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Volunteering & Goverment Shutdowns
Volunteering & Goverment Shutdowns
This is now my 3rd government shutdown to experience since I started volunteering. All have been under the leadership of President Trump. In my opinion, it serves no real purpose other than as a means for members of government to play chicken; each side waiting for the other to flinch. But each day, I see folks who come to the park on their vacation only to find services closed, garbage cansâŠ
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One of our favorite trails to hike at Shenandoah National Park was the Rose River Trail. This was the only trail in Shenandoah National Park the we hiked multiple times.
The trail is about a 3.5 mile loop. The easy part of the trail is the fire road which runs from Skyline Drive at the Fisher Gap Overlook down to the bottoms of Dark Hollow Falls. Which is a bonus for this hike. You get to see to waterfalls on basically one trail.
In my opinion, there are two routes you can take on this trail, if you start at the Fisher Gap parking area. The âmostly downhillâ path or the âmostly uphillâ path. Okay, yes, it is both uphill and downhill that you must hike. However, you can choose whether to take the steeper portion with switchbacks going down or up.
From Fisher Gap, the fire road will lead straight downhill towards Dark Hollow Falls. This is a gentle hike downhill. Gayle likes walking uphill on the fire road as it is the less strenuous path back up to the car from the falls. Along the fire road, about half way is the Cave Cemetery. Based on the headstones, I believe it is the cemetery of a family named Cave. Some of the headstones are confederate soldiers and more recent ones are their other relatives, I assume. Also along the fire road is where we tended to come across a mother bear and her two yearlings. We always stopped to watch them as the meandered across our path, playing us no attention. Our friends Ann & Steve almost ran right into them as we were hiking down the road.
 At the bottom the of the falls, you meet up with the Dark Hills Falls trail. You can hike the trail about a tenth of a mile up, literally, to where the main falls are. If you want you can go further to the top of the falls, but I am too lazy and never went further up. Ann & Steve told me it was okay, but the point where I stopped was better.
When you get back to the bottom of Dark Hollow Falls, you hike across a short metal bridge and resume the Rose River Trail. It follows along the Rose River, gently descending as you go towards the river. Be advised that this portion of the trail has many rocks and roots that reach out to trip you with every step. In general, the path can be wet and there will be a downed tree or two that you will scramble over.
Gayle commented that going along the trail down river, you miss many of the cascade views that you would see if you were traveling the other direction. But you can always turn around to capture the views of the cascades with your camera.
Just before the halfway mark, you will come to a bridge to cross the river. Donât be fooled into thinking you will have dry feet for the entire hike. Soon after the bridge crossing you will need to ford a stream. Depending upon the rain levels you will either be able to cross the stream atop rocks that are slightly above or at the water level, or you will just bite the bullet and wade into the stream. I guess you do have one other option and give up and turn around, but what fun would that be?
After wading the stream, you begin the climb back up to Fishers Gap. At this point you are now hiking up the river and no longer need to turn around to view the cascades. At about the time you come to the Rose River Falls you will realize that you are on the âmostly uphillâ version of the trail. The best place to view the falls is at a rock outcropping where you are looking down at the top of the falls. I wouldnât recommend trying to get to the bottom of the falls. It is extremely steep and would be extremely difficult to climb out of. And I am sure that you wouldnât want to be the one that Search And Rescue needs to come carry out.
From the top of the falls, the trail veers away from the river in a series of switchbacks that eventually ends up at the fire road near your starting point.
My advice, take the âmostly downhillâ version (take the horse trail) and return on the fire road. Either way, you will enjoy the hike.
Hiking the Rose River Trail One of our favorite trails to hike at Shenandoah National Park was the Rose River Trail. This was the only trail in Shenandoah National Park the we hiked multiple times.
Chasing Bears
When applying for a volunteer campground host position on Volunteer.Gov, the duties that are listed tend to be fairly similar. Greet guests, answer questions, pick up litter, handle noise complaints, tell people about keeping their dog on a leash and so on. Today we learned about a job duty that wasnât actually listed when I applied for our current position â chasing bears.
