https://www.strava.com/activities/7104674030
Ellen's "exploratory hikes" normally translate in "I want to look for caves." I'm always game when she plans a hike as we go off trail and discover new things.
I was up early to walk the dogs that were in the cars overnight (to cut down on barking from the back yard): Fritz and Sahne, who slept in the RV with me, Gretchen and Sweetie, and then Hansel and Gretel. I didn't notice until later that Gretchen did a good number on chewing up the Honda Ridgeline passenger seat cushion, foam and all. That dog is so destructive...grr.
I wanted to take Fritz on this hike as he hasn't been on a hike in a while, but in the end I decided he would have been too much of a risk around other people if we were to meet any on the trail, and took Hansel instead. He was a good choice, as he stays by my side. Tom and Deb later praised how well he behaved.
We met at the lower Carr Canyon Road parking lot and drove in two cars. I hadn't seen Tom and Deb in at least six years. They moved back down from Sedona last year after ten years living there. They came back here where life is calmer, there are less tourists, cost of living is cheaper and traffic isn't quite so congested.
I sped on ahead and then waited at the top, where quickly a Border Patrol followed Ellen and me until it turned into the group campsite. The agent must have responded to illegals in the area.
It was going to be another 92F day, but it was cooler at this higher elevation, 71F at 8:30am with a breeze. The high winds aren't due until tomorrow, though, but this breeze was welcome.
We walked through the Ramsey Vista campground, then got on the Comfort Springs trail. There were a few people camping, but there were no dogs to bother Hansel.
It's been years since I've done this trail from the lower Hamburg trail with Kevin. It's a steep climb from the Hamburg trail in Ramsey canyon, but today we didn't go far on the trail. Our elevation gain was just over 1000 feet. The springs was dry, but there was some water in a small drainage that Hansel took advantage of.
The oaks around us are looking dry. The leaves are yellow and dropping.We desperately need a spring rain storm! This is perhaps a phrase I say multiple times a year. The lack of rain has prevented any flowers from blooming besides those on some cacti.
We turned off an abandoned trail off the Comfort Springs trail which we soon discovered was a popular trail among the many illegal border crossers. We were walking among the manzanitas when the trail thinned out and discarded plastic bottles and sunr-bleached clothes were scattered on the forest floor. Soon we hit the ledge with a view of the valley to our north. We got phone reception here, and this is perhaps why the illegals gather here: to arrange for their pick-up so that the load driver can quickly come and pick them up and speed away. I'm seeing arrested load driver every day in town now.
We made this ledge our turn-around point. It was too steep and bushy to explore here, so we got back on the mail trail to get back to our cars.
Ellen and I then had a late lunch at Culver's, where Hansel enjoyed a pup cup and Ellen's left-over hamburger.
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