Perimeter Loop trail (second time in a week!)

Bill and I lucked out today.  We met on time at 5:45am, were on the trail three minutes later, and got to the first overlook ten minutes later.  Sky was overcast, but the sun peeked out enough to add color to the scene.  It was a refreshing 57F and I didn't need to wear a jacket.  We were the first people in the parking lot.

The unique thing about today's hike was the overcast sky.  It had been hot and dry all week, nary a cloud in the sky, so when the overcast didn't dissipate with sunrise, I knew something was up.  I was expecting that cool morning sky to disappear and the heat of the day to take over once the sun came out.  That never happened during our hike.  It remained cool for the duration.  I could have brought Sadie with me.  I only took Zeke today and he held up fine.

This was Bill's first time doing this loop.  He stayed behind Zeke and me for the entire hike, stopping to take photographs and enjoying the view.  He is always great company, as he's a strong, steady hiker who enjoys nature as much as I do.  He stopped a lot to take pictures, but he was never far behind.

I did the same loop as Monday.  The only variation was a short detour to the Carr Ruins, a popular place for portraiture photography.  I took as many photos of him as he did of me.

Pink penstemons have popped up everywhere this past week and they were along the trail today.  They weren't up on Monday, so that was one difference in the two hikes.  The other difference was the much smaller crowd size.  We met one lone hiker during our hike, and came across one family getting ready to hike in the upper Miller Canyon parking lot.  There were no campers along Miller Creek.

I felt much better on today's hike than on Monday's hike, most likely because of the cooler weather.  I drank as much water as on Monday and did not get a headache.  I didn't stop as much, either.  I thoroughly enjoyed having Bill with me as we talk about the same things:  nature, spiritual fitness, humanity.  We can find a lot of similarities without talking about politics or religion.

 The clouds were still present at  8:30am when we got to what I call "Puzzle Rock," a granite boulder eroded into several pieces but still standing as one, on the Clark Springs trail close to Miller Canyon.  That's when I knew we were going to finish this hike strong, and we did, at 9:04am.  That was 3:20 hours, including two stops.  Amazing how much faster I am when it's cool and overcast.

Bill enjoyed this hike.  He admitted that he hadn't hiked since last October when he hiked with me and his co-worker Ray in French Joe's Canyon!  He's now stoked to do more hiking and we agreed to do the Bisbee 1000 Stairclimb next Thursday and Carr Peak next Sunday (the 16th).  Now that he has more time in the day (he finally retired at age 67), he wants to stay in physical shape.  I have found my match.  The next time Ellen and I do a challenging hike, I'm sure Bill will be ready for it.

I was on my way home by 9:04am, a time when I'm normally finishing my last cup of morning coffee before heading out to hike.  Now I was already done!  That gave me the entire rest of the day to putz around.  The sky finally cleared up by 11am.  At 5:30pm I was out again with the dogs for another 3.2-mile walk.

(All photos showing me were taken by Bill King)