Carr Peak and the aspens

The most southern aspen grove in the United States is right here in the Huachuca mountains, along the Carr and Miller peak spur trails.  Unfortunately, the Brown Spot virus has weakened the trees.  This rhizome-spread virus causes the trees to prematurely turn yellow, and once they turn yellow, they quickly go brown.  This is why I had to hike up today, rather than wait another week.  The aspens had just started turning yellow two weeks ago when I hiked up the peak with SteveT.  Today the yellow was visible from the valley.

Next Saturday I'll be on my flight to Norfolk, VA to see the grandkids. This was my only chance to see the aspens in their autumn splendor.

I hosted a hike on Meetup and had an impressive turn-out:  Galen and his wife Sunny, SteveA and Steve, Jeff, Rick, Janet, KimG and Kim C-F (and her dog Buckley).  These are all hikers I knew from the SVHikers Meetup.  They are all strong hikers.  We had clear skies with mild temperatures.

We met at 7:30am at the Perimeter trail parking lot off Carr Canyon Road.  The Sky Island bike Tour threatened to slow traffic down, but only Galen was late and only by five minutes.  We carpooled up the road to the Ramsey Vista parking area where we took the Ramsey Vista spur trail to the peak.  I hadn't gone up Carr peak via this route in a few years.  Despite the lack of any springs along the way, I realized today that this spur trail is easier than the Old Sawmill trail that I use.  It's not as steep as the Old Sawmill, but it also lacks a spring for the dogs to refresh themselves in.

We quickly broke off into two groups:  the hares and the hares not.  Janet charged on ahead with Jeff and Steve, two hikers who had never been up this peak before.  They went on ahead to the peak while I waited at the crucial turn-off to the peak.  The sign to Carr Peak went missing back in March and hasn't been replaced.  For people who don't know to turn right (going uphill), they may inadvertently continue on the Carr Peak trail and end up at the Crest Trail another 1.5 miles down the trail.

Wildflowers were still present, but the yellow daisies near the top were not as vibrant as two weeks ago.  The pink and blue penstemons were also less noticeable.  The autumn flowers are now going to seed, although we still had a nice blanket of yellow as we climbed up and around Carr to the peak.

There were at least two impressive piles of bear scat along the trail.  The scat was fresh and loaded with small acorns (berries are out of season).  We didn't see or smell any bears and the dogs showed no indication that bears were nearby.  Seeing the fresh scat right in the middle of the trail, however, reminded us to remain vigilant.

The first of the hares not group was only 15 minutes slower than the hares. Rick and Galen went up to join Jeff, Steve and Janet on the peak. KimG stopped at the intersection to wait for Kim C-F.  Both Kims made the intersection their final turn-around, with only .3 miles to the peak.  SteveA was the last one to get to the peak, and I waited with him so he could eat his snack while the other peak baggers resumed their return hike.

Clouds began to form as we were on the peak, cooling down Zeke.  The initial forecast was for "mostly sunny" and it remained that way, but a gentle breeze added more cooling effect as the sun rose on ahead.  We really lucked out with the weather.  More people were going up the trail as we finished the trail 4:10 hours after our start.  That was not a bad time for a group this large.  Everyone waited in the parking lot.  Even dog Buckley, who had run on ahead of Kim to join the other hikers in the parking lot, greeted the rest of us.

I wasn't expecting everyone to wait around for the rest of the group.  This was a nice gesture that I appreciated, so I asked if anyone was interested in going to grab a bite to eat.  We settled on Papa's Diner on SR92.  All but three came.  Rick, Galen and Sunny (who said she will never do Carr Peak again, probably because of the allergies she suffered from during the entire hike).  I had a patty melt again.  Both Zeke and Buckley had their free "puppy patties."  We chatted well over an hour and I didn't come home until almost 3pm, again to a quiet house.

Full moon over the San Pedro Valley

I woke up as usual at 4:30am and fed the dogs.  Three dogs reported for chow. Where was Minnie?  I looked in all her usual hiding spots: the shower, the juniper tree by the back fence, the back yard under the north roof trim.  Nothing.  I even checked the back of my Honda to make sure I didn't lock her in there after yesterday's hike (I did that twice, and she refused to get out because it was cooler than the house). Had I left her behind on the Perimeter trail?

I finally found Minnie locked in the guest bathroom.  She must have gone in there overnight to drink some water from the toilet when she saw the bowl lid wide open and pushed the door closed.  It's a narrow bathroom and that is very plausible.  She waddled out with no care in the world.  If she had been suffering, she would have barked or whined or done anything to get my attention.

Fast forward to the late afternoon, and I was ready to walk a bit with the dogs to watch the moon rise.  My left ankle is still feeling the creeps and I knew I didn't want to walk far.  I chose the Perimeter trail along the Miller Canyon trail head.  We were the only ones there at 5:40pm with a sunset of 6:16 and moon rise at 6:26pm.  Perfect for photography.

