped out for the weekend and bagged four peaks. We recognized each other.  "Snow was up to my thighs at the peak" said one man, adding that the iced snow make postholing easier.  Perhaps it would have been easier for me, but not for the dogs.  Hearing about the snow convinced me to make the mine my turn-around point.

The mine has always been used as shelter for border crossers.  It's a mile down from the Crest Trail with a direct view of the valley to the east. Trash lines the mine floor.  Today there was also several inches of snowmelt in the mine, but I could see the plastic bottles, tin cans and black trash bags despite the water.  This time I left it all there, as my backpack was weighing me down and emphasizing my lower lumbar pain.  I played fetch with the dogs, had some water, enjoyed the views, then put on my fleece jacket and resumed the descent.  It was 3:10pm and now the trail was in the cool mountain shadow.

I got back home shortly after 5pm.  Kevin had made another pot of his delicious chicken soup.  I felt a bit defeated not bagging a peak for January. I'll have to be satisfied with a mere 7901'.  The snow will take several more weeks to melt before a safe ascent is possible.

Friday, January 20, 2017

Winter Storm Warning

This storm has been forecasted for several days.  Clouds were low all day and the sun never came out.  By the afternoon it got dark out.  As soon as I got home from the high school, I took the dogs out for a quick 1.4-mile hike in the cold, blustery wind.  All five dogs wanted to walk!  Sadie's ears couldn't stay upright.  My hands were cold and my pants got wetter than I at first thought.  This should be an interesting weekend!


THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TUCSON HAS ISSUED A WINTER STORM
WARNING FOR HEAVY AND BLOWING SNOW...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 5 PM
FRIDAY TO NOON MST SATURDAY. 

 * IMPACTS...MODERATE TO HEAVY SNOW COMBINED WITH BLOWING AND
DRIFTING SNOW WILL CAUSE PERIODS OF LOW VISIBILITY AND SNOW
COVERED ROADS RESULTING INTO HAZARDOUS DRIVING CONDITIONS ABOVE
5000 FEET. PERIODS OF BLIZZARD LIKE CONDIITONS ARE POSSIBLE
FRIDAY EVENING INTO SATURDAY MORNING.

* TIMING...TWO STORM SYSTEMS WILL IMPACT THE AREA THURSDAY NIGHT
THROUGH SATURDAY. STORM NUMBER ONE WILL BRING LIGHT TO LOCALLY
MODERATE SNOW THURSDAY EVENING INTO FRIDAY MORNING. SNOW
INTENSITY WILL INCREASE LATE FRIDAY AFTERNOON INTO FRIDAY NIGHT
AS STORM NUMBER TWO BRINGS PERIODS OF HEAVY SNOW THAT WILL LAST
UNTIL LATE LATE SATURDAY MORNING.

* SNOW ACCUMULATIONS...6 TO 12 INCHES BETWEEN 5500 AND 7000 FEET
AND 12 TO 24 INCHES ABOVE 7000 FEET.

* SNOW LEVELS...LOWERING TO 7000 FEET THURSDAY AFTERNOON...6000 
FEET FRIDAY MORNING...5500 FEET FRIDAY AFTERNOON...4000 FEET 
FRIDAY NIGHT AND SATURDAY MORNING. 

* WINDS...SOUTHWEST 15 TO 25 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 40 MPH THURSDAY
NIGHT INTO FRIDAY MORNING...THEN SOUTHWEST 25 TO 35 MPH WITH
GUSTS UP TO 55 MPH FRIDAY AFTERNOON INTO SATURDAY MORNING. 

Monday, January 16, 2017

Lutz Canyon


Today was another damp and foggy day, especially over the mountains.  Rain was forecasted for 3:15pm in the valley.  I had planned on walking up Carr Canyon Road to the reef with my three-dog hiking pack (Sweetie stayed at home), but when I got to the parking area for Carr was turned off by the crowds.  Small kids and other dogs both big and small are not a good mix with my dogs.  So I drove to the more remote and more difficult Lutz Canyon.  I started uphill at 12:10pm and opted to hike to the snowline.  I could see new snow on the peaks.

