Hiked 3.47 miles in 2:12 along Salt River at night. Was a little windy and got sprinkled on. As soon as we got in the car it started to rain really well.
The only wildlife seen was same very very small fish. Unless you count the Javelina skeleton. Oh, we did see a shipwrecked pirate ship (an abandoned homemade boat with a pirate logo on the side)
Much cooler night. A few months ago I ran a 5k for a PB in 33:14. According to McMillan this run is equivalent to 32:49 5k. I'll try and test that next weekend.
Hiked 6.59 miles roundtrip at the west fork of Oak Creek.
Went as far as the subway, where their was a bush of flowers covered in butterflies.
Also saw a Narrow-Headed Garter Snake, which are endangered and quite rare. it took off before I could snap a picture, but one from the web above. These aren't like normal garter snakes that stalk their prey from land. These anchor themselves to the bottom of the stream and wait for a fish to swim by while underwater. Baby Narrow-heads are quite small and when they anchor themselves to feed they get eaten by crawdads. Oak Creek doesn't have crawdads, which is why it is one of only a couple places left in Arizona they can be found.
The west fork of Oak Creek has a sandstone bottom without any mud/dirt. Perhaps crawdads need mud to live in, or perhaps no fisherman have released them as bait there. Other parts of Oak Creek have crawdads, so I think it must be the mud thing. Anyway, it was a lot of fun. One of the premier hikes in Arizona and judging by the number of people there, that isn't a secret. I counted 50 people on my way up and then quit counting, but I crossed paths with something over 100.
There were lots of maple trees which turn red in the fall, I will have to make another trip mid Octoberish.
Got home and went and saw Harry Potter with a friend. It has been a long day and I am bushed.
Still a little sore from yesterdays hike, so I decided to take it easy. Ironically that meant the first no walk run in a long time. Strong Wnw wind that sadly seemed to die off on the westerly part of my route,
Third Thursday run that Burt invited me to. It was fun, but very hot. It was nice meeting Burt. He had to run off to man his station, so we didn't talk long. I think he is some sort of missionary for running.
Had my running clothes on and headed for the door and I heard rain. It was coming down pretty good. I pretty much gave up on the run. But I dinked around and 20 minutes later it stopped. I really wanted to make a run at my training 5k PR of 33:14. I figured the rain was over and it cooled things down and I would be able to pull it off. Shortly after I got started the wind really picked up. I turned into a strong headwind for a mile. Weather underground shows the wind speed for that time at 48 mph with gusts up to 68. So while I didn't beat my time I feel I am now above where I was before. The lightning got scary for a bit.
Hike 3.88 miles with 1652 accum elev. gain in the Huachuca mountains. Started at the Ramsey Canyon Preserve and hiked the Hamburg Mine Trail down over the ridge and down into Ramsey Canyon. Saw some cool snails.
On the way down we stopped at El Guero Canelo and had Sonoran Hot Dogs I had read about. Best hot dog evar! It is a bacon wrapped dog stuffed in a freshly made roll with beans, mustard, jalapeno sauce, and topped with mayo (I got mine without mayo). They are similar to the danger dogs you get on the streets of mexico.
Hiked 3.16 Miles with an accum elevation gain of 1284. Started at Bogs Spring campground in the Santa Rita's along the Carrie Nation Mine Trail. The mine equipment at the end was pretty cool and I took some HDR photos of it.
Drove to Sunnyside canyon on the west side of the Huachucas and played around the old ghost town and took photos. In the early afternoon walked around the patagonia mountains for 1 mile.
AM - Hike at South Mountain 3.79 miles with 453 Elev. gain. Hike along the Pima Wash to the end and came back via the Ridge Trail. Saw lots of incredibly fast Zebra-tail lizards.
Hiked 6.59 miles roundtrip at the west fork of Oak Creek.