The cold weather continued into Monday. I cancelled a sunrise hike due to the wind, promising myself to hike four miles after work. I wore a sweater to work to keep warm since the school is now on AC. The sky was heavily overcast and it was a mere 51F when I drove to work. It's normally in the mid 60s now.
It even rained mid-day and the mountains were shrouded in heavy fog. This is so unusual for May. While I don't like the cold and wind, I know the mountains need this moisture. I'm sure the animals don't mind cooler over hotter weather, either.
I knew I wanted to get a good hike in today. The cool weather is perfect forh hiking with dogs. Susan had to stick to a shorter hike due to some home maintenance, but Bill was up to the challenge. I told him it was two miles to a wide wash going north from the Hereford Bridge on the San Pedro River National Conservation Area trail (SPRNCA, or simply the San Pedro River trail) and then .3 on the wash to the river. I wanted to start along the water for the dogs' sake, explore the banks, and then return via the official trail to gain speed and time. He was up for the challenge. We met at 4pm at the Hereford Bridge and started our walk going north. The cloud cover had mostly dissipated, but it was still cool at 65F.
We stayed along the river but walked the shore, avoiding the water. We walked as far as we could before resorting to bushwhacking, which was just over a mile from the start. The tall grass was dead and pokey and I'm sure not very comfortable for the dogs, but I could tell that other humans had been here as I followed a faint trail of stomped grass. We crossed the field from the water to the trail and continued north on the trail.
We got to the wash at 3.65 miles in under two hours. It seemed longer than that. The dogs were happy to see water again. I was curious to see how the river here had changed. My last time to this spot was well over five years ago, with Sammy in the pack.
The river at this point on the south end was stagnant. I'm assuming another beaver dam was holding up the water. Green algae formed near the shore, but the water was flowing north at this point. Cottonwoods provide thick shade from the sun. I'd taken Sara and Sammy here to this rocky shore to let them in the water, but neither dog was enthusiastic about water like Zeke, Minnie and Sweetie are. Domino was also right in the water, racing through the shallow parts, but panicking when his paws couldn't grip onto a snag in the water.
Domino and Sweetie had a bit of an altercation. If Sweetie were human, she'd be one of those humorless, aloof, grumpy people who easily gets flustered when dealing with people. Sweetie snarled at Domino to show Domino she didn't appreciate his nipping on her. At one point both dogs had their teeth in the other dog's back.
We didn't stay long. It was already past 5:30pm and I wanted to get back before dark. I am curious how the river continues at this point. The river snakes north, deeply and quietly, and is heavily shaded by dense cottonwoods. Perhaps that will be my next plan.
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We took the official trail going back, walking at a steady pace. Even Minnie stayed with us, panting all the way. She definitely got her share of exercise today. We had hiked 6.95 miles by the time we were done, finishing in the cool shade of a sinking sun. Bill seemed excited about getting out again for some mileage. His dog Domino also seems to have enjoyed the challenge.
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