Good Morning, Arizona!

It's finally beginning to cool off some, now that September is just a few days away.

I had slept good last night.  I took a Benadryl to stave off my allergies (itchy, burning eyes, sneezing) last night.  One pill usually works for two days with me and I get drowsy. If Kevin hadn't awakened me at 5am like I asked him to, I would have surely slept through sunrise.  I packed up all the dogs and began my walk shortly after 5am.

There were clouds across the horizon.  San Jose Peak in Sonora was shrouded in clouds.  The sun managed to bring some colors below the cloud cover, so that the sunrise was quite pretty.  It was in the upper 60s and refreshing.  Only Minnie insisted on staying in the Honda to wait on us.  She can no longer handle my two, three, four-mile walks.

My walking course just outside the Coronado National Forest maintenance road off SR92  is no longer a secret.  A woman walking her boxer, a couple riding their bikes, another dog walker and his two dogs all shared the northern route with me.  I have to now be more attentive of people coming around corners on bikes or loose dogs.

Cloud cover persisted well past sunrise.  I saw lightning to the southeast and heard thunder as well, but I managed just over four miles by 7am without any rain.  I love these kinds of mornings when I get my exercise early.

Steady rain finally began falling at 8:30am.  We finally have a morning monsoon!

Dock diving for Minnie

Valli invited Minnie and me to dock dive with her and her friend Brenda at the Animal Watcher's pool where Minnie first learned to dock dive last year.  I took the day off to offer Minnie this water fun.   She needs this for her aching joints.

I got to the pool promptly at 9:40am, expecting Valli to be there, but she was delayed by ten minutes and arrived at 10:10am.  She is German and always on time, so this was unusual.  She gave me the cold shoulder and I didn't understand why.  Was it because I started Minnie in the pool without her?  Was it because I had given the clerk my $12 instead of her?  She never said why until later, explaining that she had already paid for the hour use of the pool.  She and Brenda used the dock diving classes this summer and get a "student rate" for private use.  Since Minnie did not take classes this year, I do not get a discount.  OK, fine.  Twelve bucks for an hour of swim time is still worth it.

No one else was at the pool, either.  This was a private engagement that Valli had reserved.  The pool water was still getting skimmed of dead bugs when I came by, but the water looked greenish, as if the filter had been turned off weeks ago.  It wasn't very appealing.

I asked the pool owners if I could start early (on time, 10am) so that Minnie could get some water time.  Fifteen minutes later, she was exhausted.  She had to remember how this dock diving worked and was hesitant. Valli and Brenda let their dogs jump, but they, too, had tired dogs in the end.

SteveT lives nearby and came over for the second half hour to watch Minnie dock dive.  It's more of a canine belly flop and cute to watch.  He helped lure Minnie into the pool.  She seemed more interested in swimming than diving.

After our one-hour session was over, Steve and I went to Huachuca City to have lunch at the new Mexican restaurant where once Pulla's was, El Camino, a father-daughter enterprise I hope succeeds.  Their chicken burrito and especially the salsa is muy sobroso!  Minnie stayed in the car with the windows open, parked on the north side in the shade.  Her wet fur kept her cool.

At 4:30pm I met up with Susan at the river to walk all the dogs.  It was nice to see Susan again.  Minnie went right into the muddy water, so her clean fur from earlier today was quickly caked in river mud.  The sky was cloudy and rain was falling to the south of us, but it never fell over Hereford.  It was a nice day that went to the dogs.

Slavin Gulch to Council Rocks, Dragoon Mtns

I always enjoy walking around the Dragoon mountains northeast of Tombstone.  They are full of history.  It was in the western Dragoons, in this area of Council Rocks where General Oliver Howard and Chiricahua Apache chief Cochise negotiated a peace accord in 1872. Apache Petroglyphs can still be seen on the rocks, slowly faded from exposure.  Elevation gain is minimal.  The hike is around 6.5 miles the way we hike it, and elevation gain is 640 accumulative.  The bigger challenge is watching one's footing as there are many rocks hidden in the grass as one traverses the faint trail.

I left the house at 5:35am to pick up SteveT at his place in Whetstone.  Together we drove in the Escape with Zeke and Trace in the back.  Steve had removed the rear seats and now the back area is flush; much better to lay back there while on the road.