I was feeling strong again, although I woke up for the second day with a bit of a hoarse throat.  The dogs were enjoying the romp.  The trail was always a difficult, steep trail up an old mining trail, but the 2011 fire destroyed so much here, it's hard to even remember the original wide road.  So many dead oak trees remain here, creating a stark contrast to the new green growth. Thorny brush and manzanita are taking over the trail, and flash floods have ripped a deep crevice in the middle of most of the trail.  Parts of the creekbed have washed away the trail, too.  Downed trees and boulders from rock slides are another problem.  This is definitely not a beginner's trail!  The trail doesn't look maintained at all.  What a shame, too, because it's a challenging hike for the well-conditioned person, making it the shortest way up Miller Peak.  I didn't see any illegal trash, although I did spot some old pink trail tape the illegals like to use to mark the trail at night.

I met one man hiking back down, a 50-year-old bearded hotshot member from the Aravaipa team.  He was wet from the snow, there was ice in his long beard. This kind of hike is good training for him.  He was coming down Miller Peak that he said had six inches of snow on top.  I hope now to make the peak next Saturday, my last chance for January.

The higher I got, the denser the fog got.  Then it began to sleet.  At 7356' the sleet began to settle in the trees and parts of the trail got icy.  I was getting wet and cold.  Sleet gathered on Zeke's dark fur.  I didn't want to be up high when it began to rain, and turned around at the two-mile mark, just below upper Bear Mine, the large mine the border crossers use to overnight in.  It was not my intent to hike to the Crest trail.  I only wanted to hike to the snowline while the conditions were still decent.

The sleet remained over the peaks as the valley remained dry.  The views were slightly eerie, as at my elevation everything was black, white and foggy.  My clothes kept me warm but my hair was wet.

I hiked a total of 2:38 hours, with an elevation gain of 1605 feet. The only wildlife I saw today were snow-loving birds.  I passed two USBP vehicles near the entrance of Ash Canyon.  The agents were probably busy getting cold and wet people off the mountains.

It never did rain in the valley.  I got home at 3pm and drank several cups of tea to get my hands warm again. All the dogs got extra meat from Kevin.   Had I known I was going up Lutz canyon today, I would have left the house early, even though the peaks were shrouded in fog.  If anything, it was a great workout.  I plan on keeping this momentum going for as long as this cool weather lasts.

Sunday, January 15, 2017

Coatimundi spotted in West Hunter Canyon


I woke up exhausted shortly after 8am.  It wasn't raining like forecasted, but it was cold and damp all day, with stagnant dark clouds above. A perfect day for a rest.  I didn't do much today but read. I relocated two mice (one looked sickly)  down the street toward the ranchland, and at 2:04pm took the dogs on a 3.31-mile walk up West Hunter Canyon on Forest Road 367.  I had not been up this canyon in a year due to the hunters.  A lone grader was plowing through the dirt road to the trail head.  Odd, that he'd be working on a Sunday.  And why this road?  To help the smugglers speed down the road safer?  Hunter Canyon has resumed being a popular pick-up point for human smugglers and is often watched by our USBP.  I am always on high alert while in this canyon, and always take my dogs with me when hiking through the area.

I was the only one in the canyon besides the forest service worker.   There were no hunters today. We stayed on the road to the trail head higher up, then continued on the now-abandoned West Hunter Canyon trail, a short mile-long rutted trail that ends at Hunter Springs.  Before the 2011 flood, remnants of several homesteads were still standing.  Now the ruins have washed away and many of the old growth trees have burned.  New junipers and oaks are coming back up  though, making the trail once again good cover for border crossers. Before our 2011, this small section of old-growth pines was a favorite reprieve on hot summer days, with cooling shade and fresh water for the dogs.  There are many dead stumps still mindful of that tragic fire

Dark skies were above the mountains and east toward Bisbee.  It looked like more rain was possible. I wore four layers again, with my yellow rain coat the top layer.  It was definitely chillier than yesterday.  A hike to Miller or Carr would have been fogged out.  I trekked uphill toward the springs at 6142' when I heard the dogs barking loudly.  Sweetie, Sadie and Minnie were on the other side of the springs and Sweetie was tearing at something, a large brown stump.  That's something Minnie would have dug after, too.

