San Pedro river in Palominas

I got to the house by 8:50am.  I had a long day planned for the garage, but that was not to be.

Both Fritz and Gretchen were ready for their walk, but just as I was ready to walk fritz, Zana runs to the front.  Then Hansel, Gretel and Wolfie.  Shit, I had left the side gate inproperly latched.  At least the dogs waited for me to arrive for their breakout.

Corallng them took some time.  At least Fritz and Gretchen were tethered so I only had four dogs to focus on.  Luckily the four have good recall, so I placed them in the CR-V

But then Gretchen got loose and did her fence-fighting with Robbie and Maria's dogs a block away.  I don't blame her for breaking out, since she was tied up all night, and she was in no hurry to come back to me.  She eventually tired and let me take her back to the front yard for water.

Since all the back yard dogs were now in the front waiting for me, I decided to take Hansel, Gretel and Zana to the river for a romp.  I walked Wolfie around the 'hood before taking him to the back yard, pleased that he is easy to walk and calmer than a year ago. He still needs more training, though. I think he can grow into a calm and gentle dog.  All the more reason to get that new house built, so all the dogs have a safe back yard to romp in

I drove down to the Palominas trail head, let the dogs out, and then walked the wash to the river.  It was overcast and 58F at 11am; a beautiful winter day. But despite last week's rain, the river bed was dry and full of tumble weeds!  The only water was in small puddles in deep holes, water that cows probably peed in.

At least the dogs had fun.  Hansel and Zana hadn't been out for a run in months and they were taking advantage of their freedom.  I opted for a four-mile loop.  All three dogs stayed together and didn'r run off for long

I met an off-duty Border Patrol agent bow-hunting for deer.  I saw him hiding under a tree, dressed in camo gear.  We waved at each other to acknowledge our presence, but we didn't stop to talk until we were both on our return walk  moving in opposite directions.  His name is Eddie and is also a canine handler, so he knew what to do when all three dogs ran up to him.  He knows Daniel Bolin, a former hiking member, who's now in the Search and Rescue division

This walk took us two hours/  I drove back home, put Hansel and Gretel back in the back yard (they didn't fight me) and then drove with Zana into town.  The rest of the day went to her.  I had errands to do and she was my companion.

We went to Ace Hardware, then Filiberto's in Huachuca City (it opened two weeks ago), and stopped by Mr Shed to look at storage sheds.  On the way back home I took Zana to the dog park to see how she would react to other dogs, but her lunging at two curious GSDs was not a good sign.  What a shame, as she walks so well on leash and always looks up to me for approval. Our last stop was at Fry's for some raw meat, but there were no chicken legs avaialble

By the time I got back home it was approaching sunset.  I walked Zana, then Gretchen and Fritz one last time.  I did a lot of walking today and I felt it.  I tallied close to 14 miles.

While I got very litle done in the garage, I feel good that all six dogs got exercised this weekend.  I'm especially proud of Wolfie.  He's really coming around!

 

A quick romp along the Lehner Kill site to the SP River

I finally did it.  I got Wolfie out of the back yard to romp with Gretel and Gretchen by the Lehner Kill site down to the river, a 2.3-mile walk.  It was 1:30pm with sunny blue skies and 60F; a beautiful winter day!

Wolfie walked earlier around the 'hood solo with me and he only pulled when he saw other dogs or rabbits.  That is a trait he, Fritz, and Gretchen got from their mother Gretel.  But unlike his siblings, he takes reward and punishment calmly.  There is hope for him!

I was hesitant at first to let Wolfie and Gretchen off leash.  I held on for the first half mile, until we got to the bend in the road that takes one to the river.  I unleashed them and all three dogs bolted toward the river, with a few side jaunts off the trail chasing...rabbits?

This area still hasn't recovered fully from last April's brush fire.  The field just north of Patrick's Casa de San Pedro House is still void of much growth.  The lack of any decent monsoon last summer prevented weeds from flourishing, which in turn keeps brushfires down.  What did grow back is the flora along the banks of the river, but the river itself is not rushing after our recent rains.

I watched the dogs carefully as they frolicked in the water, chasing each other. Gretel enjoyed her ambushes of the other two, waiting for them to approach her before she pounces on them.  They are a fun bunch to watch.

I kept my eyes on them and any passers-by, diverting the dogs away from a woman walking toward us in case she had a small dog hidden in the brush.  All three dogs took commands perfectly.  Even Gretchen  stayed close!  I was happy with relief that she is finally learning recall. 

We were only out for an hour.  There's only so much time I can endure to stretch out the 2.3-mile out-and-back walk.  I was especially proud of Gretchen who came toward me on the return walk and let me walk her on leash again.  That was a good thing, as there were several vehicles in the parking lot, cars parked there what looked like hitches for mountain bikes.  (Ellen told me this part of the San Pedro Riparian River Trail has been approved as a designated mountainbike route.)   