Black bears are prettyâŠ
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In the Shenandoah National Park, I see many creatures. Some I see on a more frequent basis than expected. Park visitors and their pets are seen every day. But this is not a post about them, this post is about those creatures that call Shenandoah home. Most of the pictures below are from our campground (Mathews Arm) and the trail nearby. The bear video was taken by my wife while we were working. We were waiting for a thru-hiker to come up to us with a question. The mother bear is young and this is her first litter. We see this bear family at least once a week.
White Tail deer frequently wander by the RV and cause Aria to bark. They usually just stare at her.
 The owl pictures are Barred Owls. Other birds that visit us are Red Starts, Cat Birds (which actually sound like a cat), Phoebes and Robins. Couldnât tell you the names of the salamander, butterflies/moths and the spiderâŠ.
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I find the animals have a calming effect on me. Well the spider doesnât, but the rest do.
Enjoy, and let me know if you have any questions.
Shenandoah Creatures In the Shenandoah National Park, I see many creatures. Some I see on a more frequent basis than expected.
Itâs been a while since my last post. After Picketpost Trailhead, we drove a round-about way to our next volunteer position in the Shenandoah National Park. We have been at the park for about a month. In that time we have seen the trees sprout leaves, animals passing through and the rain come and go.
Being a campground host in a National Park is different from what I experienced being one for the Bureau of Land Management. I suspect that each position I accept will be different than any previous positions. So far we have only had two busy weekends where all the sites were full: Memorial Day weekend and a the second weekend the campground was open. I always expect holiday weekends to be busy/full. It appears that many who camp here come from a short distance. On nice weekends, we are busy, but if there is rain in the forecast many donât show up.
There has been quite a bit of rain; much more than I have seen since starting in Moab almost a year ago. There are some days where we are the only campers, like in Arizona. On these days, we enjoy the solitude and sounds of nature. We usually get a visit from some White Tail Deer or a Bard Owl.
Every now and then I get to see bears. There is one family of a young mother and three little cubs. The cubs are at the stage where they play and wrestle frequently. There is also one adolescent bear that at first was with its mother. But now has ventured off and I only see it alone. Mom appears to have moved deeper into the forest.
 The rain does keep us inside more and not out hiking. We planned to do more hiking on our days off, but so far have only gone on one hike. More will come, I am sure. Being in the mountains, the fog/clouds come in and can be dense. At those time driving the Skyline Parkway is slow, as one cannot see very far. The fog does provide some surreal views of the campground at times.
Shenandoah National Park It's been a while since my last post. After Picketpost Trailhead, we drove a round-about way to our next volunteer position in the Shenandoah National Park.
Cracker Barrels and KOAs
Cracker Barrels and KOAs
When we travel from one destination to the next, we tend to stop at either a KOA
or a Cracker Barrel Old Country Store. For the most part Kampgrounds Of America are fairly dependable in what they offer. Some are a bit more cramped than others and some have a parking lot feel, but I know what to expect. I feel the same at a Cracker Barrel location. There usually are spots to park the RV overnightâŠ
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When I first arrived here at the Picketpost Mountain Trailhead I posted about hiking the trails. In the post Arizona Trails, I said that I would return to the Picketpost Trail and reach the summit. With a week left before my departure, the time to face my challenge was growing short. I woke up on Tuesday and decided it was the day.
Tuesdays at the trailhead are light days. Gayle and I discussed the plan. The weather was cool and I was as ready as I would be. I set out mid-morning to reach the top of Picketpost Mountain. My parting words were âIâll be back around 2, well maybe 3.â Some of you may be experienced with hiking to a mountain top and cringing at theses last statements. Perhaps I hadnât thought things out as thoroughly as I should have. Two minor mistakes which I realized about half way up the mountain. First, I was hiking alone. Not a great idea when hiking somewhere you have never been before. Second, it was a light day at the trailhead. This meant that there were few people with the same idea as me: to go to the top of the mountain. While I enjoy the solitude on a hike, later you will learn why I regretted not having a crowd n the mountain.