Today's hike was led by RodC from the Huachuca Hiking Club.  Nine of us showed up, including SteveT and me and our dogs.  SteveA, SteveS, Paul, Jim and Maryann, and Doug were the other hikers, all experienced and strong hikers.  Rod said there were supposed to be some teachers from Tombstone ISD joining us, but no one showed up at the meeting point off Middle March Road. Morning clouds were refreshingly cool and we started out with 72F at 7:30am.  The clouds quickly dissipated in that first mile and we were on an exposed trail the entire time.

Normally the crevices and metates are full of monsoonal rains this time of year, but when we crossed the dry creekbed just before the trailhead parking area, I knew we would be facing a dry walk.  This concerned me, as normally we can rely on water to cool off the dogs and we don't need to carry as much water.  Today I used  up the gallon of water I brought along for the dogs and me.

Today we did the route in reverse from when I last led it with SteveT and his friend Kel.  Today we started on the Slavin Gulch trail, then quickly diverted from that trail just past the cattle gate, to hike up into the pass before descending in the meadow just before Council Rocks.  We could hear cowbells in the washes around us, and diverted around many cow patties along the trail.  The dogs romped around; Trace chased after quail while Zeke followed me.

(Photo by Steve Scheumann)

We made it to Council Rocks in 1:20 hours and 2.7 miles.  That seemed rather quick.  We had taken the most direct route.  (I'll have to remember that route!) We rested by the rocks, noted the faded petroglyphs, had our snacks, then continued on our return hike.

The return hike meanders through the rocks the way we came, but then cuts along the foothills past a cattle gate and group campsite.  The depressions around the rocks were void of any captured monsoonal rains, something very unusual in August when monsoonal rains are at their most active.  There was no water along the entire loop hike, even in the dry washes.  Just cooling off paws is important for dogs while hiking.

I could now feel the heat rising.  At 10am it was already 82F.  The expected high was to hit the 90s.  At least we were mostly done with the hike and not starting. We took several shade breaks for the dogs.  Catclaw along the wash and parts of the rocky trail back slowed us down some, but I just wanted to plow through that part to get to the shade.

Jim and Maryann took off at this point, so it was just seven of us slower folk.  We stopped more than usual in shaded spots.  The dogs finished the water I had and now I felt parched.  Luckily we had a half-mile to go before getting back to the cars.  SteveT and I left the group to hit the Tombstone Brewery, where I had two types of lager (both at 4.9% ABV) and three tacos for $5 from the JD's Chuckwagon food truck parked outside.  Joker, the beer pourer from the last time I was at the brewery with Kevin and Steve, gave the dogs a bowl of water right away while we cooled off inside.  Joker fits the Tombstone image with his long white hair pulled back in a tight ponytail. Both dogs were exhausted, but at least they were welcome inside.  The rest of the group ate at the OK Cafe in town.

SteveT and I chatted a bit once we got to his place. giving the dogs more time to drink water and chill.  When I left his place to get back home, Steve noticed the rear right tire on the Escape had a flat.  At least we had managed to get to safety before the tire gave out!  It would have been miserable having a flat tire on a desert road in 90F with little water to keep the dogs from dehydrating.  At least Steve is very adept at fixing flats; me, not so much.

Randal has died

Hearing of Randal falling into a coma on Sunday gave me a bad feeling.  I miss having Susan to walk with along the river.  Today I started late and walked slowly, missing talking to Susan.  She had been quiet since I last texted her on Monday.  After the river walk, I pulled over and texted her, asking her how Randal was doing.  She responded quickly with

"He just passed, peacefully but agonizing for us here,"  (Susan's daughter Andrea from Long Island will fly in tomorrow to help her overcome the grief) "My friend Linda was here as hospice left, saying that he will pass within the hour" (and he did).

While I knew Randal was dying, the news struck me hard nonetheless.  Susan is a dear friend and she just lost her husband of 20 years.  I didn't know him well at all, I met him briefly in April when I went to Susan's house for the first time, and he was still considered healthy.  He was a passionate collector of Corvettes and was active in the local car club

My mood was somber the rest of the evening.