 

A pleasant birthday surprise

Just as my colleagues promised, CC and Taylor came by the house at 10am, bringing another colleague, Melody, with them.  They also brought their husbands!  All came by to help remove the burned out debris in the back yard, all the bulky stuff I couldn't haul myself over the years.  

CC brought her truck-trailer, and used that to haul off two big loads for the city dump.  Everyone worked so hard.  The men did the carrying and hauling, the women did the front yard trimming.

The dogs were all at their best behavior.  Even Fritz won everyone's hearts.  What I thought would take a few hours took all day.  We didnt' rap up until sunset.  Neighbors like Chris and Ana came by to chat while we were taking a water break at 2:30pm. 

I was humbled.  I finally realize that I'm at that age now where hard physical work is hard on me (my back) and that I need help.  Everyone today provided that.  I should have asked sooner.

The big thing was moving the RV from the driveway to CC's driveway in town, where it won't be an eye soar on her larger lot.

And, starting tonight, I will be sleeping at CC's house until the house has been repaired.  This could take months!

Snow delay

 A teacher colleague contacted me on Facebook about the two-hour delay start for Monday, citing the freezing rain we were getting yesterday after sunset.   I never got a text message from the school district, even though I'm on the roster. I saw the message two hours later on the district's public Facebook page.  While we here in the high desert don't get much snow, when we do, it's usually melted by late morning, it's the ice that causes more danger.  The county does not have salt trucks.  As a precaution the school districts call for delayed start.

I took advantage of the delayed start by sleeping in, getting up just before sunrise at 7am to a phone call from my neighbor Mariah.  She let me know Fritz and Gretchen were fence-fighting her dogs a block away.  Oh, great!  The door to the RV was wide open.  I obviously hadn't locked the door properly and both dogs were able to jump up against the door to open it.  The run straight to three neighbors dogs:  Chris and Lori's pitmix Prince, Robbie;s two silver German Shepherd Dogs, or Mariah's two mutts.

I must have slept soundly as I heard not a thing.  I heard no neighborhood dogs barking frantically. I got up to the blustery cold and got both dogs back quickly.  It was 7:30am by now and I wanted to leave for school by 8am. I only walked Gretchen, and only for one block, and then left early for some shopping at Fry's.  The best deals are always right after the store opens.

My street had a thick layer of ice on the far west side, most likely from a busted pipe.  The ice had melted by the time I was back home

After school another colleague gave me one of her fluffy comforters which I used at night.  It was an older comforter she no longer needed. What a difference a second thick layer makes!  Both dogs enjoyed the added layer and my feet weren't cold.  It was a cold night indeed, with lows in the upper teens.  A few more overnights in the low 20s are due all this week. It hasn't been this cold since February 2022.

Our first big winter storm

 

High winds and a hard freeze have been forecasted for today, Sunday, all week.  The winds began early today.  I saw one of my foldable solar panels blow off the top of the van and land in the neighbor's yard.  I walked the dogs around the block, drove into town for a warm meal with Fritz, stopped at the coffee shop, and then got home by 2pm.  The  wintry clouds didn't appear until 3:30pm, after I finished washing my hair.  The winter storm that will now blow east across the country has arrived.

By 4pm the temperatures dropped to 47F and it got darker.  A mist, then fine snow, began to fall by 4pm. By 4:45pm it turned more into a heavy, freezing rain. By 5:30pm the outside temperature dropped to 32F and the snow began to stick.

The dogs Fritz and Gretchen have been wearing their coats all weekend.  They both seem to like them.  Neither has tried to rip them off.  I got both of them via Duluth Trading Company, a company whose clothes I got to appreciate after I broke my left arm and needed pull-up pants since I couldn't use my arm to button or snap my pants.  The clothes are well-made and comfortable.  The coats arrived earlier last week.

Overnight temperatures have been in the low 30s all week.  The dogs like to spoon with me, with Gretchen to my left and Fritz by my feet.  He's so big, though, his weight cuts off the circulation in my feet! 

I touch their backs and they feel cold, so perhaps this is why they like their coats on all day, even when it's 50F at 3pm.  

I hate being cold. I need to find an electric blanket big enough for all three of us at night, one that won't bunch up under one of the dogs and leave me chilled.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/exceptionally-powerful-january-storm-impact-125205319.html

Miller Canyon trail to Miller Peak

Distance: 12.8 miles (Alltrails app)

Elevation: 3951' gain; Miller Peak 9467'

Significance: views and physical challenge 

This was actually supposed to be a 13-mile loop from Miller Canyon to Carr Peak back down Carr Canyon road to Comfort Springs back to our cars, all led by Ellen.  But at 6:04am she texted me saying she had trouble all night breathing and had to bow out.  She asked me if I could lead the hike.  I agreed, although I feared I'd be the slow one since I hadn't done a hard hike since last spring, before my injuries.