The first mile and a half was just like I remembered it, a gently upward climb on a well-defined trail mixed at times with loose rock. I made good progress and quickly arrived at the point where Aria and I had turned around on the first hike up Picketpost Mountain. I had seen nobody on the trail. At this point the gentle slope turned into a steep slope and I came to a point where it appeared the trail split in two different directions. I was sure I had seen previous hikers taking the left path up a rock, but the right path look well-travelled and had cairns and chalk makings. I chose the well-travelled path. It continued upward and closer to the edge of a cliff. Soon I hit a point where I could not see any way to continue, but could see about 15 feet above me and to my right what looked to be the trail with another cairn. Stumped at how I could get to it, I backtracked to where the trail split. I looked at the trail going up the rock. It appeared to be a climb, but I couldnât see where it might lead. I thought I could go up, but wasnât sure how I would get back down if I went up. I followed the other trail back again to see if there was something I missed. I was stumped. Neither trail offered up a solution for me. I returned to the junction to think. While I pondered and studied the trail on the rock, I noticed some people coming down from the mountain. I decided to wait and see which way they went and follow their path upwards. Down they came over the rock trail. As they came closer, I was amazed to see the trail that was invisible to me until they walked on it. I chatted a bit with them about the trail to learn what they could tell me. Having never been past this point, some of their descriptions made little sense to me. I filed away their trail descriptions for the near future and started my climb.
The slope was about a 60 degree angle and in order for me to reach the path at the top of the rock, I was on hands and knees scrambling up the rock with whatever hand/footholds I could find. I got to the path and discovered, it wasnât much of a path. I walked along the path, every now and then seeing a chalk mark or cairn left from a previous hiker. I decided the hiking poles were going to be useless at this point, so I shortened them as much as possible and hooked them to the back of my pack. Throughout the rest of the hike, I was cursing them as they would get in the way at the most inopportune time.
Aria has a knack for always choosing the correct path to take; I donât. I took one wrong turn and ended up about 10 feet higher than I should have been, on a dead-end trail. But I wasnât the first, as it appeared others had made a path back to the first. Unfortunately, it was more like a slide of loose dirt. I slid down to the path on my butt. I went a bit faster than I expected and grabbed hold of a large rock to stop by descent. If the end of the slide was a nice wide space, I wouldnât have worried. However, I stopped on the path with my feet somewhat dangling over a very steep drop. The drop wasnât something I wanted to experience, as I am sure the result would have been many broken bones. As a kid, I had no fear of heights. I would dangle from tree limbs high above the ground without a thought. Today, hanging onto the rock, I wasnât very brave. I clambered up and sat on the rock, which was secure and provided me a space to breathe and relax. I think I sat there contemplating how I was going to return to camp, but I was frozen to the rock and not about to move. After about 10 minutes, I heard voices coming up from below. I relaxed a bit more and waited hoping they would appear near me.
Two older gentleman came up the trail and greeted me. I thought about asking them to help me get back down, but decided instead to ask if I could join them. They had no issue. Dan (or Dave as I forgot his name exactly) was 75 and had been up to the top 4 times. His friend Toby was 72 and on his first trip up. The three of us continued the journey to the top.
The trail was confusing as the chalk markings and cairns contradicted each other at times. As a group we explored each avenue to determine which appeared to be the correct path. Gayle would not have liked this hike at all. I am not sure I would call it a hike, but rather a climb. The last mile of the trail to the top seems to be more rock climbing than anything else. The going was much slower than I anticipated. After many rocks, bumps & scrapes along with bashing my knee two times, we made it to the top. Or so I thought. There in front of me was a trail of rocks that somebody had laid out. This was no natural path. Whomever put this down, took time to create it. I wasnât yet at the âtopâ. About 900 yards of this trail led us to the top. There sat a wrought iron, 2 person bench and a mailbox. The mailbox was stuffed full of items including a book which I signed. Near the mailbox is a geological survey plaque set in the rock.
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At this point, it was about 2:15 pm. My journey so far had taken all of my estimated time. Being on top of the mountain provided the best cell signal that I had in days, so I sent Gayle a text indicating I made it to the top, and wouldnât be back until probably 5 pm. The views were spectacular and my pictures donât do them justice. I have included two panoramic shots to give a 360 degree view of what I saw. I wanted to stay longer than the 30 minutes we did, to enjoy the views and partly because I wasnât eager to face some of the downward challenges.
