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