Christmas 2021

This year has pretty much gone the way I feared, but with a few twists. Last year I feared losing Sadie and Kevin and Carol. Instead, I lost Zeke and Kevin today is not in good health. He's too weak to get up to walk. He stays in bed. I get him his chocolate milk or whatever else it is he wants.

I walked Hansel at sunrise. It was a colorful sunrise, with remnant storm clouds from yesterday. It didn't rain today, and the wind wasn't as bad. Colder temperatures will resume tomorrow.

I cancelled Christmas because of his health, staying close by to work on the house.  The dogs all got their Christmas steak for breakfast.

Today I spent most of the early afternoon bagging debris from the dining area. I was never far away from any of the dogs. They all watched me intently.

When Susan called at 1:30 to invite me over, I cancelled that as well because I wanted to get some work done and give the dogs some company. I didn't want to head over to her place with a few select dogs but have to leave by 4:30 so she could get ready for her family's Zoom time.  I'd rather visit when there are no limitations.

By mid afternoon Kevin's friend David came by to drop off two ham meals. Kevin nibbled on his for a few bites but left the rest. His declining health worries me, but he does not want to see a doctor.

Pima Canyon Wash to Hidden Valley

Tempe was quiet once I settled down. I walked the dogs around the block to relieve themselves, then drove toward South Mountain Park.

The Trailhead is on the far east side of the park, near a very upscale neighborhood off 48th Street. I had to drive five miles out of my way to find a open coffee shop. I needed caffeine and some time to recharge my phone before starting on this trail.

And what a busy trail this was!  There's a guard shack as one drives through, warning drivers not to drive through the exit without damaging the tires. A narrow strip of green on either side of the road reminds visitors that this part is a private golf course.

I made it to the trailhead after 8am. The cloudy sky gave way to partial sunshine, but it turned out to be a good day to hike.

My goal was to hike the Mormon Loop (which I did last year with Zeke and Gretel) .  From Pima Canyon trailhead, this is a 6.4- mile hike, but I  tracked just under eight miles because I did not see the well-marked sign taking me on a loop and ended up going almost a half mile west on the National Trail. This would have taken me to the Buena Vista trail head another two miles.

The dogs were getting tired now and so was I. We had hiked five miles and needed to turn around. Although the clouds diffused the sun, the dogs needed water. I gave them that at two breaks before finishing the loop via the Pima Wash trail, past a petroglyph site.

This took us four hours. We got back to the Honda just before 1pm. The dogs were tired and needed water and were grateful to be in a cool car as I drove to Fate Brewing in Tempe.

Eric recommended this place. I had their Half Way to Heffen and then their 2021 Candy Bar Milk Stout, a sweet sipping beer that I finished off with some chicken tacos. 

When I left at 3:30 I felt a light drizzle. Today's weather was perfect for being outside. I got to enjoy the nicer side of the greater Phoenix area (namely Tempe). I hope to come back more often while Eric is in the area.

Tempe Beach Park path

Packing for a road trip--any length of road trip--takes me two days.  Fill the water bowls, clean out the kitty box, clean out the Honda, water the plants, replenish the doggie pool, pack the recycables, wash clothes, pack clothes, pack dog food and treats and try not to lose my keys or wallet at the same time.

Weather in Phoenix is projected to hit 80F today, so I decided to do the Usery park trail on Wednesday and then drive home from there.  It will be cloudy and in the low 70s by then.

I'm also taking Hansel and Gretchen.  Susan had agreed to watch Gretchen for the three days I was gone., but then her dog got ill a few days and she's stressed out over that.  Allie is a senior dog and they can get sick fast.

I will meet Eric and Margaret for dinner tonight in Tempe.  They suggested The Thirsty Lion at the Tempe Marketplace.  It's a brewpub chain out of Portland, OR. Tomorrow I may just do the Hidden Valley loop from the Buena Vista trailhead.

I was up early again.  At sunrise I took four dogs out for a two-mile jaunt off the maintenance road.  It's cool and overcast here.  At least all the dogs got walked before I take off.  I'm sure if I could walk all six pups everyday for two miles, they wouldn't be so destructive in the backyard.

By 1133 am I was finally on the road. Instead of Gretchen I had Gretel. I got to Tempe at 4pm. The drive took me longer than expected, so I forfeited s hike in South Mountain park and parked in the Tempe Beach Park lot instead. This was much closer to my destination and a wise decision.

An Ironman competition was finishing in the park, but I still found a spot in the lot. I paid my $4 parking fee and got both dogs leashed up for the walk around the lake. This lake is actually a dammed section of the Salt River (Rio Salado). Allttails said this was a 7.4- mile path.

Hansel is still quite the leash puller. At times his pulling took away from the walk. Gretel did fine, but she did pull toward other dogs.

The path is both paved and dirt, with plenty of river access for boaters. Hansel insisted on diving into the water and I let the dogs enjoy themselves. It was 5pm now, the sky was clouding up, but not much of a sunset. Allttails  reviews had mentioned that this made a nice sunset walk and what I discovered is that it was a great place to see planes take off from Sky Harbor airport. The water also smelled suspiciously of effluent 

The plan was to meet Eric and Margaret for dinner at 7pm. I added a quick jaunt up Tempe Butte (A Mountain) for a view of Tempe and the ASU campus to bide the time until Eric was done with his workout.

The path is mostly paved except for the last tenth of a mile. My sneakers were no good on the slick rock, but luckily there were guard rails to balance me. There were people on the summit despite a sign saying not to summit the rock mound. I did so anyway.

 

We walked back to the Honda from the summit, walking through Tempe Beach Park again. Hansel barked at a statue in honor of first responders, perhaps thinking that the German shepherd was a real dog. We had walked just over give miles now.