Off we went to work our way down. Somehow we ended up on an easier trail down that followed a dried up water fall. The rock was smooth, but it meant we didnât need to climb down as many of the rocks we had clambered over on the way up. The trek down went much faster than I expected. At the spots on the upward journey where I clung to the rock for my life, it seemed much less daunting. Perhaps the perspective coming down changes the difficulty of the challenge? All I know is that when you can see the path before you, it is much easier and less challenging then when you are unsure of where your next step or handhold will be. Iâm not saying that I still didnât cling to the rock at times when the cliff was on one side of me with only inches to place my feet, but I was confident that I could do it without and problem.
Would I do this again? My original answer was no. But now as I write this, I would say â maybe. If I go again, it will be with a group and without my hiking poles. Perhaps a better pair of shoes also. The rocks were a bit hard on my shoes, and they are a bit ripped on the sides. Challenge yourself and you will gain confidence in yourself.
To the top and backâŠ. When I first arrived here at the Picketpost Mountain Trailhead I posted about hiking the trails. In the postâŠ
As we hike around the canyons and trails, I wonder what it would have been like to be a pioneer in southeast Arizona. But I think I would relate more to a pioneer, due to their tools and modes of transportation, than I would be to the earlier inhabitants of the area. The Salado were the people who dwelled in this area before the Apache Indians came to the area. It is estimated that they moved on/ disappeared a century or more before Columbus discovered the New World. Yet these people left behind dwellings and beautiful pottery. Other than their dwellings, pottery, tools and some trade goods, not much is known about what happened to them. Climate and resources to survive were probably a major factor in their disappearance, whether from natural causes or conflict.
Our first stop to learn about the Salado was a place named Besh Ba Gowah, in Globe, AZ. It is the remains of a village that also appears to have been a major trading hub for the area. People came from the Pacific coast and even the Gulf coast to trade their goods for the pottery that the Salado produced. It appears that the Salado experimented with various shapes for bowls and urns.
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Less than an hour drive north of Besh Ba Gowah, near Roosevelt Lake is the Tonto National Monument. Here the Salado built their dwellings inside caves high in the cliffs. Although the dwellings are similar in design, they are polar opposites in location. The cliff dwellings are accessible by only one path leading to an entrance, that probably had a ladder that could be pulled up when the dwellings needed to be defended. Besh Ba Gowah sits in an open area where walls would need to be defended on all four sides. Both had similar dwelling construction of the rooms. Many had entrances from a hole in the roof. Few had windows and doors. Every doorway that I saw was very low to the ground, making one need to crouch or crawl to get through.
Off in the distance is the Upper Cliff Dwelling
Lower Cliff Dwelling
The trail to the Lower Cliff Dwelling is shorter but still steep.
This doorway is only about 3 feet high
Roosevelt Lake in the distance
At the Tonto National Monument there are two sites, the upper and lower cliff dwellings. To go to the upper dwellings, you need to go on a guided hike. It is approximately a 3 mile round trip, and steeper hike than the lower cliff dwelling trail. The lower trail is about a 1 mile round trip hike and a paved trail with benches every so often catch your breath. Leashed dogs are allowed on the lower trail, but cannot go into the dwellings. Both trails are fairly steep. Take water along and go on a cool day.
Both sites charge a fee, but the Tonto National Monument accepts the various National Park access passes like the America the Beautiful pass. Although you could do both in one day, I would recommend two or three days. Also, spend a little time in Globe while you are there to have lunch. We enjoyed lunch at the Copper Hen Bakery & Cafe. The food was decently priced and good.
The Salado â where did they go? As we hike around the canyons and trails, I wonder what it would have been like to be a pioneer in southeast Arizona.
The Legends Of Superior Trail (LOST) was once the highway that led from Superior to Miami. Walking along this trail, it is easy to see that this trip by any mode of transportation was probably slow. It is about a 2 mile stretch that runs along Queen Creek and runs parallel and below the current Route 60.
Along the trail are signs that explain about the wildlife and building of the roads.
If you look towards the north, you will see the remnants of old mines. Looking at some, I wondered how difficult it might have been to get a wagon to the mines. It appears that Queen Creek may have played a transport role moving ore from the mine to a place where it could be smelted.
