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.