We decided skip our weekly bicycle ride this morning and go hiking instead. Sabino Canyon, if you take the paved trail in and out, is sort of a hybrid hike . . . it’s good exercise but not killer exercise. We figured it’d be an easy stroll, about four miles up a paved trail then four miles back down again.
Apparently we haven’t been hashing enough lately, because if we had thought about it we would have realized that eight miles was a pretty long hike.
There were five of us. Lorri and I took the water crossings with our shoes and socks on. Darrell, Kris, and Donna took their shoes and socks off at each crossing and went barefoot.
Going up, for me anyway, turned out to be the easy part. I had trouble with my hiking shoes going down . . . my feet kept sliding forward inside my shoes on the steep downhill slopes, crushing my toes. There wasn’t much I could do about it, so now I’m hobbling around and will probably lose a couple of toenails.
On our way down we came upon a critter crossing the trail. Sabino Canyon is a protected area, full of wildlife. I always hope to see a mountain lion or a ring-tailed cat but never do. Still, a rattlesnake sighting isn’t bad, and being close enough to photograph it (while staying out of striking range) is a treat.
Toes . . . who needs ’em? It was a gorgeous morning and a great hike!
Booger, you don’t really want to see a mountain lion, do you? I’ve been trail running in the SF Bay area since ’91 and this year I have had close encounters wi/ a rattlesnake, 2 coyotes and a mountain lion. These things are NOT good for my heart! Till this year, I have never had this happen. Don’t know if the critters are coming down closer to humans because of drought, fires in the area or ??? Anyway! Be glad you haven’t gotten your wish!
Judy, I remember reading about the woman jogger who was attacked and killed by a mountain lion somewhere north of Sacramento several years ago, and no, I have no wish to share her fate. When I say “see” I mean “see from a great distance, perhaps attacking and eating a Republican.”
Coyotes are a constant presence here in Tucson, and I have to watch out for them when I’m walking our little dog. When she was really little, I even had to watch out for owls and hawks, and was actually buzzed once by an owl who must have decided Schatzi was a little too big for her to carry away.
We had a big fire on Mount Lemmon in 2005, and afterward black bears and mountain lions really did come down into our neighborhood. My guess is that’s why you’re seeing more critters too.