I was seven minutes late.  I walked Gretchen around the block and took Fritz with me, knowing this would be a challenging hike for him as well. In the last minute I panicked and forgot my backpack on the front gate, losing time for the scheduled meet-up of 7:30am.  

We were a group of four:  Dennis K (a passionate photographer), Debbie P, June W.  I didn't know the other two women.  We were on the trail by 7:47am, passing only one elderly gentleman early on.  It was chilly and breezy, 34F with wind-swept clouds.  I wore four layers to stay warm. I hate being cold.

The first third of this hike up Miller Canyon is the roughest part, specifically the second and third miles up the narrow canyon.  I had to stop multiple times to catch my breath, slowing the other three people.   They were able to chat the entire time. I doubted I could do the 13-mile loop, let alone reach Bath tub Springs on the Crest trail.  My lungs and legs were fighting me.

But somehow, luckily, I regained my strength.  "Miller Peak is only 4.5 miles away" I commented after we stopped for water at the 2-mile mark, along the dry Miller Creek.  We all agreed to think about changing our goal once we got to Bath tub springs.  We still had the hardest part of the hike ahead of us.

Fritz wore his new OllyDog backpack. I had it weighed down with one can of food in each pocket, a water bowl on one side and a bottle of water in the other. but he lost the bottle somewhere while running up a hillside. He was very intrigued by the smell of skunk. He chased two deer as we neared the tub, but came back quickly.  We rested in the sun by the tub to discuss our plans.  The sun felt good.  Fritz and I had a snack.  The others took off a layer of clothing.  I never did.

Debbie brought her rubber ducky "Sunny"for some photos.  Sunny accompanies her on all her hikes. Would we return to our cars now, or continue to Miller?  We were at 8551' elevation now.  Miller is at 9467'

Dennis said he'd go with me to Miller.  I wanted to hike to Miller to get a peak in for the new year, and resume my monthly peak-bagging.  Elevation training is what keeps me conditioned, and I seriously lacked that last year.  I need to get back into shape!  "We can always turn back" said Dennis, if weather conditions got too brutal.  The wind was howling at the tub.  We were only two miles away from the peak...what an opportunity to bag it! 

After some discussion, both women agreed to "hike just a little bit more" with us.  One mile along the Crest Trail and a mile of easy hiking at a level grade, then sitting on a big boulder with views of Carr Peak, they both agreed to make it to the peak.  It was only a mile away!

We were now all back to a regular stride, staying close.  We passed the two notorious wind gaps, but the wind wasn't as bad as predicted.  Nor was the wind bad at all once we made it to the peak at 12:10pm.  

What an accomplishment!  We all felt relieved to have made it to Miller!  We had all doubted our abilities to make it today, but by god, we did!  Even Fritz charged forward, but definitely slowed down from fatigue.  This was Debbie's first hike up Miller Peak via this route from Miller Canyon.  It was strange to hike the peak in January with no snow anywhere, or water in the creek.  I hope this does not bode badly for the rest of the year.

The clouds now were high cirrus, streaking across the sky with artful wisps.  We took a group photo, Sunny posed for a few more, then we descended at 12:35pm as the wind picked up.  "It's all downhill from here!" I said, stopping only for quick water breaks.

We rested briefly on the big boulder we had stopped briefly on going up to the peak.  A young couple passed us going where we had just left.  We would make it back to the cars by 3:30pm as Ellen had planned,  Debbie noted that we were three women in our 60s hiking together. (Dennis is the lone Millennial)

Fritz was now tired but didn't whine.  He stayed close to me the rest of the way.  He didn't react when we passed a lone man hiking up Miller Canyon, nor a family of three near the orchard,

We made it back to our cars at 3:40pm.  I tracked 11.4 miles, the others 12.8. We would have gotten back sooner if I hadn't delayed the group by 20 minutes, but by now we were just glad to have made this difficult hike.  The Miller canyon trail is not an easy hike, even for better conditioned hikers.  But what a way to welcome in the new year!  The last time I did this hike route was in 2020 with Sadie and Zeke, and they were on my mind today as well.

Fritz and I were both tired once we got home.  Gretchen was glad to have us back.  I was too tired to walk her a second time, and hopped into the RV with Fritz and Gretchen.  I listened to the news (Japan suffered a 7.5 earthquake) and fell asleep fast.  So did Fritz.  He didn't move again until just after midnight, when a gentle rain that had been forecasted for late Monday, woke me up.  He did so well today with the group.