Ellen texted me while I was hiking around Bisbee on Thursday and asked me if I still wanted to hike Carr peak on Saturday. I told her I would have to wait until Friday when the weather forecast was more reliable and we would see how much new snow had fallen. Snow levels for the storm were predicted to be down to 7500' in Tucson, and it looked about the same here farther south. I agreed to hike with her (our last chance to do so this year, as she's traveling for work starting tomorrow). We agreed to meet at 11am in the Mesquite Inn parking lot, a former steak house restaurant that has been closed since 2016. That late start gave me time to putz around the house. Kevin said he'd be home by early afternoon from Phoenix.
Early today the mountains were shrouded in dense fog and I questioned my sanity. By 10am the sky began clearing, and by 10:30am the peaks were visible and it looked like the fog was clearing out. Ellen had this planned just perfectly, because the dense fog reminded me of what Steve and I experienced and I dreaded a repeat. I planned on taking Zeke and Minnie, and then Sadie decided she wanted in on it, too, leaving a crestfallen Sweetie to stay home alone...She actually made me feel guilty for leaving her behind.
Surprisingly, all was clear and calm when we started the hike at 11:39am. My only concern was if there would be too much snow or ice to slow us down. Would we have enough daylight? The forecast for Sierra Vista was 60F/34F, so we figured it would be 45F at the peak.
We started the hike from the Ramsey Vista trail head, the same trail that Steve and I started from. This is actually an easier grade than the Sawmill trail, and with snow/ice on the ground, I don't have to worry about the dogs getting hot or thirsty. The peak was visible and there was no wind! There was also less snow this time around. The ground was damp from the rain and there was no ice. The snow from the first storm had melted and we were walking on fresh, wet snow once we got to the snow level, which, as forecasted, was above 7500', much like last time. I wore three tops and kept the fourth layer, my yellow wind breaker, in my backpack where it stayed for the entire hike.
We met Mike Foster, a retired IT tech from my school district. He was coming down as we were going up. At first I thought he was a hunter carrying a rifle. It was a tripod he was carrying. He had started the hike early, in the dense fog, and was above the fog when he got to the peak. He and I had done some hiking in Sonora ten years ago when he was surveying the San Pedro river. He led a hike up San Jose peak, too. But we somehow fell out of touch when he got busy with the Carr house. He got hired by NatGeo to videograph the Sonoran town of Magdalena. "It feels great to be paid to work again!"
We also passed a large family going uphill. They only went high enough to find enough snow to build a snowman, then descended. That snowman waved at us on our descent.
I hiked up front, Ellen stayed in the rear behind the dogs. We never talk much during our hikes, as we are always looking at nature and wildlife and only talk during breaks or photo shoots. I never have to feel like talking a lot when I'm hiking with her, and I appreciate her silence. She captured some nice photos of the dogs with me, so I am using her photos for today's blog. Sadie stayed by my side this time, while Zeke enjoyed romping in the snow with Minnie, who was clearly enjoying today's adventure. She did not slow us down at all. What slowed us down was the snow that was packed between the rocks.
The deepest snow was in the aspen grove at 8000', where it looked to be around three inches deep, not deep enough to get into our low hikers and get our feet wet. Once we got out of the aspens, we were on south and east-facing slopes that were mostly dry. We were expecting much more snow.
We never saw other people today. That's for the best, as three dogs is quite a bit to manage in the wilderness. We stopped briefly at Contemplation Rock for water, then resumed the final half mile to the peak. Clouds were returning and we had to beat them to the top! Miller was already shrouded again in fog. We saw a hawk, a kestrel, and one lone catapillar near the peak!
That last .3-mile to the peak is always so dramatic. In the spring and summer the trail is covered in flowers. Today it was the one stretch that had no snow! Zeke and Minnie took off after three white-tailed deer (Sadie stayed by my side) and that's all the drama we had here today. There was more snow in the rocks just before bagging the peak, but the peak again was almost barren of snow.
There was no frost on the trees until we got to the top. Minnie and Zeke played a bit in the snow, but Ellen and I decided to climb back down and have our snack on Contemplation Rock, where it was warmer. There was nowhere warm to sit on the peak. We were, like Mike was earlier, now above the fog.
It took us 1:53 hours to make it to the peak, not bad considering the snow. Once we ate our snacks and resumed our hike back down, it was a steady pace with no stops. We stopped briefly at the vista point looking back at Carr Peak, but we were now focused on getting down before it got too late. My feet were damp from the snow and my sweat was making me cold when I stood still. The dogs were tired but not exhausted. They trailed behind me like an obedient pack.
We made it back to the Honda at 3:19pm. The hike took us 3:35 hours. We were the only car in the parking lot. We both were relieved to have made it up Carr this month. It has been a tradition that Ellen and I bag either Miller or Carr at the first snow, and we have managed that for about eight years. We will have less opportunities to hike together next year as she will be busy with her job, traveling to the East Coast for months at a time. I will miss her challenges.
More rain is forecasted for Wednesday, which means snow higher up. I'm sure the Forest Service will close the road with the next storm. We passed a lot of speeding pick-ups going uphill as we were driving down.
https://www.myheraldreview.com/news/mesquite-tree-closing-out-a-family-legacy/article_4a3f75a4-b4c5-11e5-a4c3-c3d2f08c85bd.html
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