But it wasn't a brown stump.  It was a cornered coatimundi, our local variation to the raccoon.  What was it doing here, alone?  Most coati are social animals and are seen in bands, but perhaps this was a solitary male. It looked like a good 30 pounds.  With its sharp teeth and claws, taking on the coati would not have been wise for Sweetie.

Sweetie let go of the animal.  It rolled downhill toward the springs a few feet below.  It seemed a bit stunned but otherwise fine, with no visible wounds.  After the dogs came back toward me, the animal continued to wobble along the creek bed, then crossed over as if wanting to check me out.  That didn't look like normal behavior.  Most animals would flee at the chance, especially with dogs around.  I then wondered if it was a rabid animal.  It looked old and weak, and one of its eyes looked damaged.  It struggled back up the rocks, then found a more level rock mass to use to come toward me.  I let it get close enough for me to take some photos, although all of them were blurry.  This is the closest I've ever been to a coati.

I decided it was best to let the animal be.  It stayed low by the water and sheltered under the rocks.  Its brown fur easily blended into the surroundings.  It was time to turn back and head down the hill; I had had enough excitement now and Sweetie's wild behavior toward the coati bothered me. I do not want her harming any wildlife of any kind.  She's lucky we met a coati and not a bear or a mountain lion! Her behavior today proved once again that I can not trust her.  While the other dogs walk ahead of me on the trail, she will still sprint off into the treeline or grass and hunt for something.  She continues to be a potential liability.

The grader was still busy grading the road.  I turned off the dirt road and on an old ATV trail that the forest service has closed off to motorized traffic.  This trail leads to the official Hunter Canyon trail head that meanders into Miller Canyon (not to be confused with the West Hunter Canyon trail).  We continued a bit along the creek trail, noting the old pet gravestone that once was at the start of the path, was no longer there.

The dogs were ahead of me now, following the trail.  I had not been back here in so long, I had forgotten how pretty it is here.  This used to be ~the~ area to walk the dogs, before I discovered Oak Estates. The sky was clearing in parts and the sun sparkled on the grass.  A white-tailed deer flitted across the meadow and the dogs took chase for a minute until I called them back.  Here's where I noticed that Sweetie was missing.  Did she take chase?  The other dogs were by me but she was no where to be seen.  I called out her name, called out her name as we got back to the truck, then drove the 1/3 mile to where I had last seen her. Now I was getting annoyed.  Sweetie is simply a dog that does her own thing, and that is  not always healthy for others around her.  I can't trust her to listen to me. I parked the truck for ten minutes waiting for her to come back, then yelled out her name one more time before I started the ignition and slowly drove off.  I took the chance of leaving her behind to find her own way home.  Would she have?

But like so many times before, the sound of my truck's motor got Sweetie's attention and I saw her running after the truck in my rear view mirror.   I stopped near the cattle guard on the forest road to let her in, and she didn't even seem to want to get in.  That damn dog!!! I was glad when I returned home with all dogs happy and panting and no wounds on any of them.

Saturday, January 14, 2017

Bisbee's Seven Hills loop hike (4.3 miles)


Rains were forecasted for early this afternoon.  Thad, a new member of our local hiking meetup, had the Bisbee loop scheduled for this morning at 8:30am.  Four other hikers had cancelled, but I and two more, including ColeM, decided to take a chance and knock this hike out before the rain.  And we did! Zeke came along.  Two of the men were US Border Patrol officers and used to hiking fast.

We started promptly at 8:30am, walked uphill through Brewery Gulch, then turned uphill on Mulheim Road to OK Street, which then skirted the northside of Young Blood hill (where all the shrines are).  We were going at a fast pace and even I could feel my heart beat.  Even ColeM said I was going fast.  I thank all the hiking I have been doing this month, and perhaps cutting back on beer has also something to do with this. (My last beer was December 30th).  The fact is, I hike so much better when temperatures are between 55-70F; my body struggles when it's hot and dry.  Needless to say, weather the past 30 days has been ideal for hiking.