 Eric was at the gym and I picked him up on the ASU campus behind Coor Hall. It was now 7pm and I was hungry.

Together we drove to the Thirsty Lion gastropub where we had a tasty and filling meal and I got a bill for $90.

Full moon hike over Juniper Flats

I wanted to lead a full moon hike in Bisbee this month.  The timing for the moon rise, however, meant I had to hurry from school, grab a dog (Fritz) , and then drive to the trail head.  I scheduled the time for 4:15pm and I got there right on time.

There were eight people waiting.  I only recognized SteveD and his dog Morgan.  I introduced myself to the group.  There was TimB from Green Castle, IN, Esther and her toy chihuahua from Germany, couple Patrick and Sabine (who also hails from Germany), Cameron from Lubbock, TX, SteveD with dog Morgan and his friend Terry. HollyW joined us minutes later.  Steve and Holly were the only familiar faces.

Sunset was at 5:19pm with moon rise at 5:40pm, creating a good time for photographs with the remaining ambient light.  However, the skies today were hazy and the sunset lacking any dramatic color.  It looked like a fire was burning nearby, as the sunset had more brown than red.

The walk from the parking area to the hilltop was just 1.3 miles, much shorter than I thought. But at least we were able to see the sun rise for a while and didn't have to wait long for the moon, despite the brown haze.

I led the group to the view point.  Everyone kept their distance from me and then I realized why: they were afraid of Fritz.  He had lunged at Morgan when  she got too close.  Fritz was on leash and didn't do any damage, but this was the second time for him.  While he is calmer than he was two months ago, he still needs some training with his reactivity.  My next move will be a training collar.

I spent most of my walk back talking to Cameron, a young man from Lubbock who works for the National Forest as a biologist.  He's stationed out of Douglas and is an avid hiker, but added that there aren't many hikers in Douglas.  The town lost its one grocery store and now everyone has to shop at the Walmart.

We were back at our cars two hours later.. Cameron, Patrick and Sabine and Holly joined me for beer and chili at the Old Bisbee Brewing company.  Fritz stayed in the Honda. We chatted some more but left once the beer and chili were consumed as temperatures were dropping. 

How many GSDs can one pack in a 2014 Honda CR-V?

Seven.

And I'll never do that again.  Not because the number is ridiculously large, but because it's hard to manage that many dogs.

I got home from a short meet with Steve at Bone Dry and got home at 4:30pm.  I was already running out of day light and decided to take them down to the maintenance road three miles away.  This way I wouldn't lose 15 minutes of drive time.

I took all the younger dogs: Hansel, Gretel, Fritz, Wolf, Gretchen, Sahne and Sweetie. I initially wanted only to take four dogs, but all of them busted out the gate and managed to get inside the vehicle.  They had no room to lay down and were packed in.

It was no wonder they all jumped out with relief when I parked the car.

The dogs generally stayed together, with Gretel and Sweetie staying closer, while the others followed Hansel as he pranced across the field.  I stayed on the paths and created a linear track, but the dogs went everywhere, through the grass, over the washes, and finished up in the small pond the National Forest has artificially pumped in for wildlife. This pond has been cleared of its reeds and is more visible now.

I logged in two miles in 43 minutes, finishing at dusk with all dogs wet and happy back in the Honda for the drive home. At least all the pups got exercised, but the stress of watching over all that fur is too much.

Scotia Canyon trail

Hiking this rather level section of the Arizona Trail was Ellen's idea.  Susan and Allie joined us with Hansel.  Meetup time was 9am in town.

I had to drive the southern route since I still haven't located my military ID card.  From my house the time and distance is the same as driving through Fort Huachuca: an hour.

Traffic along the border road was busy.  Full-sized SUVs passed me going east; perhaps those were unmarked Border Patrol vehicles.  I didn't see any signs of illegal border crossers from the road, though.  Didn't see any trash they usually leave behind, either. The Wall on this side of the Coronado National Monument had never been erected.

I arrived at Parker Lake at 8:24am, more than 90 minutes early for the hike.  The lake is at a low level but there were plenty of campers at the marina and in dispersed campsites along the way.  There was quite a bit of activity all along my route of travel.

I had not been to Parker Lake in several years.  There have been some changes since my last visit. The lake is now a fee area so I didn't stay long.  

Instead, I parked at the Canelo Hills East trailhead a mile away, joining a couple from Georgia that had used the trailhead to camp for the night.  Their presence at first annoyed me, as I knew they were avoiding camping fees by spreading out in the trailhead, but I did not confront them about it. I had no intention of staying long anyway, as this stop was a mere leg stretcher. I took Hansel and walked the gentle grassy ridge for 0.7 miles toward the lake, and turned around before the grade got too steep.  It was a good way to spend some time waiting.

I could see Parker Lake from this vantage point.  The flora is getting dry again. The trailhead would make a free parking area should I ever opt to lead a hike around the lake this winter and hunt for bald eagles.  Starting from the Canelo Hills East would add at least two miles to the hike, so around 6.5 miles.

I kept my hat and backback in the Honda as this was meant to be a short leg stretcher for Hansel, who was getting restless sitting in the back of the Honda on the bumpy dirt road.  He stayed close by, but was on alert for deer as we saw plenty of them along the drive.  He's going to be a good hiking dog in another year or two, as he's easy-going and fun-loving.  He's the only dog out of the young pack of six I can say that about.

The vista all around me looked dry.  We haven't had rain in a while and none is in the forecast. Flowers and grasses have gone to seed.

