Sheelite Canyon

Ellen lured me out of the house today with a hike up Sheelite canyon to the overlook.  I had originally planned on staying home and getting more planting in.  I'm glad now I got out of the house twice this long weekend.  I took Hansel and Zana.

Weatherwise it was ideal weather. It was overcast and cool, with low-lying rain clouds.  This kept the dogs refreshed.

The canyon was lush with plenty of wildflowers, but water was not as plentiful as I had expected.  The various pool were full, but nothing was flowing.  The dogs didn't mind, as they will lay in anything wet.

We hiked up the steep canyon at a steady pace. The steep, narrow canyon is challenging due to the many blowdowns and boulders.  The trail is hard to follow due to the many blowdowns and boulders in the drainage.  I have to follow Ellen, as I have no sense of direction, nor do I recognize the turn-off to the overlook.  Ellen noted that there were more blowdowns since our last hike here last fall.

Hansel and Zana stayed close, following the trail most of the time and coming back when I called them.  A few times they acted like they caught the scent of something.  I watched them closely, as twice we caught the scent of either bear or skunk and the dogs froze.  The only noises we heard were from birds.

It began to drizzle an hour into our hike, but that drizzle was most likely a low-lying cloud.  When we got to the overlook the tops of the peaks were shrouded. We saw some sun to the south.

We rested here for a bit, eating a snack.  I felt the sweat on my back once I took my backpack off.  I had my old red Marmot raincoat that I put on to keep warm, but it went off again once we resumed our walk back. 

We never came across anyone else on this hike.  There was one more vehicle  next to Ellen's Radar (the name of her Toyota Cruiser) when we returned to our vehicles.

We finished off the hike with a late lunch at Culver's.  Each dog got their pup cup as we sat on the patio.

I'm glad Ellen coaxed me into hiking with her.  My ankles were sore the rest of the day, but I appreciate the challenge, and I'm sure both Hansel and Zana are glad for another day in the mountains.