Near the end of the trail you will find the old tunnel that cut through the mountain. It was replaced by the current tunnel, and you can see the construction ramp from the old road to the current near the entrance of the tunnel.
As always, Aria enjoys a good hike and like to stop and take in the views. If you are in Superior, this is a good little side trip to enjoy.
 Exploring LOST The Legends Of Superior Trail (LOST) was once the highway that led from Superior to Miami.
Today we hiked to a new area around Picketpost Mountain. We headed to Arnett Canyon. The only way to get to the canyon is to park and hike in. Luckily for me, I can get to the canyon via a short trail off of segment 17 of the Arizona Trail.
The trail is used often by horse riders and cattle. Aria loved the trail with all the horse apples, but she ignored cow pies. It led us through mesquite and tall grass that the cattle appear to have neglected. On each side of us rock formations grew from ancient magma flows beneath the surface. Every now and then I was able to see the summit of Picketpost Mountain, but not often. We didnât hike the entire canyon as we got a late start.
On our return to the RV, we passed rocks with moss of various shades of green. Some appeared to be fluorescent as if a kid had painted the rocks with a bright yellow/green highlighter.
As we rounded the last turn we had a view of the mountains with Wheelerâs Needle appearing prominently. I attempted to take a picture, but the iPhone just doesnât capture what beauty the eye can see. Therefore, I have blown up the section where Wheelerâs Needle is, so perhaps you can pick it out of the landscape shot.
 Arnett Canyon Today we hiked to a new area around Picketpost Mountain. We headed to Arnett Canyon. The only way to get to the canyon is to park and hike in.
When I accepted my current volunteer position, I included plans to travel home for the holidays. Mid December came and I set about getting the RV closed up for the few weeks I wouldnât be living in it. Basically this entailed eating the remaining food in the refrigerator/freezer along with giving the insides a thorough cleaning. With the refrigerator empty, the water disconnected, the battery disconnected and the slides brought in, Aria and I set off on our 1,754 mile journey home.
Driving in a car for three days with only a dog to talk with, gives one plenty of time to contemplate things. I enjoy driving at my pace though the country. This trip I thought about the many Indian reservations I drove through. I have always wondered what the thought process was of the United States government when it decided to allot land for the reservations to the various tribes. I know some were pushed westward during the Trail of Tears, while others had the boundaries of their lands reduced as a means to confine the Native American population. Each reservationâs land has a beauty all its own. In my opinion, the San Carlos Apache Reservation and the White Mountain Apache Reservation have the prettiest land with spectacular views. I love the soaring pine trees and rolling meadows of gold. While just to their north the Navajo and Hopi tribes have lands that appear to be mostly dust and buttes. The tribes in southwest Oklahoma have rolling plains while the Cherokee Reservation in northeast Oklahoma has rolling hills and dense forests. It seems to me that the tribes located in areas between the Apache and Cherokee would have a rough time existing on the lands they have.
Another realization came to me during this trip, I have driven the route multiple times and didnât realize until this trip that I drive through a lava field that rival those black fields on the Big Island of Hawaii. You will find this along I-40, about 80 miles east of Gallup, NM. I think these lava fields may be older than those of the Big Island, because prairie grasses and other plants have taken root and hide the lava field from the casual viewer. The Forest Service maintains the El Malpais National Monument, which covers this area. This may be a destination for a future trip.
Three weeks later I returned to the RV to find the batteries dead and uninvited guests. I expected to come back to dead batteries as they have been losing power gradually. I was surprised to find that a mouse had decided to set up residence under the kitchen sink. I did not see the mouse, but determined he had a liking for my paper towels and food with peanut butter. He ate my last Little Debbie Nutty Buddy and got into a new bag of Ariaâs peanut butter & blueberry treats. I cleaned the RV of his droppings and where it looked like he was building a nest with the paper towels. I put the food in spots I was sure he couldnât get to, like the microwave. The next morning he had again chewed up the paper towels, so I took a trip to the store to get groceries and mouse traps. I put peanut butter on three traps and set them in areas I was sure he would find them.
