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| Hiking | 4.20 Miles |
1,043 AEG |
| | Hiking | 4.20 Miles | 2 Hrs 25 Mns | | 1.74 mph |
| 1,043 ft AEG | | 18 LBS Pack | | |
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| no partners | | After my 'low-land' wandering on either side of Bush Highway yesterday, I really didn't have the ambition to tackle much more, but having spent the $80 for a 12 month permit for Bulldog Canyon (includes The Rolls, St Clair & another I don't recall) I figured I'd drive in a few miles and set off a-wandering from there.
I parked ~2 miles from the Blue Point gate and set off Eastward, dropping down into the wide wash and ascending up the two-track (originally for power line maintenance, but never legal for civilian vehicle travel, but since when does that stop scofflaws?). Once up the other side of the wash I turned to follow more ATV tracks along a narrower wash. I've hiked out this way at least a dozen times over the last 14 years so much of it was reasonably familiar.
I hadn't planned on getting into anything other than easy wandering, but once out that way, I still can't think of any particular reason for it other than a voice in my head said do it! but I began an ascent to the saddle... some 1200 feet above. (What was I thinking!!?)
Yes, I did have a few second thoughts, primarily, which of two drainages is the preferred route? With at least 8 ascents in the past (5 years ago being the most recent) I knew one was MUCH preferred over the other, but I simply couldn't remember so I just headed for the closest of the two.
Initially, due to a reasonable amount of game traffic, I thought it was the preferred one. It wasn't, and I never did figure out which one was better when I was out there (back home, I did), mainly because I gave up about 1/3 of the way up. I pretty much had the ambition and the impetus to go-for-it, but my footgear was the problem. I was wearing very well-worn boots (almost smooth soles) better suited for wandering on flatter/smoother ground and I was slipping and sliding far more than was safe, so I called it quits, taking my time to safely get back to smoother ground.
Seems I wasn't that much safer on smoother ground, as no matter how careful I thought I was while walking through areas of thorny dead brush of all kinds, I managed to step on a spike which went right through the thin sole as well as through the prosthetic insole and into my foot. I hobbled just far enough to be able to sit down and remove it. I pulled on the 'head' of whatever thorn it was but it wouldn't budge... all I was able to do was cause more pain. Ok, time to get serious, so I dug in my pack for my 'Crucial Tool' which can unfold into a needle nose pliers, and thus I could gain adequate purchase on the thorn to remove it. I'll be walking a bit gingerly the rest of the hike... another couple miles.
It helped 10-15 minutes later when I scared up a small herd of Javelina. Yes, I know there's a specific term for a group of Javelina but it doesn't come to mind at the moment. Of course they scatter before I can get the camera turned on, so no good pics were to be had, even though I scared up three more groups over the next 15 minutes, for a possible total of a few dozen. I did shoot a video of two of them, but as usual, whenever I get an open field-of-vision to film them, they DO NOT MOVE! So that was a wasted video.
Later I heard a mewling that sounded just like the bobcat kittens I encountered a few years ago, so I stopped and sat still, turning my head while intently listening until I narrowed down which direction it was coming from. Eventually I saw a movement in that direction and it was a TINY baby Javelina, which must have gotten left behind with all the scattering. It was two drainages away and too far for even a decent photo so I just watched and listened, wondering if I'd see a mama come to its rescue. After a few more minutes I gave up and started heading back to the car, but it kept up the mewling until I was far enough away that it faded out. It was quite far from where I last saw any of the others, so it might be a while before being found.
Since I had followed numerous game trails during course of the hike, I encountered many deer tracks and a reasonable amount of fresh deer scat, but I saw none.
Not the easy wandering I planned on, but it WAS something a bit different for a close-to-home hike. And I realized it was time to toss these boots, after only 310 miles, but most of it was hard use. |
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