Carr Peak with Fritz and Gretel

 

I finally did it. Today was my last chance to bag Carr for the month. I planned to start in the afternoon when cloud cover was greatest. That plan worked well, especially after that first mile.

That first mile was warm. My tracker said it was 84F when I started. Heat was radiating off the rocks and the dogs were panting. They dipped into Sawmill Springs but got thirsty again just past the first mile, and I was even worried that I hadn't brought enough water as the dogs drank half a quart at the first water break.  I made the aspen grove my turn-around point if the dogs were showing signs of heat exhaustion by then.

This was Fritz's first peak and he started out running all over the place, forcing me to stop a few times for the dogs to come back. He is normally by my side. I even doubted bringing him along for this reason, because this causes me to stop and wait.  He's not normally like this.

But after the first mile the dogs settled into their pace. I met two couples and both times I called Fritz back to me and he came right away. He let me leash him so that the hikers could pass without worries and he neither barked nor lunged at anyone. He is slowly trusting people!

The mountains were green from recent rains, but there weren't too many flowers. Yellow was the dominant color, but there was also fleabane, firecracker penstemon, and Russian thistle that attracted butterflies.  Wild onion and ladybugs were at the peak. 

There was no water at the falls when we got to the Aspen Grove, but the cooler temperatures and the breeze quickly cooled us off nicely. There was also a leftover gallon jug in the shrubs at the peak that was enough to energize the dogs. We rested a bit on the peak to enjoy the breeze. The dogs also had a lunch.

The cloud cover at 2pm was at its heaviest. But these weren't storm clouds.  These were clouds that diffused the heat. I could see dust blowing up from Mexico and this dust persisted all day. The winds gusted up to 20mph.

We met no one on the return hike. It was now after 4pm and I was glad to have no one around.  I was always watching for other hikers and dogs.  I worried about my dogs encountering other dogs on the trail.

We got back to the truck in 3:49 hours. I wasn't any slower hiking this peak than my last few bags up Carr.

Both dogs were tired, though. I stopped at Fry's for some raw meat for them, which they ate, but they ate with exhaustion.

I walked Gretchen around the hood for another 1.5 miles when we got home.  She was happy to see me again.  She was alone for six hours.

Clouds over the peaks looked more stormy now, but even they dispersed. A near full moon shone high when I finished my walking for the day.

Bisbee 1000

It was a near-perfect morning for this walk, with overcast clouds and a bit of a cooling breeze. 

It had rained a bit last night.  The rain brought a king snake into Lesley's home at midnight.  I was up when I got the text and was able to lend her my snake pole.   It was docile and slithered on out her back yard with no problem.

The rain also brought out the desert hares, who were dashing across the road as I drove into town.  I had to dodge a few close calls.  I saw a few dead ones later on my drive home.

We started at 5:20am  to a dramatic sky.  In the first 1.7 miles we met two homeless men and four dog walkers. I left my dogs at home but will bring them on my next walk in two weeks.  It was 72F at the start with 54% humidity, and plenty of water in the drainage.

What little monsoon we have had has greened the hills around Bisbee and brought out the flowers.

I was hoping for a dramatic sunrise, but the sun stayed behind the clouds during our walk.

I did manage to catch a few rays shining into the town.

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We took a lot of photos today, slowing us down.  But we didn't care.  

It briefly drizzled on us at the 1.7-mile mark, just after the 5th set of stairs, but nothing drenching.

We usually see a few cats around Quality Hill, between the 8th and 9th set of stairs.  Today two female Siamese cats, apparent sisters, came up to us as we approached Cross Avenue, just before the last set of stairs.  A Black Lab across the street was carefully watching those two felines.  I'm glad for them that I didn't have a dog with me.

 

I stopped at the Ramada and Cantina off Naco Highway on my way home.  It was an unexpected side trip just two miles from the border.  I was there for an hour, savoring my Huevos Rancheros.   I was the first customer of the day, but an hour later there were 16 older customers for their Sunday breakfast.

I will always enjoy the drive between Bisbee and Hereford.

