wanted to get this huge loop in before it gets too hot. Pretty fun route and something i would do again. the north side of the mountains are interesting and feel quite different from the rockier west end
Needed to see what kind of damage the holidays did. About 15 minutes slower than the last time I did this loop back in October. Absolutely perfect weather conditions today. The New Year's resolution crowd was out in force, the parking lot was jammed by the time I got back to my car.
Finally caught a break on the weather. In the upper 60's to start and a pleasant 75 degrees at the finish. Doing an easy hike to keep my legs stretched before I go up to the Grand Canyon for a quick trip next week. My legs were fried from doing a lot of walking at a trade show up in Vegas on Tuesday & Wednesday.
Nothing too exciting, trails seem less busy than in year's past. Got back to the parking lot and it was only half full at 8:30 in the morning. Saw a tortoise again and in about the same spot I saw him two weeks ago.
up the spur to the spring, back on wild burro. pretty nice at 6am. saw a wee tiny little rattler. smallest i have ever seen. i also patronized a jackrabbit, just because i could
I've been hitting pretty hard in the gym and that's been my focus for the past month. Needed an easy stroll to loosen my legs. Nothing exciting, went up Wild Burro and looped around Alamo Springs over the cutoff back down to Wild Burro. Did take a detour on the way back to the car and decided to check out the infamous Ritz trailhead facilities. Pretty swanky, air conditioned bathrooms with high end paper linens to wash your hands.
Got a dental implant two weeks ago and was forced by my dentist to lay low until this weekend. Looking for someplace that might be warmer than heading up any of the canyons in the Catalinas.
Got within 100 yards of 4416. The cloud line was at 4000 feet this morning and I made it up about 50 yards of the rock face that you need to scramble up before I bailed. Everything was like a sheet of ice and super slick, could have made it up but it would have been dicey coming down.
Finally got out for a quick spin. Between the holidays and a persistent cold that wouldn't go away for three weeks I've had to stay indoors other than short walks with the dogs.
Uneventful hike, went up Wild Burro, up Alamo Spring and back down the spur back to Wild Burro. Saw a side trail and explored that for about two minutes and it led to Peak #3998. Not an exciting peak, but well traveled enough that people have put a little cairn at the summit.
WARNING! Hiking and outdoor related sports can be dangerous. Be responsible and prepare for the trip. Study the area you are entering and plan accordingly. Dress for the current and unexpected weather changes. Take plenty of water. Never go alone. Make an itinerary with your plan(s), route(s), destination(s) and expected return time. Give your itinerary to trusted family and/or friends.
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