I didnât hear anything that night and decided to check the traps in the morning. Two of the three traps appeared to be untouched, while the third it appeared that he had licked the peanut butter off the trap. Great, I have a smart mouse! I put on more peanut butter and set the trap again. Before bed, I could hear the mouse, I just couldnât catch sight of him. I went to bed.
In order to get the gate open before sunrise, I set my alarm for 6 am. It went off, I turned it off and rolled over to snooze a little more. I heard a sound and thought maybe somebody was knocking on my door for me to open the gate. I looked out the window but didnât see anybody. Then I heard THWACK! I knew one of the traps just went off. I caught my mouse. After disposing of him, I decided to check the other two traps. The one that had been licked clean was again licked clean. The trap had been triggered but the trap part had gotten stuck on the cabinet framing under the sink. This must have given my smart mouse over confidence when he approached the other trap. I was surprised to see the third trap had also gotten a mouse.
I searched under the RV for possible entry points. I found two spots where the protective flexible tubing for wires had split open. I sealed the openings with duct taped. I think one of these openings was the way that the mice got in. Both sets of tubing terminated at locations under my kitchen sink area. I set traps again, in case there are more. I am hoping that there were only these two.
What have I learned? Mice can get into an RV. My phone is very handy to see in spots I cannot see. I reach in and take photos and then look at those. I think I need to find one of those wireless endoscope like in this YouTube review on Road Gear Reviews. The trip home was good, but cold. I guess these past months have turned me into a weather wimp.
A journey home and univited guests When I accepted my current volunteer position, I included plans to travel home for the holidays. Mid December came and I set about getting the RV closed up for the few weeks I wouldn't be living in it.
One of the many benefits of having a class A RV is the huge windshield. Yes, I know I have previously written about the whopping cost of replacing the huge windshield. I also dislike the work needed to clean the bugs and dirt off of the windshield. BUTâŠ. when clean it provides amazing views.
My current view in the distance is Picketpost Mountain. Directly in front of the RV, Aria and I enjoy watching the birds and occasional rabbit or ground squirrel. The birds appear to love the protection of the cacti and thorn bushes/trees. I have noticed that the same birds visit every day.
There are a few types of sparrows that always come in a small groups. The Black-throated Sparrow and White-crowned Sparrow appear every day. Occasionally I will see a House Sparrow. There are also two female Cardinals and one male. A couple Curved-billed Thrashers also appear. I usually hear them before I see them as the sound like one of Ariaâs toys squeaking. Aria has stopped looking at me when they are around. I am sure that she thinks I am squeaking one of her toys. One a few rare occasions, I have seen some Gambelâs Quail strolling by. A pair of Ravens come by once a week, but they donât stay long. In the distance I have spotted a Hawk and two Golden Eagles, but they are never close enough to get a picture and by the time I get out the binoculars they are gone.
Even though the birds seem to be always present, they never seem to be in one spot long enough for me to get a picture. Below are some shots that I did get. Most have been cropped and enlarged, so they are not the best quality.
Curved-billed Thrasher
Curved-billed Thrasher
Northern Cardinal
Northern Cardinal
Northern Cardinal
White-crowned Sparrow
Bird Watching One of the many benefits of having a class A RV is the huge windshield. Yes, I know I have previously written about the whopping cost of replacing the huge windshield.
Since arriving in Arizona, Aria and I have been slowly increasing the distance we hike on the trails. There are two segments of the Arizona Trail that we hike and then there is the trail to the top of Picketpost Mountain. We started off with heading out a half mile south on the Arizona Trail segment 17. This brought us to the start of the trail to the top of Picketpost Mountain. Since one of my tasks is to pick up trash along the trail a mile each way from the trailhead, I decided to find the mile mark on each segment. Aria and I set out on the Arizona Trail heading north on Segment 18. After a pleasant stroll and following a cow path instead of trail, we arrived at a point a little further than a mile along the trail. Along this route there are many signs of civilization like power lines and ranches. On this hike, I learned that Aria likes the scent of cows better than man. We came to a point where the trail split into two directions. I have learned that usually Aria is able to pick the correct trail to follow. So I followed her along a well used path that was easy on her paws. Soon we came upon the end of the path at a windmill and water basin along with a corral for the cows. I consulted the trail app (Hiking Project by REI) on my phone to see where the trail actually went. We were not far off the trail and the wash we crossed would lead us back to the trail. Along the wash, we came upon one cow that never made it to the water source. Based on the bleached bones, I would say the it had been there for quite some time. Once back on the trail, we needed to go through a couple of gates and tunnels that took us under US 60. This was designed so hikers would not need to cross the busy highway. I guess the gates were there to keep the cattle from crossing. During the hike I decided to get Aria some boots for hiking. We stopped many times to remove the cheat grass and buckthorn from her paws. I will write more about dog hiking boots in another post.
