I had made no plans for Labor Day weekend. I just wanted to spend it with Kevin, as I don't think he will survive long enough to see 2022. He's lost most of his muscle mass, can't walk far, and sleeps most of the day away. The only good thing is that his disease has kept him off beer and cigarettes.
Some work colleagues came by late in the morning to look at the pups. They settled on Wolfie and Gretchen. They chose well. They can't take them until they close in on their new house ona October 1st.t I will see if I can get Gretchen spayed before then. I'm happy they will be together, and I'm happy they will get good dog parents. They will thrive in their new home. Both dogs are genle and affectionate.
Thirty minutes after my colleagues left, I was on my way to Tucson for the usual Costco-recyclables-hiking routine. I took Gretel with me. The poor dog suffered in the hot car. It was 94F and my Honda's AC was working overtime. When I got to Tucson at 1:30, it was 104F.
I couldn't wait to get up Mount Lemon. It's a 90-minute drive even from downtown Tucson to get to Summerhaven, the tourist town popular with summer tourists. Dark clouds were starting to form as I meandered up the Catalina Highway. Susan texted me saying to be careful, that her house got hit with an unexpected storm cell that brought down some small branches in her yard.
A few minutes later my cellphone kept sending me repeat flash flood warnings. These warnings continued as I got on the trail at 3:45pm. My phone's battery started with 44% and the constant warnings drained my phone fast.
Clouds above me at the 7800' trailhead were looking ominous. I was prepared for rain. The rumbling just made me walk faster, as Gretel and I traversed the Mint Springs trail as it crossed a heavily-burned hillside before ending at the Marshall Gulch-Aspen Loop trail. Tall charred pine trunks are all that remain of the Ponderosas.
I met several hikers on this connector trail. We even stopped at the Mint Springs. Recent rains over Mount Lemon made this a wet hike for Gretel, who helped herself to water when she wanted it. I'm sure she appreciated the cool hike after that hot drive to Tucson. The sky was dark and overcast. On a clear, sunny day this section would be hot and uncomfortable. I was enjoying the cool air.
I had to cut the 7.8-mile loop hike short, though. I knew I was going to get hit with heavy rain, and I did not want to be caught on a high elevation, exposed trail. We took the Marshall Gulch trail downhill to the road and walked back to the car by then.
It began to rain in earnest at the parking lot. Many people were still picnicking, but getting their stuff together to seek shelter. I threw on my rain jacket (which, I discovered, is useless in the rain) and walked with Gretel along the road. She was wet, too, but took it all like a champ.
My hike was just under two hours. While I wasn't able to hike the intended loop, I got a good idea of the terrain there. I will come back in another month and do the entire Aspen Loop from the Mint Springs area.
The sun was setting as I drove down the mountain. I got to see the sun set when I made it to Houghton Road. I stopped at a Magpie's pizza shop to grab a small veggie pizza, then drove home in the dark in a constant downpour. It was storming over Sierra Vista and then Hereford, and the rain didn't stop until just after 9:30pm when I arrived back home.
No comments:
Post a Comment