Fritz gets his vaccines

This was a day  I dreaded: taking Fritz to get his annual shots at the local vaccine clinic at Tractor Supply Co.  He is very reactive to other dogs and gets very nervous when there are too many dogs and people too close to him.  This is why I walked in toward the end of the vaccine clinic.  The clinic is always from 1:30pm- 3pm and I came in at 2:30pm.  I originally came in to let the vet crew know I had a reactive dog waiting in my truck (with the AC on high!) and would wait until the end to bring Fritz inside the store, when the other dogs had left.

There were surprisingly few people in line when I walked in.  I saw only four people with their pets: two cats and two dogs. There were many more a month earlier when I brought Gretchen in and it took me 1:20 hours  in line. This time it would only take 40 minutes, so I decided to get Fritz ready now.

I bought an XL muzzle for him from the store and then went back to the truck to get Fritz ready.  He had outgrown his L-size muzzle.  I placed it on him while he was still in the truck.  He didn't fight me too much, surprisingly, although he did show some discomfort wearing the mesh so tightly around his mouth. He tried pulling it off him as soon as he got out of the truck, but then obediently walked inside the store. That was a relief: he wasn't pulling on the leash!

The second surprise was seeing how at ease Fritz was inside the store.  He didn't lunge at the dogs in line.  SteveT was there with his dog Trace and he didn't react to him, either.  He stayed close to me and listened to my commands.  A couple behind me complimented me on how handsome Fritz is.

I did, however, keep my distance because the dog behind me, a border collie, made Fritz nervous.  Fritz gave off a deep, guttural growl.  I was asked to move to the other side of the aisle for added distance from the cats and I complied, as the last thing I wanted was a dog attack in a crowded area.

Fritz initially looked calm.  He easily got on the scale to reveal 86 pounds.  (His dad Hansel only weighs 71 pounds) But he clammed up when  it was his turn to get his shots. A vet tech held him tightly. I could tell Fritz was scared by the look in his eyes.  He was looking at me for comfort and I tried to talk calmly to him as he got his his rabies, rattlesnake, and his 5-1 vaccines.

I turned away to pay the bill when Fritz reacted and tried to bite the vet tech. I didn't see him do it, but the DVM kindly told me I should take Fritz to my regular vet going forward as now he will always associate these vaccine clinics with a painful experience.  Luckily he didn't get to bite anyone because of the muzzle, but his behavior in the end confirmed to me that Fritz still has a long way to go to learn to relax around other people and dogs.

He did not get his bordetella vaccine and microchip because of the muzzle and his bite attempt.  The bordetella vaccine is administered up the nose and the muzzle was in the way.  But at least he has all his other vaccines and I don't need to stress over taking Fritz to the vet again for another year.

I stopped at McD's on the way home for iced coffee and chicken nuggets for Fritz, but he refused his treat.  He seemed more relaxed when he got his night walk.

Ramsey Preserve

I had my first rehab appointment today at 1015.  My gripping strength in my left hand is a mere 3%, compared to 60% in my right hand.  I have some work to do!

After my appointment I had a quick lunch at Angelika's German Deli.  I hadn't been there since 2008.  It was on my list of all restaurants I still hadn't visited.  Going there is like a flashback to 1970s Germany.  Food is good, but the decor needs serious updating.

On my way home I saw dark clouds over the mountains.  I spontaneously decided to check out Ramsey Preserve and explore the trail that Susan, Lori and I didn't have time to explore on Monday, like the Bledsoe Loop.  I was only the 4th car in the parking lot.  It's an easy walk with a slight uphill (617 feet).

I decided to go as far as I could before the storm.  But the storm never came.  I had the entire trail to myself!

There's definitely a lot to see in the Preserve if you take time to read all the informational plaques. Besides the mining and homesteading history, the Preserve is actively trying to preserve the native Chiricahua Leopard frog, a frog whose habitat is being taken over by the non-native Eastern bullfrog.  The Coronado National Forest has  drained ponds here that were deemed infested by the bullfrog.  Those frogs are then killed.

I went as far as I could before it became too technical.  Alas, it never did.  I was in a lush narrow canyon, with a cool breeze.  Water trickled down the creek.I turned around when the trail ended, just a little over a mile from the visitor's center.  What a place for peace and solitude!

There were quite a few more vehicles in the parking lot when I got back to the parking lot an hour later, and any dark clouds overhead had moved on.

