Full moon in Brown Canyon; walking the social trail

I posted this hike on Meet-up last week.  Ellen said she would walk it with me as she always wanted to find that trail she had heard about going up the ridgeline back to the parking area.

We ended up being a group of three:  Ellen, Dennis and I with Fritz.  Dennis last hiked with me last year when we did the Miller Canyon loop via a social trail.  Travis had signed up but had to cancel.

We met at 3:35pm in the trailhead parking off Ramsey Road.  The parking lot was packed, which concerned me, but most of those cars were for people walking to the Brown Ranch house.  We bypassed the house by  climbing up a side trail, past a grave marker, and back down into the canyon.  Once there, we only met two more people: a lone cyclist and a lone hiker.  Fritz was on leash until we got to the social trail.  That's where the trail gets interesting.

Moon rise was at 5:05pm and sunset at 5:34pm.  It gets dark fast in the shaded canyon and my concern was to get on the 1.4-mile social trail while there was still daylight. The unmarked social trail climbs up two hill tops before descending back into the parking lot.  The setting sun behind the mountains offers some light as one ascends up the southern slopes, but we had to stay on pace.

Parts of the trail fade away, so I used my Strava track to stay on or close to it. The soil is loose and rocky with a lot of downed trees and other organic debris along the way, and I was alert for three things: border crossers hiding nearby, my other two hikers staying close by, and Fritz.  Fritz is devoted to me, but ever now and then he loses it when he spots a deer.

It got dark fast after official sunset.  Views into town as we descended were nice.  How many of those lights were Christmas lights strung up in front yards?

The hike took us 2:26 hours and tracked at 5.1 miles.  Fritz and I were thirsty and I kept thinking of my iced tea in the truck.  We all wished each other well as we left the parking lot to go home.

Ellen is getting her strength back.  To challenge herself, she is hosting a 13-miler Carr Peak loop on New Year's Day.  She, Dennis and Travis have signed up.  I may as well, too.

Full moon hike in Brown Canyon

Winter rain

 

After warm weather and cloudy skies that kept the nights mild earlier this week and graced us with beautiful sunrises and sunsets, a strong storm coming from California soaked us all day today. I barely got the dogs walked.  Gretel is back in the back yard so I can focus on Fritz and Gretchen. 

The heavy rain picked up in the evening and overnight.  While chilling temperatures are now ahead, we need the rain.  My shrubs along the fenceline are drying up and the San Pedro River is low.

Bisbee 1000 route

Bill came back from his month-long political canvassing in Miami Wednesday and wanted to walk Bisbee today, so I agreed. We met at 7am with outdoor temperature at 37F. It was chilly for the entire walk.

I took Gretel with me to give her a chance at some exercise. She is good on leash but does lunge at other dogs, so I held her tight for the entire walk.

We were done in 1:44 hours. I wanted to stop by the Kafka cafe for a cappuccino, but the cafe was closed at 9am when I came by. They usually open at 8am on Sunday. Another regular customer with me said that Bruce, one of the owners, has "temperamental issues" and if he doesn't want  to do something, he won't do it. So I drove on home.

Scheelite Canyon to the Pomona mine

 Ellen and I did this hike last December with Wolfie and Gretel.  There was some snow in the canyon.  Today we did it again with Fritz, started at 10:10am to a chilly 52F

This was Ellen's idea.  She asked me two days ago if I were interested in this hike and I agreed.  I hadn't done a challenging hike since before my wrist and arm breaking and I needed to know how I would do. We both did well and kept a steady pace. Ellen is still overcoming her pulmonary issues.

The elevation gain and mileage to the overlook is comparable to Carr Peak: 5.83 miles with 2183" elevation gain.  There was still some autumn colors with the help of the sun, which faded fast on the return hike.

We only met four people on this hike  A young couple with a small child and Black Lab puppy were near the starut. Fritz was on leash and didn't lunge at the pup as I held him tightly and kept praIsing him with "Good Boy!"  We were still walking up Garden Canyon road at that point.  The second encounter was a lone young blond man (a Fort Huachuca soldier?), dressed in shorts and only carrying a small water bottle

We both also noticed how quiet the canyon was.  While there was plenty of dry bear scat in the canyon, and Fritz seemed to have caught the scent of bear, we never saw any.  Even the wind was calm.

So despite the lack of wildlife, it was still a near-perfect day for a hike.  We were on the hike for five hours (including breaks) and ate afterwards at Culver's, where Fritz got two pup cups because "he's a big dog and needs to eat more!" according to one worker there.  Fritz didn't mind at all.  He was such a good dog all day and deserved all the pup cups he could eat.

It's all over

Today was the last gathering with the Master Naturalists in training.  We all had to give our capstone presentations last week (mine was on ladybugs), I enjoyed all the presentations: from baking with native seeds, to mammalian bones, pioneer botanists, and artsy quilts. hiking stories along the San Pedro River, and various on-going local projects.  

Today we had the last two presentations followed by potluck turkey meal.  We got our certificates and left by 1pm.

Now I have to start focusing on getting volunteer hours in.  I have to log in 40 hours over the next year with a non-profit agency.  There are a lot to choose from.  I'm interested in the Sky Island Alliance and their work along the border.

The course was fascinating, but intense for me since I had to drive home from school, take care of the dogs, and then drive to the Bisbee Science Lab by 5pm. Those Tuesdays and Thursdays made for long days! I will always enjoy that scenic 21-mile drive along the border though, with that open valley and big sky staring back at me.  The view never gets old. I will miss that drive as I will miss all my classmates.

But now I have to focus on cleaning up the yard, both front and back.  I got a lot done in the last three weeks and I will finish strong once Christmas break starts on the 20th.

One thing I'm so looking forward to is hiking again.  I haven't gone on a challenging hike in months.

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