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| Hiking | 6.17 Miles |
935 AEG |
| | Hiking | 6.17 Miles | 3 Hrs 45 Mns | | 2.00 mph |
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| 935 ft AEG | 40 Mns Break | 6 LBS Pack | |
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| no partners | | We had a nice offer to hike in the Supes with @outdoor_lover and @tibber today but sadly had to decline due to a previous lunch engagement. We still wanted to get a hike in, so we copied a hike up Union Peak recently logged by @kingsnake. We cut a little mileage off one of his loops due to the heat and humidity. We were both experiencing "low energy" right from the start. 
On the first hill up from the trailhead we stopped to see if the Great Horned Owl had any Owlettes yet. We saw her last year when we climbed Dixie Mountain. She was there and incubating some eggs but no babies have hatched yet. Maybe in a couple of more weeks.
The talking heads on the news say to stay away from crowds as a preventative measure against the CORVID-19 virus. This trailhead on a Sunday @ 8am was an absolute zoo so I'm fairly certain Cathy and I are now both infected. 
Decent spring bloom display on the way up. Brittlebush and Lupine were the stalwarts but many others were blooming also. On the summit we witnessed quite a display of hundreds, if not thousands, of Arizona Blister Beatles. Like Ladybugs they congregate year after year in certain spots to party down and procreate. They were all having sex with one another like we weren't even there!  Insex as Pam coined it last week on the 6L Ranch hike. |
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Wildflowers Observation Moderate
Brittlebush, Lupine, Fiddleneck, Heliotrope, Scoorpionweed, Chicory, Globemallow, Owl Clover, and others. |
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| Order now to avoid disappointment and future regret. |
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Route Editor
Route Scout
We ate instead at the 260 Cafe and had our first "sit down" restaurant meal since the Covid problem started. The food was good and the pancakes were very different...I'll explain in the photo caption.
with no jogging, (whatever that is).
We used the fairly new addition to the Town of Cave Creek trail system the wraps around the western and southern sides of Surrey Hills. Route shown in photoset. Used primarily by mountain bikes it is a real gem for scenery and has decent tread and even some water in the washes. The remainder of the loop used the trails in the P.A. Seitts Preserve and the Louis Menk Nature Overlook Trail. The little used far eastern portion of the Slate Trail completes the lasso. We went CW but in the future we would likely go CCW to get the elevation done earlier and increase the odds of NOT seeing other people. Sad that it only took a month to turn us into anti-social beings. 
I doubt I would have seen it. No rattle as he was just waking up I think. He did rattle and strike "the pose" as I urged him off the trail for the safety of others.
off for the first two miles. I live just south of Spur Cross and during the winter it is usually a few degrees warmer up there than at my home, cool air sinking and all. It was 51* when I left home and 37* and very windy 5 minutes later. Go figure. Once moving I was OK with the exception of my hands and ears. FYI...Black Diamond trekking gloves do not provide any warmth...at all.
Being that far north we were able to see the full length of New River Mesa at the same time. Quite the sight. We followed the trail past the ranch boundary for a short while until it disappeared altogether. Angela and Pam found a great site at the creek where we took a break and ate some lunch on some huge boulders. I'm sure Tibber will likely have that on her video. It was a great spot. You can't help but wonder what it was like living there full time over 100 years ago. Then you start thinking about the Hohokam living there also, but 800-1000 years ago. 