Ramsey Preserve and Shady Glenn

I joined Susan and Lori on a short and humid hike into Ramsey Preserve this morning.  It was Lori's 68th birthday.

We met at 8am.  The parking lot opens at that time and there are only 23 spaces.  We didn't think it would fill up due to the 52% humidity.  And boy, did we feel it!

Ramsey Preserve is a must-see for first-timers to the area.  It's popular with birders and photographers.  The best time to come is late spring and early fall for the birds, deer, turkeys, coatamundi and javelina that use the canyon as their home.   I only visit perhaps once a year, since dogs are not allowed in the canyon, and usually to access the Hamburg trail.

We met a large group visiting from southern Illinois and Ohio.  Later we came across some Germans.

We took the access trail to the Hamburg trail into the National Forest,  then took an unmarked trail that follows Ramsey Creek.  Susan had never been to the box canyon.  It was Lori's first visit back there.

It was so much cooler in the shade along the water.  We all were in our element.  Water was flowing and we could hear the birds.  It was so much cooler by the creek, but I couldn't stay long because I had an appointment on Fort Huachuca to get my new ID card.  My last ID card was destroyed in the house fire 18 months ago.  Yes, I procrastinate... I finally feel whole again.

I stayed on post to eat at Jeannie's Diner.  I was last there with my mother 18 years ago.

We had our first real monsoon rains in the afternoon.  I was still on post when it began to rain, and it continued gently for an hour, into the late afternoon. 

Bisbee 1000

 I was late again meeting Bill in Bisbee.  I didn't get there until 5:15am.  We have agreed that we need to start these walks no early than 5:15am.  These 5:00am meetups are torture!

The sky was overcast at the start, with the rising sun coming through with its pastels.  It made the first mile into town dramatic.  I always like this first mile through town.  There are few if any people in the streets this early on a Sunday.  Today we saw a cyclist heading uphill on Main Street.  Not even the homeless were in the Gulch today.

Weather was cool and breezy all throughout the walk.  It eve drizzled a bit in the end, but no monsoon ever resulted from this, even as the day progressed.  Dark clouds stayed south of the border. 

It was another hot and humid Sunday.  I had left the dogs at home because of the heat.  I didn't walk them until I got home from Bisbee, and it was already getting warm.  The initial weather report said it would rain in the afternoon, around 3-4pm, so I refrained from driving to Tucson for a trip to the recycling site. It never did.  I have to make at least one trip to Tucson before school starts up again.

Checking out the river

 I got up at 6am to take Hansel, Gretel and Sahne to the Lehner kill site area to walk the Williams fire burn area, now three months ago. All three deserved one more chance to run free  before going back to the back yard.

They couldn't wait to bust out of the Honda! Sahne followed Hansel, but Gretel stayed near me. We were on the trail by 6:19am.  Gretel acted very reserved, followig me quietly.  I hope she is ok.

I was surprised to see more new growth.  The closer we got to the river, the greener it was.  Mormon tea is growing near the river, in the sunshine!  And silverleaf nightshade is prevalent along the norther loop. Along the river hardier shrubs are now coming out

The river itself is very low, but still flowing, and enough to refresh the dogs.

We walked the loop going north, first along the river and then on the trail,  It was 7am and still cool and breezy.  We spooked a couple of Great Horned Owls that were along thr river bank, enjoying the water.

This is a 2.6-mile loop, a perfect distance for the dogs to get some running in.  They chased eight deer that had been watching us, but all three came back without me having to call out their names.

This quick loop took just over an hour.  We stopped at McD's for my iced coffee.  Each dog got a sausage biscuit.  Sahne ate Gretel's.  Then I drove home and walked Gretchen and Fritz for a mile loop each before the heat set in.  The monsoon is late this year, and no sign of it coming, either.

Full Moon over Reef overlook

 I had a group of eight people sign up for my moon hike!  I was stoked.  Obviously there is an interest in walking under a full moon. This was today's highlight.

The rest of the day was hot and windless.The dogs hid in any shade they could find. I spent two hours at McD's sipping my iced coffee and staying cool before going back home and getting ready for the 5:45pm meet-up.

Hansel, Gretel and Sahne all darted out the front door.  I took Hansel and Sahne, but kept Gretel by the RV. She is a good hiking dog, but doesn't like small dogs.  Sorry, Gretel!

