Back to the Lehner Kill site TH

The morning began with a quick stop at the old lot.  Thursday mornings are trash pick-up and there is still a lot of work to be done at the old site. Right now it's a lot of garden debris and pulling out new palo verde seedlings.   I can try to replant them on my new land but they would need some indoor potted help for a few weeks.  My southern-facing "office" would make a good grow room because of its constant warmth.

One older jogger recognized me as I walked down my street.  "You're the German Shepherd Lady!" and she added that she always thinks of me when she jogs past my old lot.

I stayed at the site until shortly after trash pick-up at 7:50am and then drove home to do some gardening.  I need to get as much planted before school starts back up again next Wednesday and the soil is already drying out again. 

Today I decided to start walking earlier and took three dogs back to the Lehner Kill site trailhead. We walked part of the newer mountainbike loop. I took Zana, Gretel, and Fritz.  Zana was due her turn and the other two got freebies.  We started at 5:53pm and it was still 89F, according to Strava.

I wasn't sure how well Zana would be around Fritz, since both took off on me back in March.  She is always so full of energy. I watched them both carefully, and always called them back to me if I saw them running in the other direction.  They did fine.

Gretel, as usual, stayed close to me, always stopping and looking back at me and not continuing walking until she saw me walk.  She's gotten so good at understanding hiking etiquette.  When I call the dogs, she's always the first one back to me.  I only have to worry about her around other dogs and strangers.

This loop isn't as long as the straight-out route I took yesterday, but I didn't feel like extending my walk today. Views from the mountainbike route are expansive and one can see far into the river plain. This area was also burned by the fire four years ago.  No massive wildflowers either, other than nightshade and coyote squash.

We went straight to the San Pedro River which at this location is deep enough for them to swim in.  We stayed a bit here, then went south on the trail to our usual swimming hole.  

This section is heavily overgrown and at one point came across a rattler that warned us.  I didn't see the snake but heard it loud and clear.  "GRETEL!" I yelled, as I saw her sniffing the area from where the rattling and hissing sound came from.  She moved back right away.  Whew.

Otherwise it was a dull hike that was more fun for the dogs than me.  Views of the mountains and dead cottonwoods, however, are always a plus.

Total distance was a mere 2.6 miles.  I'm sure the dogs did a bit more than that. 

We were home by 7:15pm.  By 8pm I took Wolfie on his three-mile solo hike.  He does so well when he's alone, and his recall has gotten better this past year.  The route I like is either the three mile or extended 3.8 mile route through the 'hood on mostly dirt roads.  The puddles from the storms earlier this week are still around on Burro Drive, but they have gotten smaller.