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| Hiking | 5.34 Miles |
1,579 AEG |
| | Hiking | 5.34 Miles | | | |
| 1,579 ft AEG | | 8 LBS Pack | | |
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| no partners | | We wanted to do a substantial hike today to go along with a shorty this coming Thursday. But when we saw the warm temps forecast for today we had to pull a switch-a-roo and come up with a short one to beat the heat today. I'll have to DVR the Masters Golf Tourney on Thursday  .
There have been some great photos on HAZ from RowdyandMe of some baby owlets on Dixie Mountain so we decided to go check them out in person. We have never been to this trail system before and it wasn't very far from home. Well it didn't seem very far...just a few inches on the map but much farther in reality. Things seem flatter on maps and GE also, have you noticed? 
We took the Hawk's Nest Trail up to the loop and on the way we saw the owls nest and the owlets had already fledged. Missed them by just a few days I think. Speaking of missing things, it was apparent that this area probably looked fantastic as little as 10 days ago but everything has browned out pretty much. The notable exception was the creosote. It was blooming like crazy and was everywhere. We took a side track on the Summit Trail to get some much needed cardio. It was steep but thankfully short. The views from the summit were great. Most all of the notable ranges and landmarks are visible from the top.
We got back down to the Loop Trail without slipping (that makes two weeks straight for me without a fall  ).
After looping around to the west side of the mountain we came upon a rattler in the middle of the trail. I was lucky to see it because he did not make a sound. He was sunbathing and wasn't quite up to operating temperature yet I suppose.
Not long after the snake we saw a familiar face coming at us from the opposite direction. A bucket list item gets to be checked off. It was Rowdy the famous hiking dog! I've always wanted to meet that feller. I'd recognize him and his blue saddle bags anywhere. And yes...he's a goood booooy! Rowdy had someone with him named Me. Me seemed like a very nice guy and Rowdy told us that he sometimes goes by the name of Larry. All kidding aside, it was nice to meet you Larry and to finally run into some HAZ hikers out on the trail. Hopefully it won't be the last.
After the hike we headed back to Cave Creek and had a French toast breakfast at the Wagon Wheel Restaurant. Not as good as usual...I think they changed what bread they use. Anyway, carbs are carbs and we loaded up on them! |
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| "If you wait, all that happens is you get older" |
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