I didn't get called in to work, so at 1:30pm I packed up my pack and grabbed Sadie and Zeke and drove up to the Sawmill trailhead. This would be my last chance to bag the peak this month. Tomorrow I have a dental and a doctor's appointment that will cut in the middle of the day. Friday starts the Labor Day weekend.
I got to the Sawmill trailhead just before 2pm. This is perhaps the latest I've started the hike. Once up at the starting elevation though, I stepped right into a cool, shaded environment. I left the heat of the valley (89F) behind. And it stayed cool for the duration of the hike! A large pile of bearscat near the Sawmill springs reminded me that bears get active this time of year. The dogs never alerted me to any bears and I didn't see or smell them, either.
Just like last month, there were asters in the beginning, yellow coneflowers in the middle, and at 9000' the deep red and blue penstemons covered the ground. What a feast for the eyes! The cool weather and the wide range of colors, along the the beginning aroma of autumn invigorated me. I never stopped to catch my breath because I didn't need to, and the dogs seemed just as energized as I was. A lone white-tailed deer was near the peak but the dogs left it alone.
We got to the peak in 1:31 hours, almost 20 minutes faster than last month and I wasn't even trying to beat any record. The only proof that I hiked today is the track on my GPS app. I hiked the 5.68 o/b trail in 2:53 hours. That's over 30 minutes faster than in July.
I know the cooler temperatures helped today, along with a sun that was behind heavy clouds for most of the time. When I got to the top I could see rain falling to the NW of me, an isolated shower that wasn't coming toward me fast enough. All around me shades of green and all the colors of the flowers surrounded me. No other human interrupted my bliss, along with very little wildlife besides a few song birds flitting among the shrubs, and dark collared lizards preparing for the colder months ahead. I couldn't have picked a better time to climb this mountain, which from the valley looked so hot and exposed.
I don't normally like to be up on the peak so late in the afternoon by myself, but today proved to be ideal. The aspens are still green but the upper grove is starting to turn yellow. My favorite Golden Columbines are at their prime among the aspen grove now. No water was running from the falls, but the lush green growth in all directions shows that the monsoon has nourished the mountains.
I stayed on the peak just long enough to give the dogs some water, take a few photos, and enjoy the solitude. The experience was so blissful, I felt guilty for not sharing this with anyone else. In two weeks most of the flowers will start dying off. Do I have one more chance to hike up this peak with some like-minded hikers?
Dark clouds were moving in as I was descending, and those clouds got darker the lower in elevation I got. It never thundered or blitzed, though, so I was under no pressure to race back to my truck. I made it to my truck at 4:58pm. Both Sadie and Zeke took straight to laying prostrate for the ride home.
Kevin was already home when I got in. We had our usual meal together and chatted about our day. He was focused on a Red Sox-Miami Marlins game, mentioning how the "Sox came back from behind to win." The Red Sox have been doing very well this season and I'm happy that Kevin's home team is doing so well. (As for me, I'm not a big fan of the MLB)
The clouds kept getting more menacing as sunset approached. I wanted it to rain, but again the storm blew past us and no rain fell. The monsoon is slowly losing its force. Rain is predicted for the weekend and I'm still unsure what my plans are. I'm on the hiking club's list to lead a hike to Jordan hot springs in New Mexico (I was put on the list without asking me first, but I was OK with leading a hike there if there were other people interested) but so far no one's emailed me to let me know they are interested.
I love this time of year here in the high desert, and today's hike reminded me of how blessed I am to be able to experience the sights, smells and colors of autumn in southern Arizona.
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