Houses are sprinkled on the southeastern side of Parker Lake, but I have to wonder who would want to live here?  Unless these are all vacation rentals.  There is no phone reception and the US-MEX border is just four miles south. The closest town is Sonoita 20 miles to the north on SR83 and the only big store is a Dollar General. 

I picked up two near-empty gallon water jugs left behind for either border crossers or AZT thru-hikers, then drove a mile east to the agreed-upon trailhead.  I was still early: Ellen and Susan said they'd be by 10am.

A large group was down by the trailhead, so I stayed close to the road to keep the dogs from possibly getting aggressive.  ATVers drove by.  It was certainly a warm and windless day for a hike in the canyon.

I meandered around the trailhead waiting for the other two.  I don't remember the last time I was in this canyon, but I do remember hiking this section of the AZT with the hiking club years ago.  It's a pleasant downhill to the lake marina going north.

The gals arrived on time and we were on the trail by 10am.  Allie and Hansel chased each other around, off and on the trail chasing blue jays.  Both dogs seemed so happy having each other for company.

This first mile is an exposed dirt road with little elevation.  It would be hot in the summer, but today was nice.  Hansel even jumped into a cattle trough to cool off.

After the first mile the trail was more of a shaded single track. Here is where it began to resemble more of an oak forest.  Susan said she'd go as far as Allie was able, but we rested at the 2.5-mile along the creek.  Two groups of two AZT thru-hikers walked past us, two women from Massachusetts and two bearded men from Seattle. They both were walking south  and had another 21 miles to go to hit the border with Mexico.

I walked another 0.6-mile to the bend in the trail for some additional mileage while the other two continued to chat.  This was a shaded, scenic section. The junction with Sunnyside Canyon would be another mile from where we had stopped to rest.  This would make a long but pleasant valley hike.

Elevation gain was a mere 386 feet, but I'm sure it's a bit more if we were to do the entire loop of Scotia-Sunnyside canyon.

We were back at our cars at 1:15pm and left shortly afterward.  I was home in 55 minutes. 

Heading up to Phoenix for a few days

We get an entire week for Thanksgiving now.  Like last year, I will head out to the Phoenix area and hike a few new-to-me trails in several of Maricopa County's regional parks like Usery and McDowell.  I will take Gretel and Sahne.  I will leave next Sunday and be back home Wednesday afternoon.  One hike I want to do is the Pass Mountain Trail with the Wind Cave.  This would be over nine miles.  

I took Fritz on a quick two-mile walk at sunrise, but then at 9:23am I was on Carr Canyon Road with both Gretel and Sahne to see how they would handle being around other dogs, specifically with dogs of my fellow hiking partners.  I gave them a 20-minute head start so that at the beginning both dogs could be used to being on leash.  This is a four-mile walk on a dirt road going out and back.  The group turns around at the middle falls after a short break.  This takes about two hours, with time to chat and enjoy the view over the valley.  The hike has a 937 feet elevation gain.

It was a pleasant, cool hike.  Temperature was 54F.  I didn't bring a backpack, nor water for the dogs.  This was a training hike for them.

There was little traffic this morning, but there were two campers off the side of the road with dogs.  Seeing the dogs got both of mine excited and they pulled.  Not good.  But the worst part is that both dogs got agitated when I reached the middle falls and the group was waiting there...with four dogs.  I had to use all my strength to restrain both dogs.  I momentarily distracted them by taking them down to the creek to lap up some water, but both dogs resumed their barking and lunging when  we got back to the road.  I had no choice but to apologize and go straight back down the road and back to the car.

Taking both dogs is not the best choice for my trip to Phoenix, but Gretel and Sahne are two of the more rambunctious dogs.  Taking them will give Kevin a break for the time I'm gone, having to deal with two less dogs, but now I'm wondering if taking these two dogs is a wise decision.

Missing Zeke

I had a quiet weekend.  I didn't do any hiking, but I did spend time with the dogs, starting with a 4:30pm river ramble Friday after school with five dogs (I prefer to take no more than four at a time), then more laps with them Saturday morning, and a final river ramble today.  Today all six dogs were walked and I feel good when all the young dogs can get at least a fast mile in.  I walked Gretel and Sahne at dusk when I got home from the river, as the waxing crescent moon set behind the mountains and Venus shone brightly to the moon's northwest.

I was in a funk again and didn't do much else but preview some documentaries I plan on showing the kids for next semester.  It was a beautifully mild autumn day, ideal for hiking, and I spent most of it indoors.

I watched the 2012 Australian movie "Red Dog" in the afternoon.  Red Dog was a real dog in western Australia who wandered around Hamersly and Dampier, mining towns on the coast, after his owner John died in a car crash.  The dog was a favorite of everyone who met him, and he was able to unite even the most extreme people.  He only lived eight years and his death took the townsfolk hard.  A monument was erected where he died.

It was a well-acted movie, with the red sand and desert backdrop in all the shots.

The move brought me to tears because Red Dog's expressions were so much like Zeke's.  Both dog had that "happy look" that endeared them to people.  This is the first time in three weeks I broke down about Zeke, and it came on fast.

https://tubitv.com/movies/476668/red-dog?start=true

Carr Peak with Sahne

It's  been a busy weekend with Eric and his wife Margaret in town.  It's her 32nd birthday tomorrow and Eric treated her to a weekend in Tombstone and Bisbee.  Kevin and I met up with them yesterday for a tasty dinner at Vinny's.  The place was busy but not loud.  We were able to have a nice conversation.

I decided to hike up Carr today while Eric and Margaret were doing the touristy stuff.  I originally wanted to take Hansel and Sahne together, but that meant I had four other dogs watching my every move.  Whenever they see me get ready for a hike (they see the car keys around my neck, holding several leashes, and perhaps a backpack over my shoulder and heading to the Honda) and the entire pack wants to explode out the back yard and come with me.