After a couple of days, Aria and I ventured south to find the mile mark. Segment 17 of the Arizona Trail winds its way around the base of Picketpost Mountain. There are no signs of civilization along this section. The trail rolls up and down and provides views of various cacti and valleys. It is quite scenic, but very little shade. A.bout a week later, Aria and I extended our hiking on this segment to the 2 mile mark.
Officially, the trail that leads up to the summit of Picketpost Mountain, is not a maintained trail. Aria and I journeyed about 1.5 miles up the trail until it got to a point where I would need to start carrying Aria down the rocks. She wanted to keep going up and in her mountain goat style would hop from rock to rock. But I decided that we would turn back. The route at times is not defined. I made a couple turns that led to dead ends. Hiking poles are and advantage as the trail has many spots with loose gravel/rocks that are easy to slip on. For me, this means moving at a slower pace. I think I moved slower going downhill than I did on the upward climb. At some point in the future, I will hike up to the summit.
  Arizona Trails Since arriving in Arizona, Aria and I have been slowly increasing the distance we hike on the trails.
Since arriving in Arizona, Aria and I have been slowly increasing the distance we hike on the trails. There are two segments of the Arizona Trail that we hike and then there is the trail to the top of Picketpost Mountain. We started off with heading out a half mile south on the Arizona Trail segment 17. This brought us to the start of the trail to the top of Picketpost Mountain. Since one of my tasks is to pick up trash along the trail a mile each way from the trailhead, I decided to find the mile mark on each segment. Aria and I set out on the Arizona Trail heading north on Segment 18. After a pleasant stroll and following a cow path instead of trail, we arrived at a point a little further than a mile along the trail. Along this route there are many signs of civilization like power lines and ranches. On this hike, I learned that Aria likes the scent of cows better than man. We came to a point where the trail split into two directions. I have learned that usually Aria is able to pick the correct trail to follow. So I followed her along a well used path that was easy on her paws. Soon we came upon the end of the path at a windmill and water basin along with a corral for the cows. I consulted the trail app (Hiking Project by REI) on my phone to see where the trail actually went. We were not far off the trail and the wash we crossed would lead us back to the trail. Along the wash, we came upon one cow that never made it to the water source. Based on the bleached bones, I would say the it had been there for quite some time. Once back on the trail, we needed to go through a couple of gates and tunnels that took us under US 60. This was designed so hikers would not need to cross the busy highway. I guess the gates were there to keep the cattle from crossing. During the hike I decided to get Aria some boots for hiking. We stopped many times to remove the cheat grass and buckthorn from her paws. I will write more about dog hiking boots in another post.
After a couple of days, Aria and I ventured south to find the mile mark. Segment 17 of the Arizona Trail winds its way around the base of Picketpost Mountain. There are no signs of civilization along this section. The trail rolls up and down and provides views of various cacti and valleys. It is quite scenic, but very little shade. A.bout a week later, Aria and I extended our hiking on this segment to the 2 mile mark.
Officially, the trail that leads up to the summit of Picketpost Mountain, is not a maintained trail. Aria and I journeyed about 1.5 miles up the trail until it got to a point where I would need to start carrying Aria down the rocks. She wanted to keep going up and in her mountain goat style would hop from rock to rock. But I decided that we would turn back. The route at times is not defined. I made a couple turns that led to dead ends. Hiking poles are and advantage as the trail has many spots with loose gravel/rocks that are easy to slip on. For me, this means moving at a slower pace. I think I moved slower going downhill than I did on the upward climb. At some point in the future, I will hike up to the summit.
  Arizona Trails Since arriving in Arizona, Aria and I have been slowly increasing the distance we hike on the trails.