Carr Peak for August with Sadie and Zeke

I had been wanting to hike up Carr Peak shortly after coming back home, but the first weekend back I was too exhausted and last weekend was too hot.  Last weekend's double mass shootings in El Paso and then Dayton didn't help my mood.  Yesterday it rained and then drizzled all afternoon but today things had cleared up enough to take the chance.  I'm glad I did.  It was a near-perfect day for an afternoon hike, with no winds and temps in the mid-to-upper 60s.

I left the house after 11:30am and got on the trail by 12:13pm.  Dark clouds lingered over the peaks, but they weren't billowing.  The valley was sunny with some clouds.  My Honda had no problem driving up the mountain road. Nothing was too badly eroded to prevent me from getting to the trail head. I went up the Sawmill trail at a steady pace, admiring all the colorful flowers.  Everything was so green!

It took me two hours (!) to get to the peak.  I was stopping too much and photographing all the flowers.  The common mullein, the first flora to sprout after winter snows, are now fully stalked and ready to bloom.  Bees love to swarm around the white flowers.  I saw lots of yellow, purple, some red and whites, and a few blues. 

Lots of young pine trees, around 2-3 feet tall, are finally starting to fill up the area hit hardest by that 2011 fire.  In twenty years, those pines will provide the shade their parents provided for me.

The trail wasn't muddy, either, although I could see water marks from recent rains.  The trail was soft and saturated in some parts, but the road to the trailhead and the trail were quite passable.

I hiked at a steady pace.  Not once did I feel winded, or needed a break.  I was so worried I'd be out of shape, having spent six weeks at below 600' elevation in Northwest Indiana.  What slowed me down was stopping to photograph all the flowers.  I do this every August, photographing the same flowers every year, as if every year is the first time I see them.  Still, the varied colors are a feast for the eyes.

What did surprise me was the lack of water coming down from the springs at the falls in the aspen grove.  Water was trickling down the rocks but not pooling at the base.  There were plenty of Golden Colombine and raspberries, but little surface water. Luckily I had a half gallon with me, but this spot is normally where I stop to let the dogs drink.  Zeke had to dig a bit to get some water to surface.  We found more water behind Contemplation rock, that big shaded boulder I like to sit on right before tackling the last 1/3 mile to the peak. The dogs like resting here, too.

Big drops started falling  in that last half mile.  I figured that was from clouds farther away even though there were grey clouds above me.  Those drops luckily didn't last long.  I didn't feel like stopping to take out my windbreaker.

Just before reaching the peak I noticed the ladybugs.  Ladybugs normally mate above 9000' the third week in July (which was the weekend I got back to Arizona).  I was even lamenting missing seeing them, because I was too tired to hike the day after coming back.  What a delight to see!  They sure were busy!  They were in the shrubs, on tree stumps, even on rocks.

Apparently the peak was too cold, too wet or too windy for them, because only a few vagabonds were up there.  I stayed on the peak only long enough to give the dogs a break and to take some pictures.  I got to the peak at 2:15 and descended ten minutes later, leaving the scent of wild onion behind.  Those flowers don't normally bloom until September or October!  This year, everything is wonked!

The descent was much of the same as going up.  I passed three men, all on their own (one had a one-year-old female GSD with him).  Near the end I passed a family from Texas.  Lots of late starters today!

I stopped at the middle falls on my drive down the mountain.  I let the dogs drink from the rushing water, then walked over to the viewpoint.  Down below by the lower falls I could see flashing lights.  Upon closer examination, it was at least five Cochise County Sheriff Department vehicles and two ambulances.  Oh uh, had someone fallen?  I know the lower falls is party central for the younger crowd, who like to hike up the falls, drink their cheap beer, and then leave their beer cans behind.  I had picked up six cans myself after leaving the middle falls.

When I got back to the lower falls I could see the commotion better.  The road going uphill was closed, but the deputies had no choice but to let me through.  One Search and Rescue volunteer assured me that there was no fatality (later I learned it was a 39-year-old man who had slipped on the rocks and fallen 30 feet, possibly breaking an arm, with a left knee and head injuries)  Carr Canyon Road at the intersection of SR92 was still closed when I made it through.