 I had a brief moment alone with just Sahne and got her into the Honda before the other dogs caught on.  Getting Hansel out of the yard without the other spies watching me proved futile.  So I drove off with just Sahne.

And that girl surprised me beyond my wildest imagination.  We got to our usual trailhead at 10:55am.  Two other cars were in the parking lot.  I took Sahne off leash and instead of her running off to explore like Gretel and Gretchen do, she stayed by my side. I never had to stop to call for her.  

My tempo today was OK. While I felt fine, I had to stop a few times to gather my breath. I'm still not at 100% energy.  It took us 1:50 hours to reach the peak.  This is the same time from last month.  I've been taking prescription-strength Vitamin D now for over a week.  Nurse Dixie said low Vitamin D can cause lethargy.

I was disappointed in the autumn colors. There were no blazing wildflowers.  Leaves have dropped and flowers have gone to seed. There were few spurts of autumn color remaining. The entire forest is now ready to slumber for winter.  Even the aspen grove was naked.  It peaked two weeks ago, but back then I couldn't hike Carr because of Zeke.  He died two weeks ago and yes, I thought of him a lot on this hike as this is my first hike moving forward without him.

I can not let Zeke's death stop me from bonding with my new generation of dogs. They need love, attention and training. These dogs will be my last.  I'm bonding with Fritz but Sahne is a hyperactive dog that needs constant activity.  She will be hyper for another 1-2 years.  Zeke was a hyper pup, too, for the first four (!) years, and he turned out beautifully.  So I have hope.

It was very mild today.  Starting temperature at 10:55am was 63F with a slight breeze.  I wore two layers of Quikdry shirts, jeans,  and a Marmot wind breaker over that.  I was never chilled.

I met two men near the summit.  By then I discovered that I had left my leash a quarter-mile away when I stopped for a water break.  Not wanting to go back to retrieve it,  I asked them to just throw it on the side of the trail so I can pick it up on my way back down.  I had stopped there to give Sahne some water.  They complied.  That leash came in handy when I met three women and three dogs further down.  Sahne neither barked nor lunged at them.  I was so proud!

The peak was calm when I approached.  There were two camouflaged backpacks near the summit that some border crossers had left behind.  Why did they hike up Carr Peak?  I've come across border trash while hiking up Carr peak, but never near the peak. The packs were identical, but one was field-sewn for torn straps.  Empty Electrolyte bottles were strewn nearby, as well as several energy bar wrappers.  I collected it all on my descent and carried both packs to my car. 

I met five more people on the descent in two groups.    

We were back at the Honda at 2:40pm.  There were two more big pick-ups in the parking area.  My gas tank told me I had about ten miles of driving left, so I put the transmission in Neutral and sailed down the mountain for those ten miles.  When I got to Highway 92, I still had eight miles left.  I stopped at Speedway two miles north to gas up for $30 ($3.35/gallon) 

I'm very proud of Sahne.  This was her first big solo hike and she did much better than expected.  She was exhausted when we got home, though.  She is just proof that we need to give our dogs some trust to do well.

 

Prices for everything is going up

I love a good road trip, but the price of regular unleaded gasoline in the last ten days has skyrocketed.  Last Sunday I gassed up the Honda for $3.03  The next day it was $3.13, so I was glad I didn't procrastinate.  But on Tuesday last week it rose to $3.19.  On Thursday it was $3.25 and just yesterday after school I saw $3.39.  This is scaring me, as I'm already stuck here for the holidays (or at least stay in Arizona) to save some money.  I'm just grateful I'm employed at all.

I have to start buying different dog food to save in the long run. Right now I'm giving the dogs Blue Buffalo.  Two 24-pound bags of grain-free puppy formula costs $116.21. And those two bags last ten days. They also get Diamond Naturals.  Two 40-pound bags cost me $80.94 but they don't eat it with gusto like the Blue Buffalo grain-free formula.

10/27

Thompson Saddle

I originally wanted to go with the Huachuca Hiking Club to Hidden Pasture in the Little Rincons, a hike led by one of my favorite hike leaders, SteveA.  Other friends I had told about this hike were interested, but warned me that temperatures were expected to reach the mid 80s.  The Little Rincons are an impressive area, with rock formations, hidden pools, and isolation, but it can get very uncomfortable in the sun with the exposed boulders.  October is also an active snake month.

But it was not to be.   Three dogs were in my Honda overnight and I had to get them back inside.  I had taken them on a river ramble yesterday with Susan.   I still want to know why the dogs like sleeping in that car. All three played hard to get.  Sahne fought me and wiggled out of her collar. Gretel insisted on a quick walk around the block (by now I was running low on time before having to leave for the meet-up), but Fritz took the cake by playing stubborn and taking ME on a walk.  He wasn't wearing a collar and I had to coax him gently to come back.  He was being playful, but he was also curious with meeting some of the other dogs in the 'hood.

By the time I got him back inside, it was already 6:50am and I needed to have left at 6:30am.

Then Sweetie got out at 7:30am when Kevin went to his truck.  She, too, wanted a walk around the 'hood.  She at least isn't an ass about her walks and daintily tip-tapped with me.  I had now walked two miles, some of that unintended.

I needed to do more.  Hansel and Fritz are strong boys and needed a challenge, so I decided to take them both up Ash Canyon to hike up to the Thompson Saddle, a short but steep 3.2-mile hike.  They were excited about going out.  Fritz whimpered so much I thought he was going to defecate in the Honda, but he held out until shortly after reaching the trail head. 