This loop hike is notorious for starting out steeply, but it does mellow out at the two mile mark, and levels off nicely once on the ridgeline and returning to Old Bisbee.  The highest elevation is 6103', only 971 feet higher than the starting point. We never saw anyone else on this trail.

The sky was spotted with high cirrus clouds, but there was no sign of rain coming.  We didn't see any storms looming until we were done with the hike, timing in at 1:35 hours (!).  Even Thad said this was his best time yet.  I really liked the challenge myself, as normally I slow down as hike host to make sure everyone finishes. Thad will be hosting these fast hikes every other Saturday and I will try to join him on a few of them.

I stopped at the local Safeway on the way home, to get Zeke some raw meat which he shared with his packmates back home. This week's sale was Beef Chuck 7-Bone roast for $1.97/pound. I bought a gallon of Arnold Palmer Iced Tea and then chilled once I got back home, where the clouds over the Huachuca Mountains definitely looked stormier.  It rained briefly at 3:15pm when the scattered thunderstorms were supposed to begin, but even those fizzled out fast.  The dogs kept coming into the bedroom to look at me, hoping I would get up and take them all for a brisk walk.  At 4:25pm I finally relented and took four of them for their walk. I took a second chance at taking the dogs for their walk at Oak Estates at 4:35pm, getting two more miles in.  The cold winds had picked up and the clouds created some dramatic colors and designs across the sky, but it remained dry until after 6pm.  I really lucked out with today's weather.

Saturday, January 7, 2017

Thunder Falls, Patagonia Mountains

The Patagonia mountains south of the town of the same name is south of State Road 82.  This was a heavily-mined area early in the 20th century, when mines dug for silver, copper and lead.

This was a hike sponsored by the Huachuca Hiking Club and hosted by Rod.  He's one of my favorite hike leaders as he lets you enjoy a hike, rather than racing through and getting done in record time.  I hadn't been in this heavily-mined area in several years.  I am so glad I went on this hike!  I invited SteveT and DougM to come along.  Both also seemed to enjoy the area.

I met Rod, Doug and Steve at the Mustangs Crossing Shell station in Whetstone.  I arrived before the 7:45am meet-up; Dough soon followed.  SteveT came right at 7:45am with his Golden Retriever Trace.  I brought Zeke and both dogs get along.  The group driving up from Sierra Vista was a bit late.  Three large vehicles full of hikers whose names I never learned then followed Rod in the lead vehicle.  Even at the trailhead off Forest Road (FR) 4701 off  Harshaw Road these hikers didn't wait and took off.  I had to pee and adjust my pack and was the last one ready.  I then kept a slow pace and stayed in the rear with SteveT and his dog Trace, who excitedly ran up and down the embankments looking for birds to flush.  The faster hikers took off, leaving me with Paul, Rod and Steve.  Trace enjoyed the hike and even tried to hump Zeke.

We were still in the shade of the morning as the sun hadn't crested the mountains yet, but I could tell this was beautiful country.  My hands were still quite cold.  There was frost on the grass, too.  I wasn't expecting it to be this cold, and kept my fleece sweater on for the first mile, until we crested the road and were in the sun.  What a difference that sun made. FR 4701 climbed and curved uphill, with spectacular views north toward Red Mountain and the nearby mining operations of Flux Canyon, a once-popular mountain bike road now closed to the public because of heavy mining operations.  Red Mountain, true to its name, glowed red in the rising sun.  It was like being around Sedona!

There were also several large mines right off this road, the largest at a high point.  While gated off, one could tell the hole went straight down.  Anyone dumb enough to explore this mine would need to rope back out with assistance of another person.  From the first mine the road then descended once again into the shady valley, and soon we came to the intersection of a badly eroded mining trail and creek that took us to the overlook.  This section was shaded and rock mortars still had water from the recent snow melt, perfect for both dogs.  I never had to stop to give the dogs water.

