April 30, 2016
Well, it’s true isn’t it! So yesterday, even though it was 45-50 degrees cloudy and windy all day long I decided it was time for another hike. I have been trying to get in at least a couple of hikes a month but had not been able to go in a couple of weeks. I was ready for something ambitious. I planned a route around home that would take me 25 mi? It also required a bit of route finding and was not necessarily on a trail or two track road for 2/3 of the hike. Did I finish? No, but I gave it a good shot and got in 17.5 miles, that despite the persistent spring weather, I really enjoyed.
I also got some birds in yesterday even in the wind! I did not spend much time stopping to look, but in a few places I checked out a few when I could. The notable ones for me included: bullock’s oriole, belted kingfisher, mallard duck (or something really close to it – flying overhead), female hairy woodpecker, rock wrens, kestrels, horned larks, meadowlarks, Scared a turkey vulture out of its hidey-hole perch along the rim of Tater Butte Mesa (not often you are above one of these), that scared me too come to think of it. Also saw a male ladderback woodpecker, red tailed hawk, heard several canyon wrens, bewicks wren, canyon towee, several northern flickers, mocking bird, AND my first hummingbird this year. The humming bird zoomed by my head so close that I swear I felt a breeze.
The most interesting one of the day for me was a what I am about 95% sure was a Willet. Not having seen many (any that I can remember?) and it was so out of place…. Anyway, at a stock tank I watched it for about 15 minutes as the dogs got a drink and I checked out the map. I saw it fly and so I saw the striking wing pattern that it exhibits in flight although you couldn’t tell it while it sat on the edge of the stock tank. I looked and looked at the bird books and this is the best match I can give it. It was so funny because you could tell it was thinking,”I found water I am not moving – you do whatever you need to.” And move it did not. I got close enough to it take a pict with my iphone (aprox 10 yards?) so I’ll include that here. So out of place to be on top of a mesa at a stock tank staring at one spot. He seriously looked like he was contemplating life and wondering how he ended up there. I can say that sometimes I understand how he feels. As, at the moment I was trying to find an elusive road across a canyon. But, find it I did a while later.
I also came across a lilac bush in bloom! I love lilacs and they were very pretty standing out as the only green and colorful thing as even most of the trees have yet to leaf out here yet. Seems late to me, but maybe its not. This lilac bush is near an old homestead, hence the civilization. They are not wild here that I know of. This one could be considered ferrel though, that is, if plants can go ferrel.
That lilac was kind of hard to get to as I was cutting cross country and was trying to get down into that canyon from the top. Its steep. I turned around several times and finally came down a rough and rocky chute that would not have been so bad had I not just sprained my ankle twice right before that. I was stepping carefully all the way down the steep slope.
At my lunch break that day I did try a new food item that came in a Carin box I received for my birthday in March. It was a Munk Pack – kind of weird sounding as they are oatmeal and whatever fruit etc., but turned out to be really good. I’m not even that into blueberries and I really liked it. Not too sweet and not at all bland. Even a little tart, which I love. Perfect! Even though it was kind of like baby food for adults, I would totally eat it again and am considering ordering some more. Super yummy, easy, and a great appetizer as I was cooking a quick lunch to warm up with. http://www.munkpack.com/
Some other highlights of the day were coming across two different sets of bear tracks. One was made the night before when the road was really muddy, and the other probably within the hour of me finding it. Two different bears as they were significantly different sizes. The first was what I would consider a normal bear for our part of the state – small. The second was slightly larger and I remembered to give a frame of reference in the photo so you could get an idea of the size. Huge by no means, but larger than most for Baca County.
So, as I wound up my day I was getting tired, and had re-sprained my ankle a third time on flat ground… I had a last loop I was shooting for down a canyon and looping back up another, but I ran out of time. So, the hike got cut short a bit. But on my way out I did end up hiking down a canyon I don’t think I’ve hiked before. So, cool deal. To top it off I am pretty sure and old homesteader had an old road/trail up that canyon as there was a definite trail that I think was more pronounced at one point. Plus you could have ridden a horse up this canyon easy if the brush and tree branches were cut back. So good find. On top of that it completed a straight shot for me across three canyons all the way back home. Something I had yet to do. Great route and will use it again for sure.
And yes my ankle is swollen and bruised, but it is happy. It’s ready to go hiking again. Ha!