There were plenty of hunters in Lower Ash Canyon, but luckily none along my path.

It was a cool and breezy 59F when we started this hike.  I packed a wind breaker but never wore it, as it got warmer the higher I got. I was slow today.  It took me an hour to hike the saddle.  That's 15 minutes slower than usual.  I hope it's not because of my low Vitamin D count (which the nurse told me last Monday can cause lethargy) I had to stop a few times when the dogs took off running into the manzanitas off the trail.  At least they stayed together; Fritz always following his dad closely.  Those two dogs hike well together, but when they see deer they can take off at high speed up steep hillsides. I also diverted three times at switchbacks trying to find the old mine that Rod showed me when we hiked Thompson Peak a few years ago.  Zeke was my dog that day.  I never did find the mine.

I thought a lot about Zeke.  I even accidentally yelled out for "Sieger!" when I meant to say "Hansel!" at one point.  That dog always had that look of love when I gazed at him.

I only brought a quart for the dogs.  That was clearly not enough, but I decided once on the saddle to hike the social trail along the ridge going west.  That prominent peak I discovered later while looking at my track is Montezuma Peak, the 10th-tallest peak in the Huachuca mountains at 7676' (2304m) .  This is a popular trail for the illegal border crossers.  They leave their trash here under the brush: sun-faded back packs, plastic bottles, tuna cans.

I have done this ridge a few times, dipping down into another saddle and then continuing up the steeper grade up Montezuma Peak.  This part was new to me.  I wanted to hike at least three miles one way now, but realized that the dogs were running too hard after deer and getting thirsty and needed more water than I had brought.  I turned around at the 2.35-mile mark.  I was less than a half-mile from the peak. 

I would like to bag Montezuma Peak some day from Thompson Saddle, but I know I'd be safer with at least one other person.  The area is heavily used by the illegal border crossers and smugglers.  The grade it steep near the peak with a few prominent boulders along the way.  Later on at home I googled for any trip reports from that vantage point.  Several groups have bagged the peak and posted about it on peakbagger.com, but none of the reports were very helpful.

Perimeter Trail going south from Miller Canyon

This trail is still under construction, but after school today Ellen took Susan and me on this new section.  I never even knew there was work done on extending the Perimeter trail south to Hunter Canyon.

We met at 4:15pm at the Lower Miller Canyon parking lot.  I brought Gretchen, Susan brought Allie.  It was a mild late afternoon.  Within a half-mile we were in the mountain shade.

This part of the trail is still unmarked.  Mountain bikers are buiding this extention, which goes along the foothills of the residential area.  I had never been back here.  I didn't even know there were trails here.    We saw small but affluent homes back here I never knew existed.  

We started at an elevation of 5100'.  The highest elevation was 5200' and it looks like the future trail will gain even more when it continues south of Bear Draw before descending again in Hunter Canyon.

Gretchen took off after a white-tailed deer that forced me to stop while the other two continued.  She eventually came back down to the same area she darted off from.  After this one incident, she opted to stay by my side, even when Allie took off after a squirrel.

The new trail stops at the 1.3-mile mark, just before the red markers disappeared from view and the trail dips down into Bear Draw.  During the monsoon there is a waterfall here.  I must come back when it rains to check it out!  The sun was too low by the time we turned around to see much detail, but there are definitely interesting rock formations tucked away.

We made this a loop of almost 2.6-miles.  There was still water in Miller Creek near the parking lot, which made this a treat for the dogs in the end.

My last night with Zeke

The day started out like all the mornings so far this week, with me feeding Zeke his can of food and giving the older dogs their can as well.  This morning Zeke only ate half the can, though, which worried me.  He had been eating his food ravishingly so far since his cancer diagnosis.  I gave Hansel the left-overs.

I had a hike date Ellen and Susan at noon, so that gave me some time to get to town and pick up ms y medications the nurse prescribed for me.  I have some strong pain meds for my left hand, and some cream for my dry patches.  I took Gretchen with me so that I could take her back to Veteran's Park for a loop around the perimeter.  I did not expect to wait in a long line of cars for almost an hour at the Walgreens drive-through pharmacy.  We only ended up walking less than a mile, but Gretchen seemed fine with that.

Zeke was resting by Kevin outside on the patio when I got home.  What a relief

Zeke was still resting when I got home, laying down on the dog bed. His breathing was getting more labored, but he was still very lucid.  

Susan, Ellen and I met a second time to walk the river route.  This was her first time walking with us, as she batted the bugs away from her face.  She didn't seem to mind Sahne and Gretchen along with Hansel, as they can get quite muddy.  We ended up walking the field as well, totalling 2.35 miles.  We got back to the cars shortly after sunset.

I am a little worried about Ellen's lungs.  She has had chronic issues with her lungs for over a year now.  Her lungs have been hurting her, causing her to stop a lot  or to slow down.  She is only 39 years old and in the prime of her life!

When I got home this time, the dogs lined up for their chicken jerky treats.  Zeke was in the back, but he walked up to me and took his treat.

But two hours later everything changed.  Zeke left the bedroom to lay down in front of the back patio door, the same spot Sara died on back in 2013.  That scared me.  And his breathing was getting more rapid.  By now the sun had set and it was dark.  The three dogs I took down to the river, Hansel, Gretchen and Sahne, were safely (and contently) in my Honda while the other dogs were outside wrestling.  It was rather quiet in the house.