But once at this scenic overlook, the fast hikers took off again for the return hike, never taking time out to get to know the others.  Doug, SteveT and I stayed back to eat lunch.  By the time I was done and returned with Rod, everyone else was gone and out of sight.  That tempted us to explore FR4701 some more.  According to Rod, the large Thunder Falls mine was .5 uphill, and it was, but all we could see from the road was the naked hillside with tailings scattered along the base of the mountain.  An intersecting road was badly eroded from floodwaters and covered with fallen, burned trees.  The road curved sharply and continued uphill.  Rod walked on, but I stayed with Steve at the base of the mine to explore it some more.  It would be for another day, as the old mine is big and there are many hidden drop-offs here.

While Steve and I explored, Rod had returned down the road and continued hiking.  He couldn't see us and thought we had gone off alone.  I thought he was still behind us uphill but didn't see his bright orange cap.  We eventually met up again a mile back near the high mine.  Steve's whistle (he uses it to call Trace back) alerted him that we were still behind him.

Everyone else was already gone when we got back to the parking area.  Rod, who had driven to the start with other people now had to drive with me, Steve and the dogs.  We ended our hike in town at the Velvet Elvis and enjoyed a wholewheat vegetarian pizza on the patio while the dogs rested.  IT was a tasty meal.  Lack of the summer tourists made the atmosphere quieter.

I definitely want to explore the Patagonia mountains again.  There's so much to explore in this range and I want to discover more hidden gems before foreign mining companies buy up the land and destroy the beauty.  

Thursday, January 5, 2017

Juniper Flats (Bisbee)

I had been wanting to scout out new trails off North Juniper Flats Road in Bisbee around the radio towers for a while, and finally decided today would be the day.  The hills there are popular with local youths, who drive up there to party and leave their trash behind.  With school back in session, I wasn't worried about coming across partiers.  I saw no one. While I could not find any new trails, I did find some empty beer cans and bottles which I picked up and will recycle next week.  It was warm, but windy on the hill top.  Sadie, Zeke and Minnie were with me.

Not content to just hike 1.7 miles, I then decided to check out the rocky flats.  Paul from the hiking club said the road is now closed and a NO TRESPASSING sign is posted.  Since when have the flats been private property?  The dirt roads are accessible from North Juniper Flats road, as two roads veer off from the main road between the two radio tower hills and meander toward the rocky flat area. I hadn't been back here in several years.  I always enjoyed hiking here, hopping among the rocks and seldom seeing another person.

I started on the left fork, which takes a direct downhill from here.  Both forks were heavily muddied still from last week's rain. I had never explored this section and didn't see any NO TRESPASSING signs on this path.  The dogs chased each other around juniper and pinon pines.  Water reflected in the sun. Leftover snow melt had collected in rock mortars for them to drink out of.  A lot of quail live here.  Hiking here among the many loose rock and cholla can be a disaster for unsteady feet.

And then I came across an old rock cabin.  Its roof was gone and one of its walls was caved in, and the inside was littered with trash. In all my years of exploring this mountain range, I had never seen this before!  A new white cross with yellow ribbon around it was on its north side.  Whoever lived in this cabin  had a beautiful view of the San Pedro Valley.  A small ditch with water was next to the cabin, which the dogs took advantage of. A dead juniper provided shade for the cabin at one time.

The terrain here is unique.  The granite is similar to the Dragoons and Chiricahuas.  In the summer the heat reflecting off the rocks is brutal, but I always enjoyed exploring these rock formations with views north toward Tombstone and west toward Sierra Vista.  How much of this land is now private property?  I'm sad to see such beauty now no longer available to the public.  What trash I saw here along the trail I left near the new fence.   I need to know how much of this land is now private.  Or was this land always private and just now been sealed off?  Perhaps a new land owner was tired of ATVers leaving their trash behind?

The two short hikes totaled 4.5 miles.

