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| Hiking | 14.88 Miles |
1,411 AEG |
| | Hiking | 14.88 Miles | 7 Hrs 2 Mns | | 2.21 mph |
| 1,411 ft AEG | 18 Mns Break | | | |
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| partners | | Chris invited me to hit his next "victim" on his quest to conquer the AZT. He also invited a couple of newbie, rookie hikers to come along. A couple of guys named Wally and Ray. We set it up as a shuttle hike so we can hike the entire section in one shot.
Chris and both drove to the northern trailhead and we left my truck. We all piled into the Stiller-Mobile and drove down the Oak Tree Trailhead. The air was crisp, but not really cold. The sun was shining, but we could see the clouds getting ready to come in.
The first section of this hike is really nice. It reminded me of parts of California. Rolling hills, lots of oak trees and grassland. The trail was well groomed and mostly flat. The middle section transitioned to higher desert with oak trees giving way to mesquite and ocotillo. The rolling hills became steeper and the hike turned into an up and down path going in between small ridges and washes.
The last section kept the up and down going with a little rougher trail. The oaks and mesquite trees disappeared and lots of prickly pear cactus and ocotillo took over. The last third of the trail was not as nice, in scenery or the condition of the trail.
We came across one hiking group, a solo hiker, a few mountain bikers, and a few hunters looking for javalina. We saw no critters, at all, with the big exception of black cows everywhere. 100's of them. And, with that many cows, there as cow crap everywhere. Parts of the trail smelled like a barn yard. Colinas means hills in Spanish and that was certainly appropriate. But, for our hike, they should have named it Colinas de Caca de Vaca Trail.
It was nice hiking with Wally, Ray and Chris, but they all left me in the dust (or cow poop) as I was slow mover for most of the hike.
Knowing that my probable torn calf muscle was still hurting and it actually cramped up and made me turn around the prior week when the roof panels for the Toney Cabin where dragged up and over the Haunted Canyon trail, I of course, jumped at the chance to hike a long hike with lots of up and down. What could go wrong? Wishful thinking? Detachment from reality? Subborn idoicy? Yes, yes and yes. Of course, about 4-5 miles in my calf and tendon started hurting. My miles went from 20 minutes to 25 minutes to almost 40 minutes in the up and down sections. I limped my way through and made it, but I will file this hike in the "dumbass" section of my decision making. I am going to see my doctor this week and get the bad news.
My AZT adventures (and just about every other trail) are on hold for a while. But, in spite of that, it was a nice day out along the trail with some genuinely nice humans. |
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"Jobs fill your pockets, adventures fill your soul."
instagram: @andydilling |
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