The sun was already setting low over the mountains.  I knew we didn't have much sunlight left.  With the lingering stratus clouds across the northern sky, though, I predicted a nice color scheme.  We got to the rocky overlook at 5:50pm, still a half-hour before moon rise.  A kettle of vultures flew overhead, with one lone hawk.  It's migratory season for hawks and eagles now, so seeing raptors glide in a thermal is not unusual.

Not wanting to sit around for the moon to rise, I opted to walk north along the Perimeter trail for 1.3 miles.  The grade here is easy, and one never loses the view toward the East.  Elevation begins at around 5023' in the parking lot and reaches 5250' at the green water tank.  (It does go higher in elevation further north).  The dogs stayed close but I kept my eyes out for anyone coming toward me on the trail.

There were grey clouds to the north and a fine layer of haze in the east.  Would a moon rise be worthwhile?  I kept hiking on the trail going north, watching a herd of white-tailed deer hop down the hillside to evade the dogs.  The dogs did not chase them.  A flaming layer of orange-yellow clouds burst to the west at sunset, just as I knew I had to turn around with available sunlight.

And then, right on time, the first moon halo creeped over the mountains.  It was an orange, the perfect color for photography.  Here is where I wished I had any of my Canon  dSLR cameras handy.  The moon rose clearly above the Mule mountains, without any haze. Winds started to blow, which is usual for this time of year.  For the next 20 minutes, hiking back south to where we were parked, I enjoyed the colors, wind, and warmth around me.

We only hiked 2.6 miles, just enough for my ankle to handle.  All the dogs stayed close-by as well.  Sweetie has come a long way in the last three years! Now she at least comes back when I yell for her.

We got back to the Honda past sunset, with the last of the day's rays over the western horizon.  The dogs were panting.  I was happy.  Another day in the southern Arizona desert ended well.

Near full moon along Clark Springs trail

The full moon is tomorrow.  Today I just wanted to take the opportunity to walk the dogs along the Clark Springs trail off Carr Canyon Road.  It's only a mile from the bridge. Moon rise was at 5:52pm, sunset at 6:16pm, and that was an ideal time to walk the dogs since I prefer walking them the hour before sunset.  I've never come across others along the Clark Springs trail.  The one time I saw another car parked by the trailhead for a full moon rise, I simply drove uphill a bit more to find my own solitary spot.

Yesterday's hike had me drained and I didn't do much but read today.  My muscles weren't sore at all.  I was simply tired. Sadie was also tired and she let me know that she was not interested in going with the pack today.  That just left me with Zeke, Minnie and Sweetie, all who hadn't been walked in two days. 

A young deer jumped right in front of my car as I drove up Carr Canyon Road.  I always fear hitting an animal here (one reason I don't like driving at night), and tonight it came close.  There were two more deer along the road on my way home.

Weather was ideal.  This is the kind of weather I wish we had had for yesterday's hike. Autumn is in the air.  I love that smell!  There wasn't a breeze, either, something that I normally get off the eastern foothills this time of day.  The clouds that covered the sky earlier today had dissipated.  The moon rose from behind a hazy layer ten minutes after its appointed time.  There was no colorful splendor with the sunset.

It didn't seem like an hour, but that is how long I was out with the dogs today, walking slowly along the trail and enjoying them chase each other up and down the trail.  We walked two miles. I like seeing dogs enjoy being dogs.  Even Sweetie has come a long way with learning my commands.  Today she came back when I called her and didn't venture far.

At 10pm I walked the neighborhood loop with Zeke, just to make my 10,000 steps quota for the day. That added another 1.71 miles to today's total mileage of 4.4 miles.  The air was still calm.  It was 71F.  That seems still so warm for this time of year.  Now the moon was shrouded behind high stratus clouds, diffusing most of the moonlight.  There was little traffic on Hereford Road.  The venomous chihuahuas that bark as we walk by their house were quiet tonight.

Zeke is such a wonderful dog to hike with.  I love having him by my side.  At night he's normally behind me, right at my feet.  Tonight he saw a young skunk cross the road (Oh look, a black cat!) but when I realized it was a skunk, I yelled at him to come back and he did.  The little skunk scurried into a dark alley. With the bad luck he's had with skunks and things that attack him at night, he's becoming more cautious.  I must continue to protect him.

Pomona Mine

The Pomona Mine is an old tungsten mine that sits high in the eastern Huachucas at just under 7100'.  It is accessible via the Pomona Mine trail that juts out from the Brown Canyon trail two miles from the ranch house.  This spur trail is 1.8 miles to the upper mine.  Most of the 2400' elevation gain is in this half of the trail.   I've read some reviews describing this trail as not that nice.  I disagree.  While this is a steep hike, what one finds at the top is worth the agony of de feet.

Zeke's wound still looked too raw for this hike, so I left him at home.  Sadie showed an interest and excitedly leaped into the back of the Honda.

Twelve people signed up for this hike.  Three came from the Hiking for Hops group out of Phoenix, the group that requested this hike.  Nine more came from the SVHikers meetup, and three more from the Huachuca Hiking Club.  I had cross-posted this hike.  In hindsight, I should have kept the Hiking for Hops group separate, as they were all speed demons on a high-powered mission.