I looked at my phone.  It was 8:34pm when I joined Zeke in the dining area.  I lay his head on my upper right thigh as I caressed his spine and belly.  I took off his collar, which by now was a small puppy collar the pups used earlier in the year, and just sat with him, massaging his belly and spine.  Touching his thin body only weakened me more.  What had become of my Zeke so quickly?  He just lay there, breathing heavily, but still wagged his tail.  I knew my time with Zeke was numbered.  If only he could survive the night, I'd take him to the vet first thing in the morning and have him humanely euthanized.

He was breathing fast but regularly, as he had all week, but now he looked ready to go.  He still took a bowl of water and lapped that one dry, then moved to another part of the living room.  Again I joined him.  He didn't stay there for long, and then moved to the hallway for a bit before getting up to lay down by Kevin's side of the bed, a place he had slept for many years.  By now I was exhausted.  It was 10:57pm when I went to bed.

Our first morning below 40F

Both Hansel and Fritz refused to get out of the Honda yesterday evening after our walk and were quite content sleeping in it over night.  And all this despite the colder temperatures in the high 40s, with an early-morning frost of 37F forecasted for later.  I checked on them at 2am.  Both were sleeping contently in the back of the Honda.  Neither wanted to go inside. I let them be.  Even Minnie liked sleeping in the Escape on cool nights. Maybe this is the dogs' way of avoiding the chaos of the pack.

This morning, with an 11am medical appointment, I opted to stay close by for the morning walk.  I took Sahne and together with Hansel and Fritz still in the Honda, I drove down to the maintenance road for a quick romp.  This is only a three-mile drive to the trail head. I wore a winter hat to keep my ears warm, and an added quilt top.  The 37F didn't seem to bother the dogs any.  But brr, this is an early cold snap.

Once back home, I did another loop around the 'hood.  My neighbor Lesley still hasn't cleaned up the fronds in her front yard.  Perhaps she is expecting the palm tree owners next to her to do that?  I don't blame her. She's normally all over keeping her front yard looking well-kept.  I may just help her later today and throw the fronds that are in her yard into the neighbors' yard whose palm trees made that mess.

Today I noticed more storm damage from two nights ago.  I spotted a bent chain-link fence next door, a splintered back-yard climbing tower for kids four houses to our east an uprooted tree, and some roofing missing from one older mobile home down the street.  Our house and yard escaped any damage.

My medical appointment went well, although I had the usual "high-normal" blood pressure of 150/84.  I'm usually in the 130s and blame it on having a Diet Pepsi on my drive into town earlier.  My weight came in at just under 127 pounds (eight pounds less than 18 months ago and I feel it).  

I told the RN that I'm concerned about my itchy dry skin patches.  I also need a full physical.  It's been five years. With all the stress of Kevin and the dogs this past year, I'm nervous about being examined. I blame the unplanned weight loss of all the stress this year.  It's certainly been more stressful than normal.

The only other diversion I had was a 4:45pm river ramble with Susan and Allie.  I brought along Gretel, Wolfie, and Sweetie, who hadn't been on a leash-free walk in a few weeks. She is the youngest of the old pack.  At nine years old, she is also showing signs of rear leg weakness at times, but today she did quite well, in and out of the water.

We saw a lot of fallen branches along the river.  This was a 2.35 miles walk, but it was a calm, warm afternoon.  I couldn't help but not think of Zeke, who always enjoyed these river rambles.  He was happiest when he could be by my side, regardless of what I was doing. 

Gretchen at the Farmer's Market

I like our Thursdays Farmers' Market at the city park. I don't get to go often because I'm usually in school and miss out on the event.  Lately there have been some good Greek and Italian foods for sale.  Susan and I made a date to meet there at 10am with our dogs Allie and Gretchen.  It's always nice to visit the farmer's market, and this was a good way to introduce Gretchen to other dogs and people away from a chaotic dog park.  This was her first hike post surgery.

I had to stop for blood work at the clinic, then went to get a copy of my driver's license.  Gretchen was in the car waiting in the shade.  At least these cool 55F mornings are comfortable for dogs in cars.   

I got to the park at 9:40am.  The market doesn't officially open until 10am, but there were plenty of good vendors already ready for business.  I walked Gretchen around to get her familiar to the sights and sounds of the event, from generators to food grills, curious kids and other dogs.  She did quite well, albeit was cautious.  She didn't bark or lunge at other dogs.

She was quite different once Susan arrive with Allie.  She perked up, but also became more protective of me when we neared other dogs. Susan bought her favorite Greek food, I had a $3 cappuccino, and then we decided to walk the more quiet perimeter.  We walked just under two miles in the hour we were here.  City maintenance workers were mowing the grass and sweeping the parking lot and we wanted to get away from the noise.

To add to our dog date, Susan suggested we walk around the Carr ruins on our way home.  There was no one around.  Now the dogs could wander off-leash.  It didn't surprise us that the dogs took chase of either a deer or a blue jay.

We walked another 1.5 miles around the ruins, making a loop with some elevation.  But I wanted to get home to be with Zeke.  I don't think he will make it through the weekend, but he was still alert when I got home, napping by Kevin on the patio on his favorite mat.  Still alert, he wagged his tail when I got home.

I wanted to take Zeke out for a ride into town and then a sun set together, but it was hard to lure him away from the other dogs.  He seemed content just staying home. Instead I placed him on a new dog bed I had ordered a few days ago and which arrived today, and slept next to him later that night, hugging him and telling him what a great dog he was (which only made me cry more.)  He must not have liked the new dog bed with its factory smell, and got up to return to his old mat outside.

It was another chilly night.  I checked on him at 2:15am and again he wagged his tail.  He wasn't alone outside.  Hansel lay on his favorite dog bed on my side of the patio, and Sweetie was on yet another dog bed.  Zeke had his familiar company.