Tuesday, January 3, 2017

Walk up Carr Canyon Road to the middle falls


This 4.2-mile walk up the road to the middle falls is Nina's weekly event.  She's still in Maryland but seven of us met at the usual parking area at 9am to walk this together.  Robert, Rick, Doug, Steve, Polly, Kim and I plus dogs Trace and Zeke were this week's group.  We had a snow-free road the entire length.

We started at 9:02am and quickly broke into ability groups, with Polly and I up front.   Zeke was off leash by then and stayed by my side. I hadn't planned on being up front, but that's how it turned out and Polly and I kept a good pace for the entire walk.  Even when my boot lace came undone, I continued uphill and didn't tie my lace until we got to the falls.  The falls were running nicely after the snow melt. Zeke had a drink but didn't seem too interested in staying in the cool canyon.

I could feel my sweat cooling me too much as we waited for everyone to make it to the falls.  The men weren't too far behind. We perhaps chatted for ten minutes and then walked down together.  No one else came up but one lone man; there was no one at the lower falls, either.  School is back in session for the spring semester and that could explain the quiet road.

We all gathered at Culver's afterwards for a cheap meal.  Everyone on the walk showed up.  Robert talked about rattlesnakes again (he helps survey a local snake den population) and the conversation was non-political.  Today I even had a portion of the daily custard flavor: Cappuccino Almond Fudge and it was quite good!

We sat around for perhaps and hour before departing.  The sky had become overcast and it felt cool again. Four hours later and back home, I went out a second time with all four dogs for another three-mile loop around Oak Estates.  I logged in seven miles today.  So far this year I'm doing well, and even have decided to watch my weight more.  I weighed in at 140.1 pounds.  That's still ten pounds more than two years ago but six pounds less than nine months ago.

Sunday, January 1, 2017

Fairbank Loop

This was meant to be a pleasant and easy walk to welcome in the new year.  Mother Nature had other plans.  Rain was forecasted early in the morning, but then the front's arrival was delayed until early in the afternoon.  Seven people had signed up for this walk around the historic mill town, and in the end it was just SteveT, KimG, I and dogs Sadie and Minnie. The majority of those who had signed up un-RSVPed earlier in the week when rain was forecasted.  Two more, Angie and Claire, unRSVPed this morning.

Thankfully, SteveT and KimG were determined to do this hike.  It was their first time walking this loop. It's a level 4.2-mile loop through historic Fairbank, the cemetery and the GristMill a mile up the road, before the trail then turns around and follows the river.  Oaks line the trail for the first mile going north, but the trail does open up and is exposed to the sun. For newcomers to southern Arizona, this is a very pleasant way to get introduced to the local mining history.  Fairbank is where a lot of the ore was processed from Tombstone. There isn't much left besides fading adobe walls and rusty pieces of metal, but one can look across the terrain and imagine how this place once was alive with miners, support personnel, mules and trains.

The sky did look ominous when I left the house to drive the 28 miles to Fairbank at noon.  I had postponed the hike twice, from 10am to noon and finally at 1:30pm.  It rained hard the last eight miles to the trailhead, but because two people were determined to see this area, I did not cancel.  The rain stopped miraculously just as we were to start this walk, so it all worked out well!

The small group allowed for an easier pace, allowing us to divert off trail and explore lesser-known relics along the trail.  There are at least two mine shafts that are still open but are now chained off.  The shafts drop straight down, so one needs to heed the posted danger signs.


Steve brought his dog Trace, who was all over Sadie who I discovered later in the day was in heat.  Lovely.  He would not leave her alone, prompting Steve to keep Trace on a leash.  Steve was not happy about that as my dogs were running freely.  I could sense his anger at me and I could tell that Kim sensed the tension.  Trace annoys Sadie even when she is not in heat, though, as both dogs are not altered.

We stopped at the cemetery, the GristMill, then looped back around.  By 1:30 the sky had cleared and the sun came out.  There wasn't as much water on the trail, either. mAll was not lost!  In the end I'm glad I hosted this walk, but will keep Sadie at home whenever SteveT and his dog come on hikes.