We met at the Brown canyon ranch house.  It was the Phoenix group that showed up last, still getting their gear ready at 8:10am when start time was at 8am.  At least it wasn't too hot this morning and we had a bit of a breeze, but we had no cloud cover.  Normally this is a hike we'd start earlier, but I started at 8am to let the Phoenix group sleep in.  They had arrived at 10:30pm last night.

There were a lot of new people today.  Peter and his dog Roscoe were part of the fast group.  Peter is a Chinese linguist teaching at Fort Huachuca.  Chuck drove down from Tucson and was thankful for the late start. Then there were newly-retired Marie and Ken from Washington state, who moved down here a year ago.  They seemed so excited about this hike and proved to be very interesting to talk to.  I never got to talk much with Jill, Brian and Dan from Phoenix because they were way up front.

The flowers that bloomed earlier this month are now slowly fading away.  Even the grasses are going to seed.  I didn't stop too often to photograph wildflowers until we were on the upper Pomona mine trail, where purple penstemons still bloomed in the southern slopes.   By now the group had spread out far.  I stopped to give Sadie water as she looked tired and thirsty.  This is an especially steep mile, but the sedimentary rock formations along the way are fascinating.

I was last on this trail in January when Ellen and I hiked up Ramsey Peak.  My legs were hurting going to the upper mine.  Today I wasn't in such pain.  Today I was just tired.

I like resting at the upper mine.  The mine provides cool shade, there are rocks to sit on, and one is protected from any wind.  Ken and Marie enjoyed the cave and even photographed a bat in it.  Here I gave Sadie her lunch and more water.  What she didn't eat I gave to Roscoe.

SteveS and Doug turned around here while the rest of us continued above the mine.  Rod showed us a stone cabin that I never knew about, then an old rusty engine higher up among the pines.  Trees here luckily weren't damaged by recent fires and the pine needles soften the ground.  What other mining relics remain hidden here?  We then walked across the old helipad to the overlook, which was another new thing for me.  The fissured granite rock crags protrude from the edge of the mountain to the east.  South one sees Carr Peak and the saddle between Brown and Ramsey canyons.

The rest by the overlook was our last break.  The dogs sat under the shade of a juniper as Peter and I chatted.  But he seemed ready to go and I followed him down to the mine at 12:30.  He went on and I waited for the rest.  I thought they knew I was leaving, but apparently I wasn't loud enough.

The hike down seemed more perilous than before.  Luckily no one tumbled, although I and several others took a few slides.  The steep grade didn't seem to bother Sadie, though.  She was more worried about finding shade as now it was getting warm.

By 1:30pm the Phoenix group told me they had to hasten their speed to make it to Sonoita for a wine tasting that ended at 4:30.  We were now down to the slow group: Me, Rod, SteveA, Chuck, Ken and Marie.  They were all behind me as I wobbled down the trail, feeling pain in my ankles from all the loose rocks.  When I arrived at the Brown Canyon trail, I got into the shade, gave Sadie the last of her water, and waited there for the others.  Chuck came in five minutes later, and the rest followed in 15.  We finished the trail together by taking a parallel side trail where another rusty car lies.  Here's to another new discovery!

We got back to our cars shortly before 3pm.  We had hiked 8.3 miles. I was famished.  Rod had to get back to Benson, but the rest of us went to the BoneDry Taphouse where we each had two beers and chatted for over an hour.  The place serves no food but I brought in a chicken meal for two from the neighboring KFC.  Sadie was not allowed inside the building and she looked longingly through the glass door.  She was tired, too, but at least she was in the cool shade.  She was too tired to greet passers-by.

I got home at 5:30pm.  The house was quiet but the remaining dogs were happy to see me.  I could now feel the tired muscles in my ankles and thighs.

When bad things happen to good dogs and people

What a day it was.

I am up by 4:30am most days to drink coffee with Kevin and then get on social media before taking my shower.  This morning I opened up my Facebook account and saw a message from MaryannH:

"He is Gone."

Maryann's husband Patrick lost his battle with lung cancer late last night, just two months after being diagnosed.  Maryann recorded the treatment during this time, getting Patrick a $1500 wheelchair and buying a wheelchair accessible mini-home (a double-shed) on their property where Pat could live.  He never got to enjoy his mini-home, though.  His cancer was an aggressive form that had metathesised.  He went from staying in Tucson to coming to Sierra Vista for hospice care and then coming home to die.

I have been Facebook friends with Maryann for almost three years.  We "met" on Facebook through a local animal group.  She fosters Dobermans and other big dogs and donates time and money to helping local shelters and rescue groups.  She is also a big trump hater like me.  I hated trump when I lived in Eatontown, NJ, part of the greater New York City metropolis, in the early 1990s.  He was still married to his Czech wife Ivana and always loved media attention as a socialite via the NYC TVstations. Back then trump flirted with Democrats!  Maryann's husband Patrick was for the man, and she often wrote about how frustrating it was to live with a trump supporter.  She went so far and "unfriended" all her trump-supporting fans from her Facebook account.