A windy night

Zeke survived the night. He even followed me around the garden and then slept on the dog bed Susan gave me which I put on the patio.

The wind that began yesterday afternoon lingered overnight. Our palm tree lost all its dead fronds. I picked up eight fronds last night, and as many this morning, but our neighbors across the street have two mature palm trees and they lost their dead fronds which then blew over Lesley's front yard. The heap of fronds all over Lesley's carefully manicured yard is impressive.

This storm is the same storm now ravaging the Rockies. Steve got back from his trip to Denver just in time. Snow is falling in northern Arizona, Utah, Wyoming and Colorado but nothing is coming down here.

Zeke's final days

Zeke has lived a week since his cancer diagnosis. I've cherished every moment. He still takes his treats and eats his food ravishingly and wags his tail whenever I call his name, but I know his days are numbered. He has two days left of his predisone. What will happen then?

This morning I met Susan by our meeting place by the casa to walk our usual 1.6 miles along the river. It was a calm autumn morning.  I took Hansel, Gretel and Sahne. I wanted to bring Wolfie but Wolfie turned back and wanted back in the yard, although he and Sahne needed the exercise the most. 

I worry about Wolf now, too. He yelped in pain when I touched his chest last night to move him to the side of the bed. He seemed low-key all day, staying close to Kevin and me. He's also had eye snot these last three days.

Zeke is my focus right now. I'm heartbroken over him. His tongue this morning was grey instead of pink, an indication of his poor blood right now, thanks to the cancer. I had to force his pill down his throat. How much longer can he survive? I look at him and still see a young dog, only a young dog cut down by a terminal illness. 

When his snout started turning grey at four years, I figured he'd have a white face by ten. His face is still mostly dark brown sprinkled with white, except along the sides where the white is more prominent.

Minor trail maintenance along the river

I slept through the sunrise.  At 8am, with Fritz still in the back of the Honda, I drove to the Lehner killsite with him and Sahne and a pair of Fiskars to trim the tall grass that canopies the trail to the river access. I was on snake alert but never saw any. This was their first hike without their dad leading the way.

The dogs were bored waiting for me, and ran around in the tall grass. My right arm and shoulder were still sore after yesterday's fall with Fritz. Using the Fiskars was hard today because of my minor injuries. I have a small scrape on my right knee and elbow.

I did finish trimming the grass along the access trail, and even trimmed a bit along the birding trail before turning around and going back the way we came.

We came across three tortoises, a large one and two smaller ones 50 feet from the larger ones. Was this a family heading toward the river. I moved the smaller ones off to the side. One peed out of fear but no harm was done to them. The dogs sniffed them but left them alone.

Cochise County

Total cases 14,869 14,869

Deaths 332 332

Arizona

Total cases 1.12M 1,120,000 +2,358 +2,358

Deaths 20,382 20,382 +31 +31

Gretchen has an overbite

Susan texted me to let me know that Gretchen's upper jaw extends well beyond her lower jaw.  That explains why she drools easily.  It could also explain why she is thin.  Her low weight perhaps has more to do with her trouble eating kibble than it does with her siblings attacking her.

I stopped by Susan's place after school to check in on Gretchen.  Susan had a Corvette car club to attend at 5:30pm and didn't want Gretchen alone in the house.  I got there at 4pm wiht Hansel and Gretel, who both seemed determined to harass Allie as much as Gretchen.  We chatted a bit before she had to go to the car club meeting.  Then I was alone with Gretchen and Allie for two more hours.

Allie joined us for a bit on a walk around the property, but she preferred to wait for her mom by the iron-wrought gate.

I stayed at Susan's until she returned at 8pm.  Wed  chatted a bit for another hour, but then left at 9:30pm.  Gretchen wanted to come back home with me and whined for 15 minutes, according to Susan, after I left with Hansel and Gretel.  Susan and I agreed that Gretchen needed a few more days to recover at Susan's, away from the other dog's attacks.

Wolfie's first exam

 I had Wolf's exam scheduled the same day I had Zeke's appointment made.  I wanted to make sure he wasn't going to a new home with lingering health issues.  His big issue is his chronic diarrhea.  None of the other pups seem to have it.

I had to drop off a fresh stool sample with this visit. so right after school I raced home to get him on a walk in the 'hood, along the dirt road leading south.  Out and back this is just 1.8 miles, but he never relieved himself. 

He finally had to go as we got to the animal clinic.  As soon as his paws hit the desert dirt, he let out a big, soft pile.  Boy did that stiink!  The vet technician complained about that later on.

Dr Cristian A was my vet today.  He's the one who got Sammy ready for his euthenasia back in 2017, and who later saw Hansel with his testicular infection after his neutering last year.  He's a soft-spoken Mexican.  He prescribed two medications for Wolf: anti-diarrheal and anti-vomiting.

Wolf weighed in at 67 pounds.  Hansel has competition.

Zeke has advanced cancer

My day started out normal, with a cloudy walk before school with Hansel. I could see lightning toward Tombstone.  It was 60F; a pleasant morning.

Today was the earliest I could have Zeke examined for his weight loss. The DVMs are booked two weeks out.  

Zeke's appointment with Dr Moffett was at 4:30, although we waited another 20 minutes in the exam room. She came in to do the cursory heart-and-lung exam, told me he had a heart murmur (?!?!?!) and a tight abdomen and gave me further options: do an Xray, and then a blood test if the Xray was inconclusive.  I.  requested both work done.

I had to coax Zeke to go with Dr Moffett to the Xray room.  He seemed unsure without me.  I went back to the exam room and waited for the result.  It didn't take long.

