I overestimated the sunlight and underestimated the time it would take to do the number of miles we hiked today. Which turned out to be 10.5! I got in my 10 miler before the weekend, so we can chill instead of try to make up what we might not have gotten today. (I don't like hiking on the weekend.)
Juneau wore her Palisades pack that was weighted down with 2 liters of water. She wasn't as spaztastic as normal when she isn't carrying a pack and got nicely worn out on the hike. The hikes don't really drain her energy very much when she doesn't have a pack, so today's hike with it's increased distance and weight were the right combination. Sasha didn't need a pack due to the distance, and Conker took over Juneau's spazz job and was generally a nuisance.
Sasha got to be in the lead a lot. Juneau and Conker walked behind me for several miles (their choice). Juneau and Conker were out in front most of the time, but since Juneau had the pack on, she was slower than usual, and Conker tends to hang out with her instead of Sasha, so Sasha got to lead the pack. She seemed to enjoy her temporary position out front when she had it.
The sunset was better than it was last night due to the presence of some haze. I am still waiting for some clouds that will make it cooler. (So far none of the sunsets in Southern Oregon have matched those we got in Arizona.)
I added 8 new feathers to the post on Wildrose loop. It's getting pretty funky looking. I kept the largest flight feather I found and stuck it in my hat. It's about 2 feet long.
That compound bow I saw a couple days ago was still on the tree. If it's there again next time I visit Wildrose, I will go investigate it. The land it is on is not private property so I will not get in trouble if I go take a look.
On Wildrose, the Girls were slightly ahead of me and Conker was off around a corner. All of a sudden I hear his bell begin to ring very quickly, then FWOOOSH! A whole flock of wild turkeys took flight, narrowly missing the enthusiastic Shiba who was hot on their heels. A swift and loud "LEAVE IT!" Stopped Conker in his tracks. (As well as the Girls, who did not get to join in the turkey hunt.) Then I called him firmly but nicely. He stopped a few times when the now distant turkeys made some noise or he came upon a freshly dropped feather, but made it back without a problem.
Other than the turkeys and Conker's usual mischeif, the hike went smoothly. After the sun set, I stopped taking pictures because they would all be blurry. We had to hike through the dark for about 30 minutes on accident since today I did not park at the usual trailhead. I parked at the Skycrest trailhead, one that is 2 miles closer to my house (that I knew about but didn't realize it was closer) but resulted in us being at the wrong end of Cathedral Hills when the sun went down. Thankfully I'd brought along the reflective flashers I have for the dogs, and we only saw one other animal (raccoon) which the dogs left alone when I told them to, so nothing eventful happened on our accidental night hike.
The video is darker than it actually was. I could see the trail (for the most part) and all the dogs despite the flashers and while most people would have, I did not use the flashlight I had in my pack. I am not afraid of the dark and I can see pretty good at night. But reflecting animal eyes freak me the fuck out, so if I don't have to, I won't use a flashlight. I'd rather see a suspicious figure than reflecting eyes. (I generally know what animal they belong to by the color and distance apart. It's a cool thing to know.)
I like the flashers and will keep them as part of the regular hiking attire. Sasha broke hers somehow, which is odd since she's the calmest dog, so I'll either have to fix it or get her a new one. Conker and Juneau both had on bells today. I got one for Juneau at the grange because she tends to range out more than Conker and it's nice being able to tell how far away she is when I can't immediately see her.
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