My maiden voyage begins. I brought Shadow on this first hike a) because I can in this region, and b) just in case I had an Old Yeller moment and needed saving from my faithful companion. I actually have some serious doubts that she would go find help. She would probably stay by my side and bark a lot.
Anyways, this was also a known trail and a good place to begin my adventure. Trailhead was about a 40 min. drive from my house. Trailhead is at about 4500 ft. and climbs to probably 6200 ft. or so. It was a loop. I went up Old Baldy trail which is a little over 2 miles and came down the Super trail which was about 4. Great views and cover along the way. Never got really hot. Good wind blowing through that sounded like the beach when I got to the saddle.
It was great being alone with my thoughts. Hiking gives me a lot of mental momentum and there isn't much to interrupt me, so I can actually maintain focus on my thoughts which seems to get harder and harder to do these days. The idea for this blog actually began from this initial inspiration. It got kind of goofy from there, but I will disclose no further information at this time. You may see the fruits of my thoughts at a later post and maybe the one after that too. I took my camera phone with me and snapped my pics. He will be referred to from here on out as "Mp 1.3" for his megapixelar output. Hence the quality of these pictures is somewhat limited. But you can't beat the portability, which trumps all other considerations.
Birds and lizards were my constant companions. Thankfully no flies. In Tucson, those guys can get really annoying if you're hiking near a wash in the summertime. Normally a nuisance to horses, these flies do not simply pester; they seek to drive you insane. Imagine your little brother/sister when you were younger, but the size of a fly. Maybe the altitude on this hike kept them away.
Finished the hike with no real soreness. I was taxed a little on the way up but came down at a more gentle slope. Knee gave me no trouble. Gave Shadow a can of condensed bean w/ bacon soup at the end. I forgot water, so it was kind of like offering a salt block to a thirsty camel. She survived.