I don't go so far, though, and told Maryann that being a trump supporter does not make one a bad person (just an uninformed one) and that there are many animal-loving trump fans out there.  There are a few trump policies I actually agree with, like deporting all illegal MS-13 gang members and throwing the book at those who commit crimes here.

Kevin is a trump supporter and we both agreed to not ever discuss politics again.  To maintain our marriage, I have agreed to that, although there are times when I get so frustrated with our White House resident that I scream to myself with just the dogs as my audience.  This is the only time I am grateful that dogs can't answer back.  

Maryann's hateful trump posts disappeared overnight.  Now she is grieving.  Her message about Patrick's passing lingered in my head all day, even while filling in for a US Constitution class at the high school.  She and I have never met (although we keep talking about it) and yet her losing her husband affected me all day.  How does one give emotional support to someone who lost her husband?  "I'm so sorry" is often not enough.

After school I went straight to Cochise Dermatology, the only place in town for skin issues.  I had a 4:10pm  appointment with Dr Crosby to check out my discolored spot above my upper right lip.  It was my dentist earlier this year who advised me to have it checked out, and Steve mentioned several times how bad it looks in natural light.  I first noticed it as a bloody spot last August 2017.  I thought it was a cat scratch from either Bobby or Guinny, but the spot never went away.  It slowly grew and is now the size of a US Nickel.  It took me two months to get this appointment. I was ready for the worst.  I sat in a crowded waiting room with at least 20 other patients, all older than me.  Did all these people have similar issues as me?

Dr Crosby disinfected the skin around my mouth and took a microscope and pressed it against the spot. "It's precancerous" he told me as I inhaled the fumes of the rubbing alcohol, and gave me two options: I could have it frozen off with liquid nitrogen, or I can take chemotherapy injections.  Chemotherapy is out of the option. I signed a waiver understanding the side effects of cryosurgery: swelling, blistering, and a scab that can linger for up to six weeks.  Ugh. 

"Burn it off!" I said.  So Dr Crosby came back with an aerosol-type canister with a blowtorch valve and immediately went to work on that spot.  And holy shit, did that burn!  The pain brought immediate tears to my eyes and I apologized for being such a wuss.  He apologized for torturing me as he leaned against my right side to prevent me from flinging my arms up to knock the blowtorch away.  He had to take that blowtorch to my face four times to get rid of the precancer.

  

The torture session lasted no more than 20 minutes. I have a follow-up appointment in late October to monitor the healing and to check for any more cancers.

Now I had two things plaguing my mind: Maryann's loss and my bout with precancer, and a lip that was slowly swelling.  She was in my thoughts all day.  I thought about her grief later in the evening, as I walked around the neighborhood to get my 10,000 steps in.  All four dogs were with me, and I was proud that they all stayed close and stayed together.  My lip held up OK.  I could feel it swell, but it wasn't painful. The sky was overcast with the hint of rain.

We were in our final .2 miles on our street, heading west.  I was on one side of the street, the dogs on the other side, across from me.  It was around 10pm and rather dark (that's rather normal at night) when I suddenly heard Zeke yelp out in pain.  He came running toward me with a bloody face,  blood dripping on his front paws.  What the hell just happened?  I feared a snake bite, but snake bites don't draw out this much blood, and there would be near instant swelling.  He was gasping as he breathed.

Luckily we were just a few homes away.  I put Zeke in the back yard while the others went inside via the front.  I gave his wound pressure to keep the bleeding down, which did help.  Once I cleaned his face I could see the damage: Zeke had a deep gash right below his right eye, a puncture hole above his right eye and a straight cut below his mouth.  The skin was torn and red muscle was exposed.   His breathing also returned to normal, but that deep gash below his eye is going to take some time to heal.  What did this to him?  It was already starting to drizzle, and the dark rain clouds made visibility even harder.  I gave him a Tramadol.  Zeke wasn't in any other distress after that, but geez, I like to know what did this to him.  The other dogs were with him when it happened.  Had it been another animal, the dogs would have gone into pack mode and barked and fought and chased the other animal, but that didn't happen. They were totally oblivious.

My poor Zeke. Of all the dogs this could have happened to, this pains me a lot.

Carr Peak with Steve, Trace and Zeke

The best months to hike up Carr Peak is July, August and September, when monsoon rains green up the mountain sides and then cooler autumn winds bring on the migratory hawks and eagles that pass this way south.  With Steve leaving for his road trip next week, I opted to use Sunday as our last chance to bag the peak together.

Today's high was forecasted to be 89F and clear, not ideal hiking weather for man or beast.  Steve and I agreed to meet at 7am in the lower Carr Canyon parking lot. We got to the Old Sawmill trailhead and began hiking up the rocky and steep trail at 7:34am.  The sky was clear blue, meaning it wouldn't take too long for it to warm up for us all.