Dr M didn't look happy when she came back to me with the x-ray.  I knew immediately this was not good news. She saw fluids and gas in his abdomen. The fluids are common in abdominal cancers, she explained, and the tight abdomen full of fluids was the body's way of fighting back. She couldn't say what exact cancer it was, but blood tests revealed he is now anemic (thus the lethargy) His white blood counts were extremely high.

She looked at me with despair and told me Zeke had advanced cancer.  She did not say terminal cancer, but at this point what is the difference between the two?  I looked at Zeke who returned his gaze with that ever-devoted look of love and I momentarily lost it.  Dr Moffett reached out to hug me to say she was sorry, but this cancer was certainly not her fault.

The reality that I am losing Zeke hit me hard. Why Zeke?  He's only ten years old.

Prognosis is days to weeks for Zeke. There isn't much more she can recommend besides steroids to help the organs fight back. This is only temporary, though as the cancer will kill him.

  I'm not ready to let Zeke go; he's not in pain yet and still has an appetite. I gave Zeke his first dosage of prednisone when I got home.  I must now prepare myself for the inevitable goodbye.

All year long I worried about Sadie, who is still hanging on, walking to the backyard and back for her bathroom breaks and lining up for chicken jerky treats.. She is sometimes weak in the rear legs, but still has her appetite and mobility.

What a wonderful hiking and traveling dog he was. I wish he had four more years with me...

Gretchen gets spayed

I had this appointment set up three weeks ago, thinking that getting her spayed would make it more appealing for her new owners.  It wasn't until I got to school that Paul told me that he and Tammy reconsidered getting two new dogs while moving into a new home.  Their older pomeranian Nikki had escaped from under their fence and  they spent the weekend figuring out how she did that. I was disappointed, but understood their concern I was willing to keep the dogs while they were settling into a new home. I guess now I'm stuck with these dogs now 

I took Gretchen on a mile-long walk before school, then put her in Kevin's truck where she waited to go to the vet for 45 minutes.  I kept her leash on her to make it easy on Kevin. I was thankful that he was feeling healthy enough to drive her into town to drop her off at the animal clinic. Susan was my back-up, but I hate bothering her for rhese pet issues.  "It's the least I can do" said Kevin.

Dr. Noble Jackson's low-cost vet service clinic is in the same place where the old VCA office once was, the veterinary clinic I was recommended when we first moved down here in late 2004.  Sadie had her puppy shots here, but I was disappointed in always having to wait 90 minutes for a mere check-up for her. VCA moved out and into a newer building west of SR 92.  The old VCA is now a boarding/grooming/vet service. 

I picked Gretchen up after school at 3:15pm.  She was looking groggy but was lucid enough to hop into my Honda and then head down to Susan's place where she would recover for the next six days, away from her more aggressive siblings.

I'm so grateful to Susan for giving me this break.  Gretchen is turning into a good dog

Carr Peak with Hansel and Gretchen

I accidentally deleted this post, so will rewrite this now.

Teachers are allowed to leave early on the last Wednesday of the month. I stayed until 12:45 to grade some assignments, but then took off. It would be my last chance to hike Carr Peak for the month.

I had little time to waste as sunset is now just after 6pm and that means getting back to the car by 5 to have enough light to drive down the mountain road.

I left the house with Hansel and Gretchen, wearing the same clothes I wore to school. This was Gretchen's first big hike. I was curious how she would do.

We started the hike at 1:47. It was a cool 64F with no breeze. I never came across other people today. No cars were in the parking area. The only other creature was a reddish bear that momentarily sauntered on the trail ahead of us with.a half-mile to go to the peak.  The dogs were behind me. They did not chase the bear, but they stayed close to me as we neared the peak. I spoke loudly to keep the beer away.

Gretchen did well that first mile, staying close to her dad but also running off trail when he did. He would come back, but usually without Gretchen. Three times I had to stop, wait,  and call her name. The last time was on the return walk, where I stopped for a good ten minutes calling her name. Hansel heard her farther up the trail and led me back to her.

My biggest surprise was the dry waterfall. And this after several intense downpours over the mountains last weekend. The aspens are just now changing colors but won't peak until mid October. I also didn't see too many wildflowers. 

We got back to the Honda just after 5pm and were back in the valley 30 minutes later.

Reef Townsite ramble

  

Today's short hike was thanks to Ellen, who asked me a few days ago if I were interested in exploring some mine-caves in the Reef Townsite area.  I almost always say yes to her hikes.

We met at 7am in lower Carr Canyon and drove in separate cars.  I had Hansel with me.  The road has gotten badly rutted in the two months since my last Carr peak hike, so I arrived at the trailhead behind Ellen.  Carr peak looked so green after the recent rains, but we were walking away from the peak.

I could have brought a second dog on the hike as were were alone, hiking first up to the old mine site, then on to the overlook at the Reef before then heading down to the waterfall.  No water was running, but there were pools for Hansel to drink out of.  We then walked briefly around the rocky hillside, but turned around and continued on through the group campsite, where a large group with dogs was enjoying their stay.  We then walked through the campsite and down the 1.5-mile long nature trail (that did not get destroyed in the 2011 fire)  before returning to our cars. We heard and saw a screeching black hawk who seemed displeased with our presence.

It was a cool hike, withv54F at the start. I was expecting it to be chilly, and wore my bright yellow sweatshirt over my grey DryWeave shirt.  There was no wind at all.  We had mostly overcast skies with rain in the forecast for the afternoon.

The ground was damp from recent rains, but to my surprise there were few wildflowers out.

We walked 4.1 miles in 2.4 hours.

It finally began to drizzle lightly at 4:30pm.  I took Hansel out for another mile, then switched to Gretchen before the drizzle turned into a more steady rain.