Reynolds Creek Trail #150
Last weekend we hiked the Reynolds Creek Trail #150 off of forest road 410 in the Sierra Anchas. I have attached a few pictures of our trip. We hiked in Friday night to Knoles Hole and spend the night and packed out in the morning.
Aspen at the camp site.
Our camp.
The view to the west along the trail.
Reynolds Creek Falls
The hairiest flower I’ve ever seen.
The bluest beetle I’ve ever seen.
Thanks dad for letting me borrow your camera!!
Here is the gps file of our trip if you’re interested in seeing it on google earth.
Flickr: Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests Photostream
Not So Insane Camping
Jon and I went camping last December. That was an insane trip. A couple of weeks ago we decided to attempt another trip. This time we planned on going to Mt. Graham, but had a backup if the weather was bad. The weather forecast for Mt. Graham sounded like our last trip so we decided to go to Haigler Creek. We camped at the developed campground at Haigler Canyon. You can camp free most anywhere, but at the developed campground you have a bathroom, bear proof trash can, and a nice prepared tent location with a picnic table and a fire pit/grill.
I really prefer this type of camping. Especially when the trip involves a little fishing as well. We chose Haigler Creek based on an account that the forest service stocks prize fish into the creek as an attempt to lure fisherman away from the crowded creeks into the less occupied areas. My first attempt to catch one of these prize fish didn’t turn out too well.
After not catching anything I set about looking for a better place to fish. I didn’t find a good fishing hole, but I did encounter some wild blackberries. I ate a few and then picked a couple handfuls to have with breakfast. They tasted very good on the pancakes.
After breakfast we packed up our stuff and headed out to fish for a few hours before leaving. We were more dedicated this time and found a few good spots to fish. I got a couple of bites and then landed a small rainbow trout.
We found an even better place to fish. I caught a fish and just as it’s mouth touched the air it wiggled free. Jon caught what we believe to be the same fish. The fish freed itself in the same way it did for me. It must have a skill for getting loose.
One of the best parts about going camping is the opportunity to see the wildlife. The butterfly below was a fun find. Even more fun was discussing the creature causing the footprint just to the upper right of the butterfly. A skunk was the final consensus, but perhaps we were wrong. Any ideas?
What in the world is the plant in the two last photos? It looks like a cross between a squash, okra, and cotton.
All I Want
Laurie has been bugging me for a list of what I want for Christmas. Apparently I am hard to shop for…
well, lets see…
I drool over all the tools in the Lee Valley catalog until the pages are yellow. I linger in the woodwork section at Barnes and Noble until I am forced to leave by tugging toddlers or a frustrated wife. I could spend days inside the science stores at the mall. I live for Nova, I cannot wait until I don’t have classes on Tuesday nights. I listen to country music and NPR religiously. Speaking of that, has anyone heard the new album by Robert Plant and Allison Krauss? I’d love to know if it is any good. The only thing that helps me relax after a day at the office is time outside in the garden. I really want to have a garden worth envying in the front yard. It is too drab. I love to cook when I have time and energy. I could sit and read a cookbook just for the ideas. I really enjoy making bread. I enjoy eating it more! I don’t sit much, unless I have homework to do. I wear out my pants quite quickly. I go through at least 3 pairs a year. I love hiking and camping. I really love taking pictures when I go camping or hiking. I don’t like doing laundry, but I hate not having clean clothes. I enjoy brain puzzles. Like the ring between two horseshoes. I would love to make wooden puzzles. Like the cube with 10 interlocking pieces. That is a world most people are not aware of. Ask me about it sometime.
I think the perfect gift is something small and thoughtful. Something that will mean the world to the person receiving it. This will require careful listening and paying attention to that person. Giving good gifts is a talent. Sometimes giving the perfect gift may require a sacrifice from the giver. It is worth it.
So …
Laurie, there are some ideas. Keep in mind that all anyone really wants is someone to pay attention to them, love them, pamper them. The perfect gift is a way to show someone not only that you care about them, but that they are worth the time and effort to pay attention to.