Despite the initial steepness and uneven, loose terrain of this trail in the first .2 mile of this trail, I prefer hiking up to Carr Peak this way because of the reliable springs a half-mile up this trail.  It's a great source for tired, thirsty dogs that isn't available via the Ramsey Vista trailhead farther up Carr Canyon road.  While that trail offers a more steady incline, it's also more exposed near the lower section of the trail.  I also like hiking through the autumn foliage of the Old Sawmill trail.  Fewer people hike up this trail because of its perceived steepness, but it's also less traveled and more serene than the Ramsey Vista trail.

I assured Steve I would hike at his pace, but would still hike on ahead and then stop to wait for him.  This way I could photograph flowers and vistas, or stop to give the dogs snacks and water without having to make Steve stop.   He hiked at a steady pace all throughout the hike and didn't stop as often as our first time up Carr two years ago.  His dog Trace, who is a natural on any trail as he sniffs out coveys of quail, followed Zeke and me for most of this hike.  But I am no fool: Trace knew I had snacks in my backpack and wasn't hesitant to pass them out to both him and Zeke.

We stopped five times along the way.  Our first stop was at the Sawmill Springs, then the second one at the first mile mark along some rock slabs.  I prefer to rest on rocks rather than logs or stumps because our native Arizona bark scorpion likes to burrow in wood (or under rocks) and one sting in the ass by one of those scorpions will land even Superman in the emergency room.  These scorpions are a khaki brown, with a darker abdomen.  When Zeke gave off a guttural growl, I knew that either people or a predator were approaching.  I always prefer people. The two people were two older gentlemen, one with an energetic southern accent, the other one a more quiet bearded man sporting a Vietnam War campaign ribbon on his cap.  "The VA just diagnosed me with Parkingson's" the man said, "but I am on medication to control my shakes."  Both my mother and her father had that disease. Holding tightly to his hiking pole kept his shakes under control.

We then stopped briefly at the (dry) waterfall where I gave the dogs some water.  The falls are just past the halfway mark to the peak, among the aspens and always in a shaded environment.  I always enjoy the smell of the aspen grove at any time of the year.  Today, the aspens were showing the first signs of autumn.  The Golden Columbines were already in decline.

The best part of the hike up Carr Peak is the walk through the aspens.  The aspens mark the last mile to the peak, with expansive vistas once one gets higher up the trail.  Wildflowers also increase in diversity, and I saw the same flowers as I did last month: blue verbana, white asters, purple penstemons, red cardinals.  While the grasses were faded from last month, blue swallowtails were out in abundance.  This is the month of the butterflies!  And higher up the trail, near 9000', I spotted several hawks gliding along a thermal.  Hawks and eagles migrate through Arizona in the fall to their winter habitat, many staying here to live out the colder months of their more northern origins.  We start seeing them in September.

After a lunch break at Contemplation Rock, a lichen-covered boulder underneath a shade tree just before the Carr Peak spur trail, we resumed our last half-mile to the peak.  This last part is the most thrilling, as not only do vistas open up, but so does the variety of wildflowers along the base of Carr.  I hiked on ahead to record this, and sure enough, when Steve got to the spur trail to head up the last 1/3 mile up Carr, I heard him cry out "Ohmygawd, look at the flowers!" as he gazed across an entire hillside of coneflowers, purple penstemon and red cardinals.  His profile was diminished by the yellow carpet of flowers.  Trace pranced obliviously on ahead, only focused on whatever birds he could flush hidden in the tall grasses.

I got on ahead to the peak with the dogs.  Zeke was clearly exhausted and dove straight into the shade of the shrubs on the peak.  There was no other shade on the peak and I joined him under the shrubs. Steve quickly followed and together we sat on the peak overlooking Sierra Vista below, talking about our family as we ate tangerines.  The dogs snacked on Pupperonis.

We were here for a while, talking.  Steve had asked me earlier if I thought he was a narcissist.  Huh?  Where did that come from?  He certainly is no trump, who makes every issue about himself.  I did think about this question a bit and told him that he does talk about his family a lot, but that never bothers me, except that he talks more while I listen.  I'm that way with most of my friends.  Maybe I'm attracted to egotists?

Steve told me I don't talk much about my family, although I mention Eric more than Erin.  Hmm, I've never considered that, especially since Erin is the mother to three boys, all under the age of ten.  It's not that I don't like talking about my family, it's that I learned long ago to give them their privacy.  I will see Erin and the grandsons in October, when I fly out to Virginia Beach over Fall break.

 A group of four came up to join us.  We never saw the two Southerners from earlier again.  Zeke greeted them and I asked one of them to take our peak photo, which he did.  Both dogs manage to be in the photo.

Clouds were now forming.  There was no fear of rain, but the diffused light felt good.  Even the dogs perked up.  I passed the dead tree near the peak, where last month I watched a collared lizard scurry around the trunk.  I saw the lizard again today on the same tree, this time missing half of its tail.

We had cloud cover all the way back down to the truck.  This was a long 6.5-hour hike, but we achieved our mission of bagging the peak.

Our last event was dinner at Culver's.  We sat outside once again, and again Zeke got a Doggie Scoop.  This time he ate his biscuit!  That was probably to keep Trace from getting it.

Steve leaves on the 23rd for his road trip to Colorado.  He won't be back until after Thanksgiving.

