This is a short hike (for me) that I've done many times. Before Nina even created the Sierra Vista Hikers Meetup, I'd take my hiking dogs on this trail for 0.7 miles, then turn off an unmarked social trail for another 0.2 mile to a rocky overlook facing the East. I'd sit there until the moon rose, and then hike back to the car with the dogs. Out and back this is a 3.4 mile walk, which can be extended by exploring the ridgeline trail some more.
My hike was scheduled for 6pm yesterday, even though tonight is the official full Blood Moon. I chose yesterday because the moon's rise was better for photographs, as it rose at 6:49pm with sunset at 7:19pm. Tonight's full moon rises at 7:59pm.
We were a group of eight. Celeste and her dog Halo brought friends Nancy and Tony. Karen B brought her husband and their dachshund Rudy. SteveD brought his mellow dog Morgan, SteveT brought goofy Golden Trace and I brought my mellowman Zeke. All the dogs were well-behaved. We chatted for a bit and enjoyed the faint moon rise. There was not much breeze tonight, but the trail can get windy. I never brought a jacket since the temperatures were 90F-78F for the duration.
This short hike is only two hours long. We got to the overlook with ten minutes to spare, but the haze and a fire burning on the south side of the border created added smoke which diffused the drama. The colors of sunset then didn't come into play until we were on our walk back, at 7:30pm. It never got too dark to need flashlights until that last half mile on Carr Canyon Road.
I hadn't made any post-hike plans, but Steve did join me for some post-hike beers at High Heat Sports Bar afterward. This used to be Famous Sam's 20 years ago, but the franchise closed eight years ago and then became briefly Rookies before that relocated to the south side. I had a chicken Caesars salad which filled me up for a late dinner
We sat at the bar along with all the other clientele. We got there around 8:30pm and the bar seating filled up fast. Luckily it never got too loud. I can't handle loud music anymore.
I was back home at 10:30pm and then took Gretel on a quick mile around the hood, enjoying the full moon high above. There was no breeze by then; just quiet night sky. Not even the neighborhood dogs were barking.
The full lunar eclipse then began after 4am. My alarm goes off at 4:15am every school day, so I got up at 4:30am to catch the fading dark moon set over the saddle between Miller and Carr Peaks before I went back inside to shower, then walk Hansel and Gretel and little Sahne for a mile, then Zeke and Sweetie for another 1.5 miles before heading to school where I added over 5.3 miles walking the track while my students played soccer and frisbee with the classmates in PE class. This was my last day with this group of students, and I get to repeat the schedule again tomorrow one last time for the school year.
And what a school year this was!
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