Picketpost Trailhead
Dad and I drove from Flagstaff, AZ to the Picketpost Trailhead, located in the Tonto National Forest. The trailhead is about 5 miles west of Superior, AZ. For those familiar with the Phoenix area, it is about 45-50 miles east. The trailhead serves as a point to access the Arizona Trail between segments 17 and 18. The Arizona Trail stretches across Arizona from the border with Mexico to the borderâŠ
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Heading South
My time in Moab was done. I am heading to my next volunteer position. After packing everything up and a quick stop at the Moab BLM office to check out, I headed south on route 191.  Traffic was light on the two lane highway all the way to Flagstaff. I made a reservation at a KOA on the north side of town. After a bit over two months using my generator for electricity, it was a pleasure to connectâŠ
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The Portal Trail isnât a long one. It is 1.5 miles to the overlook. This trail is used by many of the mountain bikers that want to come off the Poison Spider bike trail. Those who ride down the Portal Trail are crazy.
The Portal Trail is all uphill. I decided that this would be good practice for me before I head to my next position at Picket Post Mountain Trail Head. The trail starts out at the Jaycee Park. A half mile hike on a trail that winds through trees and cacti will bring you to the start of the Portal Trail. From that point, you head uphill. I would suggest a hiking pole or two. I had two, but found that I held both in one hand and Ariaâs leash in the other. Having a dog along is a benefit when heading up the 980 feet gain in elevation over the 1.5 miles. As you get closer to the top, you have a few switchbacks to navigate and hope that a mountain biker is not coming down. There is not much room to step aside as Aria and I found out when we encountered our first of many bikers. Luckily, the rocks were large and loose so the biker was going super slow.
I wasnât sure where the trail would end up leading us. Aria didnât seem to care as she kept a steady pace upward. Having four feet on this trail is a definite advantage. A few times I did need to use both hiking poles to navigate the trail. As I looked up I could see we were heading towards one rock cliff. I was thinking that was our destination. I was wrong. Relieved that I wasnât going to need to climb to that height we arrived at the overlook. There is a 3 foot stake driven into the rock which I used to attach Ariaâs leash to. This let me walk around and take pictures without worrying about Aria falling over the cliff side. There are no railings, so the meek at heart may want to avoid this trail. The view was spectacular. I could see the Lasal Mountains, Moab, the Colorado River and even into Arches National Park.
As Aria and I rested I watched more bikers descend the trail ahead. The narrow trail hugged the cliff side and appear to plunge far below. Most of the bikers I watched, walked their bikes at this point. I did watch one who thought he would ride down the trail. About 3/4 of the way down, he flipped head over heals, rear wheel over the front wheel and crashed. I was surprised that he did not go over the side of the cliff. He walked up to where I was with his bike. I asked if he was okay and he said he was. However, it was obvious that his shoulder was causing pain. He got back on his bike to ride on, but I think something was broken because I heard him curse then saw him walking his bike as he descended the trail out of sight. The picture below is the remaining part of trail that continued upwards around the rounded part at the right edge of the picture. If you zoom in, you will see the biker picking up his bike (lower center of picture).
I decided that it was getting late and the remaining portion of the trail had too many bikers coming down, for me to continue. I asked one biker what was left, and he said it the trail went up a bit more and then met up with the Poison Spider Trail. He told me there wasnât much to see. So, I decided to head back down after the bikers headed down the trail.
Going down was harder on my knees than I expected. Aria wanted to rush down, hopping from rock to rock. I couldnât keep her pace and had to slow her down many times. The trail is steep and has many loose rocks and boulders to navigate. The hiking poles came into use for most of the journey down the trail.
The trip uphill took about 2 hours to complete. Going downhill took a bit over an hour. I would rate this trail as moderately difficult. Take hiking poles, plenty of water and maybe some snacks. A dog will help too!
Aria was tired by the time we got to the car. If you bring a fluffy, white dog, expect to give her a bath after the hike!
Before a bath
After a bath
 The Portal Trail The Portal Trail isn't a long one. It is 1.5 miles to the overlook. This trail is used by many of the mountain bikers that want to come off the Poison Spider bike trail.