Doggie Dip Day on Fort Huachuca

To close out the outdoor swimming season, Fort Huachuca's Irwin pool sponsored a free day for dogs and their owners.  Small dogs got noon - 2pm, big dogs got 3-5pm.  At 10:30am I went to the veterinarian's office to get a copy of Minnie's shot record and took Zeke with me. He and I had lunch at Culver's on the way home where he was treated to a "Doggie Scoop," a free scoop of vanilla custard topped with a Milkbone biscuit.  (He didn't eat the biscuit).

The rest of the day was dedicated to Minnie.  I got to the pool at 2:40pm and they were already letting dogs in.  Several GSDs and a few Goldens were already in the big pool.  Would Minnie remember her dock diving skills?  The big pool intimidated her, but the more dogs that got into the pool, the more eager she was about getting in.  I had to remind her to use the ramp, rather than have her struggle trying to push herself off the edge, with her wet weight pulling her down.  I brought her pool toy, but the pool staff provided the free use of endless tennis balls for dogs to fetch.  I enjoyed watching all the dogs have fun  much as I enjoyed being with Minnie.  She enjoyed the water, too, but always made sure I was nearby.

Steve and his dog finally arrived at 3:40pm, at the height of the attendance.  There were so many GSDs there, I had a hard time recognizing Minnie!  Dogs barked, chased each other, jumped in the pool to steal other dogs' balls, and a few even pooped on the astroturf.  Luckily provisions were provided for that.  Little Trace ran around like a wet propeller, jumping after balls and sniffing butts.

We talked to one woman with a traditional collie.  I chatted with one man whose Golden Retriever-Corgi mix was a joy to watch chase after the big dogs.  I am happy to see dog owners interact with their pets; too many dogs in our neighborhood are doomed to be backyard guard dogs with little human interaction.

I alternated between the large pool and the kiddie pool for Minnie.  The kiddie pool was crowded with dogs and kids and at the deepest was just 2' deep.  Minnie was comfortable with that.  As the crowd began to dwindle again by 4pm, she was as comfortable in the large pool, and even used the  ramp to exit, just as she learned in dock diving.

Even I got in the large pool to be with Minnie, carrying her through the water when I saw her get tired.  She appreciated my help.  It felt good to be in the water.  I should consider resuming doing lap swims at the fort pool to ease my chronic back pain.

The pool closed at 4:55pm.   From there we went to the Class VI store to look at the current craft beer selection.  I ended up buying over $100 in beer! We finished off the day with a meal at Popeye's in the MI Village, surrounded by young trainees of which I was one 30 years ago.  The spicy chicken was good, but it took us 30 minutes to get it. Minnie got the bones and gobbled them down, grateful for the snack.  She looked worn out from all the swimming, but wasn't too tired when I took Zeke and Sweetie on their 1.7-mile walk around the 'hood.

Hurricane Florence, which reached the North Carolina coast Thursday morning, is now a lingering tropical storm.  I watched the latest footage from that tonight:  Wilmington's historic district took a direct hit, with its old trees toppled.  New Bern's old homes collapsed, requiring rescue efforts from trapped citizens.  The photos online are devastating, as I always hate to see the innocent animals suffer along with the humans. Flooding continues across both Carolinas, with 12 people now reported dead.  Many who opted to ride the storm out are the elderly and the poor, two segments of society that always suffer from such natural disasters.  This persistent rain will not abate for a few days, spreading bacterial contamination from the many hog and chicken farms in the Carolina lowlands.  Rivers in the central part of the states will reach record highs.

Upper Carr Canyon Road

I didn't work today and took advantage of the SVHikers Meetup group to walk the upper section of Carr Canyon Road to the Ramsey Vista campground and back.  What I thought was a 4-mile walk ended up being a 6.7-mile walk that took up most of the late morning and early afternoon.

Steve called me at 8am to tell me they were walking the upper section this time, so that I knew where everyone was once I got to our usual meet-up place by the bridge.  I told him to not wait for me, that I would catch up with everyone.  I was slowed down by a white Tacoma truck driving 10mph up the road.  I parked the Honda by the middle falls and continued walking uphill at 8:30am.  I had Zeke with me and he stayed well by my side.  I stopped a few times to photograph flowers: the wild geraniums are now at their peak and the purple penstemons are now coming up.  Coneflowers are fading.  Despite the many stops I made, it only took me 20 minutes to catch up with everyone.  There were many familiar faces:  KimG, Kim C-F, Galen, HollyW and Rita, who is DeborahT's cousin.  Deborah is the wife of Tom, Kevin's best friend here at work.  Deborah and Rita look and sound so much alike!

There was little traffic on Carr Canyon Road today.  The white Tacoma truck parked off the road for a bit but then passed us twice during the hike.  We stopped as a group twice to rest and chat some more, first at the group campsite, then again at the second campsite 1.5 miles up the road.    It was refreshing to sit and talk with people again and catching up with both Kim's lives and learning about Rita's.  We didn't get back to our cars until almost noon, then decided to have lunch at Papa's Diner.  Only Galen absented himself, so once again at the restaurant, sitting on the patio, we all chatted some more.

