Lower Ash Canyon

A cold front with lows in the 30s is coming our way tomorrow. I took advantage of the shortened school day and took the pack to Ash Canyon. I wanted to see the fall colors.

I was a week too late. The sycamores still have some yellow leaves, but the majority have already fallen off.

I parked at the trailhead for Thompson saddle and walked down stream to the springs. Hansel, Gretchen and Wolfie took advantage of their freedom and ran all over the area, while Sweetie struggled with me in the creek bed. I cleared the path for her of the smaller sticks in the way 

We took the road back. I put Sweetie back in the truck to rest and hiked another half mile up creek, past the Geronimo mine claim. The creek bed was dry here and any holes dug had been wiped clean from recent rains. 

All three dogs took off on me, but eventually Hansel and then Wolfie  came back, but Gretchen made me wait on her for 15 minutes before I was able to leave the canyon at 3:50pm to increasing winds. She and Wolfie came back from opposite directions after Hansel, which has me wondering if they were all running around without each other.  Gretchen panted all the way home.

This was a 1.3- mile hike for me, and probably a two-mile run for the younger dogs.

I saw evidence of recent migrant trash along the main road.  I picked up a torn backpack to throw out later in my own trash bin. There was no one else around. 

I now have my bedroom windows shut. My new weighted blanket also arrived, so I'm prepared for the cold.

  

The Wall Street Journal reported today that Saudi Arabia warned the US that Iran may attack the kingdom for its mingling with Iran's domestic protests across the country by reporting on the protests via Saudi-backed websites.  CBS, CNN, AP, Reuters also mentioned this.  The New York Times did not. With Nutty Yahoo in Israel re-elected today, we may be in the beginnings of a global energy conflict.   We have an ongoing war in Ukraine with Russia, North Korea is blasting test missiles toward Japan and the global economy is in the crapper. It's going to be an interesting winter.