Ellen, KarenB, Bob and Becca with dog Taffy, Laurie, JanetH,  and new member Mandy were the moonies tonight. We had to wait for our last hiker, Mandy.  She arrived ten minutes late.  Since we had a thick, smoky haze at sunset, this wasn't an issue since the moon was covered for 30 minutes after it rose, but for future hikes on this route I will have to allow more time, like 90 minutes, for the 2.75 miles to the overlook.  We started the hike at the middle falls and ascended from there. Moon rise was 7:19pm and we didn't get to the overlook until 7:38pm!  

Ellen was slow, but she was steady, and made it with not that much time difference.

I kept my dogs leashed until we made it to the ATV turnoff.  They snapped at Taffy when he got too close to me, but otherwise they avoided each other. Only two government trucks passed us going up, and one ATV going down.

Only Ellen and I had been up here before.  This was a new route for everyone else.  As expected, everyone was in awe of the view even with the thick haze.  I was enjoying the cool breeze, after a day of stifling heat.

We didn't stay long.  Sunset was at 7:30pm with no clouds. All the clouds at 4pm had dissipated.I wanted to be off the rocky ATV trail before it got too dark and became treacherous.  The others agreed.

We finally saw the bright light on the moon when we were back on Carr Canyon Road.  The road and trees, however, hid the moon for most of the walk.  Still, no one seemed to mind as we were all enjoying the breeze that followed us back to our vehicles three hours after we had started our hike.

I made it home an hour later.  Now I had to walk Gretel, who was alone outside by the gate.  She was happy but quiet to see me. She has matured so much this past year. She walks well onleash.  We walked the mile in the stillness before I called it a night.  

Thompson saddle

 This short hike was Ellen's idea.  She is recovering from lung surgery, after several blood clots were found in her lungs in early May.  She wants to slowly get back into shape again and wanted a hike that wasn't too strenuous, not a bushwhack, and mostly shaded.  I chose this hike as it's mostly in the shade until 9am.  This was Ellen's first hike up to the saddle in the summer.  Our first time was in the winter two years ago, with 3' drifts of snownear the saddle.

She agreed to this hike.  We met at 5:15am at the mouth of Ash Canyon, just as the sun rose behind the Mule mountains.  I took Fritz.  After an initial bark and then a growl directed at Ellen (which surprised me, as we all have hiked together before), Fritz did warm up to Ellen. "Just avoid any sudden movement" I warned Ellen.  Fritz is leery of sudden movement from people he doesn't know.

This was a very dry hike.  Very few wildflowers were visible.  Any grass on the trail was dead and dull.  We could see the burn area of the Wildhorse fire as we gained elevation.

Fritz was quickly enjoying his hike, running ahead of us on the steep switchback, chasing rabbits.  We were completely in the shade until we reached the saddle.  We took a water break, took a few selfies, and then descended, stopping briefly at a small mine shaft.  Ellen's lungs still are in recovery mode, so she did not attempt checking the shaft out. 

This hike was our "healing" hike, said Ellen.  After a double scare of blood clots and melanoma on her shin this spring, she's needing to slowly get back into building her cardio again.  This 3.2-mile hike was the longest hike since her lung surgery.  She took plenty of breaks, but kept a steady pace.  

The 3.2-mile hike took us 2:42 hours. Afterwards we chilled some more at Nirvana's, a local coffee shop with a dog-friendly patio.  We were here for over a hour, talking about our separate journeys of healing. I sipped on a sweet iced French vanilla cream drink. Ellen is a devout Christian, so her faith in the Lord carries her through hard times.  She also has a supportive and loving family nearby to help out, something I don't have.

Fritz by now was totally comfortable with Ellen.  He rested in the shade with his water cup, but then another couple with their Maltese joined us on the patio and Fritz did not want to share the patio with another dog.  His standoff forced us to call it a day and we went our separate ways.  She encouraged me to host a full moon hike for tomorrow.

I was home by 10:30am.  Fritz stayed by my side the rest of the day, even as the RV warmed up.  I didn't walk Gretchen until 4am the next morning.  By then six people had signed up for my moon hike, with just 36-hour notice.  My hikes are popular!