Service at the diner is hit or miss, with the food often burned or slow in coming.  Today it was Kim G whose simple chicken salad took the longest, and I had to ask twice about the status of the "Puppy Patties" that the restaurant gives its canine customers when their owners order a meal.  I had a Patty Melt and this time it was nicely prepared.

I enjoyed hanging out with everyone, but I didn't come home until 2:20pm (!!!), just 20 minutes before Kevin came home.

Slavin Gulch and the Abril Mine

The Abril Mine is an abandoned copper and zinc mine in the Dragoon mountains.  The mine is accessible via an old forest road off Middlemarch Road, or via the Slavin Gulch trail #332 to the west, which once was a mule trail to the mine as well.  There are several water pools along the way and vistas west toward Sulphur Valley. Eight hikers from the Huachuca Hiking Club met in Sierra Vista to carpool to the trailhead.  I picked up Bill at his place and drove with him and Zeke directly to the trailhead in my Honda.  We got there seven minutes before the main party arrived.

I last hiked to this mine in 2009 and Kevin came along.  I wanted to see how much the trail has changed in the last nine years.

The morning was hot and humid.  I had my swimsuit under my dryweave clothes in anticipation of dipping into the cool water after the hike.  The intent was to hike to the mine first, have lunch, and then check out the water in the various pools afterward.

The hike took us 3.6 miles uphill, first along the gulch, then over a pass from where we could see the remnants of the old mine.  I was on snake alert the entire time. Once over the pass, the trail became harder to follow, as mature manzanitas now provide dense canopies over the trail.  The old mine chute has now collapsed but the view is still there.  We sat at the lower mine for over 30 minutes.  I fed Zeke, had some water, and finally one of the guys said "Are we going to stay here all day?" That was the cue to start the hike back.

I wanted to show the guys the hidden pool that Ellen showed us in mid June, but the taller grass made it harder to see the faint footpath to the pool. I did eventually find it, but the "water slide" I remember wasn't quite so slick.  I was anxious to get into the water, but I ended up being the only one to do so!  SteveS, Jim, Doug and Barry all went back to their cars to head home.  Only Rod, SteveA, Bill and I remained.  I didn't want to be the only one in the water, so I dipped in long enough to cool off and let Zeke splash around, although he didn't seem comfortable watching me in the water while he whined and pawed at me from the shore.

The cloudless skies we had at the start of the hike were now getting puffier.  There was no fear of rain during the hike, but it did drizzle later on.  Once we all got back to our cars, we departed and went our separate ways.  Zeke sprawled out in the back and looked exhausted, and once home, I didn't feel like walking the other dogs any.

Tuscon and the Bug Springs Trail

Today was an errand day in Tucson.  I could have gone yesterday, but I didn't want to deal with holiday drivers on Labor Day weekend.  Today's weather was cooler and more overcast, ideal for mountain hiking in the Catalinas north of Tuscon with Zeke.  I always enjoy a day in Tucson.

I had four things planned:  drop off the aluminum and tin cans, stop at Bookman's to trade in some books, buy a Coronado National Forest Recreation Pass, and try out the Black Rock Brewery on the east side of town.  I managed to do all four, but it took me all day.

Senator John McCain's memorial in DC was today at the Cathedral, and all the news stations on my XM radio broadcast it.  He died of brain cancer last Saturday on his ranch outside of Sedona. He served as Senator from Arizona and was elected five times.  (I did not reelect him in 2016 due to his repeated bouts of skin cancer; I deemed him too old to serve another full term.)   His state capital memorial was on Thursday before flying in a private jet to DC on Friday. Presidents Bush and Obama gave touching eulogies.  This memorial was broadcast all day long.

My first stop was the Scrap Metal recycling center on 4408 E Illinois street.  There are several recycling centers in this part of town near the city center.  I tried this one this time due to its high ratings, but I was bigtime disappointed.  Not onl1y was it hard to get out of (cars have to drive in reverse out of there, blocking all other vehicles, but I was ripped off.  Instead of getting $26.13 back, I got only $25 and I should have counted my money before leaving the business.  They took my plastics but didn't weigh it (plastic is not profitable in small amounts).  I was finger scanned and photographed for their data base.

My next stop was Bookman's off Speedway, a huge used book store in town with several stores.  I had a box of hard backs I was hoping to get some money for, but after 45 minutes of waiting with Zeke inside the store, found out that only four books were accepted.  I got a trade-in of only $11.  My Spanish books were taken but none of the recent hardback history books.  What a disappointment.  The clerk told me they only take soft covers.

It was raining as I left Bookman's.

I was hungry by now and should have taken a break for lunch somewhere.  There are so many good places to eat in Tucson, but instead I drove up the Catalina Highway to the Palisades Ranger station to buy an annual Coronado National Forest recreation pass, still only $20. There had been talks of raising the annual pass to $40.  Day use is $5 and that includes parking in Madera Canyon to hike up Mount Wrightson.  I could have stopped at Sabino Canyon to buy a pass there, but then I'd have to backtrack to come up the Catalina Highway.  Dogs are not allowed in Sabino Canyon, so why bother go there?