Insane Camping
Well this weekend Jon and I went camping. We headed out to the Pinal Mountains, with the goal of camping at Pioneer Pass and hiking either Six Shooter Trail or Icehouse Canyon Trail. Lots of fun! At least that is how it started.
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Once we started up the mountain there was a little change. Not only was it wet, it was muddy 🙂
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But at least the scenery, clouds, and rain was a beautiful sight.
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My only complaint was that it was completely dark so early. Around 5:30 it started getting really dark. By 6:00 it was too dark to see anything.
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Setting up a new tent in the rain was a little complicated. Eventually we succeeded in getting the tent set up. Before we could move in we had to let the 2 gallons of water out that had collected inside before we could get the rain fly on. Needless to say the floor and walls were wet. The whole experience reminded me of the three months of constant torrential rainfall I experienced during the two winters I spent in Chile. While I was in Chile I invested in a very nice rain suit. The type sailors wear. It kept me as dry as was possible for those two years. It kept me just as dry on the camping trip. Unfortunately Jon doesn’t have such a rain suit. A poncho doesn’t cut it. (Chelsea, if you read this, and think Jon and I are stupid enough to go camping in such weather again, I know where you can get a great Christmas gift for Jon). Actually it made me a little homesick for Chile, being outside in rain that falls sideways and straight up instead of down. Once it was ready the tent made a nice abode, although still wet and cold.
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Just as we were cooking dinner, over the sound of the wind and rain we heard the sound of an engine on the road. We figured we weren’t the only crazy people up there.
After cooking dinner in the tent, we fell asleep about 8:30. I woke up at 10:00, and 11:00 to the sound of the wind. Actually we never really determined if it was the wind, or Boeing 747’s passing 100 feet above our heads. Being in the pass we figured it wasn’t jets, they would likely have struck a mountain, but the sound was very similar. At 12:30 we were both woken up to the sound of not only a very strong wind, but trees falling. When a tree falls in the forest, and someone is around, it definitely makes a sound! It is a sound I’d be happy never to hear again on a rainy, windy night when the only protection I have is a one inch diameter hollow aluminum pipe. In fact the only circumstances where I’d like to hear it is when I’m holding the chain saw that caused it to fall. We decided that we should head down the mountain. I know, 12:30 am, 5 hours after we got the tent up, is not the best time to take it down. It took about an hour to put it up and about 20 minutes to get it down. We were on our way down the mountain by 1:30. As we slowly made our way down the muddy, narrow, winding road we saw a few downed trees, damaged by forest fires in years past. One tree was blocking the road. Luckily it was small enough Jon was able to muscle it into the ditch. We made our way down the mountain, hearts still pounding from the sound of trees falling. We navigated our way down the narrow, windy switchbacks; the mountain to our left, and a sheer cliff on the right. If I started to slip my plan was to move to the left and lodge the truck into the side of the mountain, instead of plunging 500 feet to the canyon bottom on the right. Luckily it never came to that. Once we crossed the bridge we knew pavement was only a couple of miles, and the canyon bottom was not nearly as far as it was near the top. My heart stopped pounding, and my nerves settled down after we were out of four wheel drive, and on hard, wet asphalt. It took at least 30 minutes to navigate through those 5 miles of muddy roads.
Once we made it to Globe we stopped at a Circle K to change into dry clothes, and secure the load in the back of the truck. We were in the Phoenix valley by 4:00, and I was sleeping in my own dry, warm bed, cuddled with my sweetheart by 4:30.
No offense Jon, it was a wonderful trip, minus the trees falling down, but I’d rather sleep with Laurie in my warm bed, than with you in a sopping wet tent. Next time I think we should heed the weather, and realize that mother nature always wins. Next time it’s raining like that, we’ll stay home. Sorry Chelsea if that messes up your gift plans.
Moral of the story? Enjoy life, but don’t be stupid about it. Don’t go camping during the storm that drops more rain than all the storms during the previous 12 months combined.
(Photos courtesy of Jonathan Nelson)