The Palisades Ranger station is at milemarker 19 on the Highway, only six miles from the top by Mount Lemmon.  Traffic was strong, and the higher I got on the highway, the more congested it got.  I went in, bought my pass and then drove back down  the road to hike the Bug Springs trail from the Lower Green Mountain trail.  I had last done this trail on December 28th, 2012 with Minnie and Sadie from the lower trailhead.  We only hiked three miles one way and turned around due to losing daylight.  This time I started from the upper trailhead.  This trail is a popular shuttle hike for mountain bikers as its trailheads both start/finish off the Catalina highway.  It's not as congested as the more popular trail higher in the mountains off the highway, which is another reason why I like this trail.  I can let my dogs off leash when no one else is around.

There were three cars in the small parking lot.  Hikers could be on the Bug Springs trail, or hiking a section of the Arizona Trail here.  The Bug Springs trail on its upper terminus is just under 6000' but immediately climbs up to the southern peak of Green Mountain, offering views of the Southwest.  It then dips down to Bug Springs and levels out some before climbing again along some hoodoos before descending through high desert grassland to its southern terminus.  Storm clouds were moving in from the east and I didn't want to be caught in the rain with two miles to go.  I decided then to hike three miles out, making it six miles round trip.  By then I'd hit the familiar section I hiked in '12 with Sadie and Minnie.

I came across three young people  at the start, descending back to their cars.  I only came across one other woman  near my turn-around point south of the hoodoos.  This was her first time hiking the trail.  She started from the south and went to the springs, but told me she got lost and turned around.  How can one get lost here?  While the trail isn't blazed, the path is clear.  I didn't question her navigation skills.

The clouds had a cooling effect on us once we were out of the forest and on the hoodoo section 1.8 miles into this hike.  Water was running in Bugs Springs and I let Zeke take his fill.  The clouds did look ominous off the Rincons, though, so I opted to hike just past the hoodoos and then turn around.

It took me two hours to hike two miles.  I was feeling tired today,  as if the hike from Wednesday up Carr Peak finally caught up with me.  Two miles in one hour?!  It took me 90 minutes to do three miles, turning around as the trail dips down for its rapid descent through the grassy section of agave, sotol and burned mesquite.  From here one can see the Tucson skyline and the distant Huachuca mountains.

I hiked 5.86 miles in just under three hours.  It was now 5pm and time to slowly head off the mountain and back into Tuscon, where I still had to drop off the rest of the recycables of cardboard and remaining #2 plastics.  Traffic up and down the highway remained steady.  The waning sun cast its shadow on the road.  Even the saguaros, which appear in the lower elevations, were darkened.

I discovered that the recycling containers at the Morris K Udall  Park off Tanque Verde Blvd were removed and now off Speedway and Fleming.  I didn't have much left to drop off, but it was enough to squeeze Zeke of much-needed space to spread out.  Once the back of the car was empty, he hopped in the back and napped, and napped the rest of the day.

I spotted two juvenile coyotes saunter nonchalantly down the street as I left the recycling center.  They strutted down the street in confidence.

From the recycling center I continued down to the Black Rock Brewery off S Pantano.  This is a newer brewery that opened 18 months ago to lots of raves.  I simply had to try it out.  Unfortunately, now I was really hungry and this place is a brewery, not a brewpub, so there is no food prepared here.  The usual food trucks were not open over the Labor Day weekend. Chris, the bartender, made me fresh popcorn.  Chris also told me to bring Zeke inside, where he lay by my side and continued napping as I sat at the bar and tasted a pint of the El Heffe green chili wheat, then ordered a flight of four beers: the AZ Pale Ale, Dreamcicle and two Porters.  All were very good and on the sweet side.  Zeke didn't even drink his water Chris poured for him.

The brewery wasn't very busy for a Saturday night.  I counted eight people when I walked in and it never got any busier.  My allergies were starting to act up when a young couple sat at the counter near me, Eric and Ashley, new transplants from Atlanta who have been in Tucson two months.  This was their first visit to the brewery.  He is a physical therapist, she is studying for her Masters in Library Science.  They move around the country every few years and take their three dogs and six cats with them on every move.  I have to laud them for that, as most people just get rid of their pets when they move because it's such an inconvenience.  My pets are part of my family and always go with me.  They tried some beer and then left.  I stayed around a little longer and chatted with Chris, who's been working at the brewery since January.

I was now really hungry and didn't want to drink anymore on an empty stomach. I left at 8:30pm to head on home, stopping at the In N Out Burgers off Broadway for my one meal today.  My allergies were now in full bloom.  Driving home in the dark was no fun; I even pulled over at the Walmart parking lot in SierraVista to rest for ten minutes before continuing the drive home.  I got in at 11:30pm to three very happy dogs, but told them all (yes, I talk to my dogs) that I was too tired to take them on their nighttime walk.  I took an allergy pill and knocked myself out by midnight.