Not Quite Over the Hill: Reasonable and Sensible

Post by Eric

I consider myself to be a reasonable person who makes sensible decisions. A recent trip to Arizona suggests otherwise, at least when it comes to trails.

In early January, I flew down to visit my mom in Sierra Vista, just south of Tucson. Mom (now 92 years old!) is doing great. She lives independently in her own house and part of my visit was helping her stay independent. While there I did several things, including running some errands, repairing a leaky gutter, picking up a new vacuum, and helping devise a way for her to empty a bucket of mop water without straining her back. (The best solution came from Corrine after I got home. More on that later.)

I love visiting with my mom and helping her out. But I also love connecting with the wild spaces and trails of the area. Typically, I head to the Huachuca Mountains right next to Sierra Vista for some hiking and running. But I didn’t do my typical Huachuca peak-bagging on this trip.

A Big Stupid Start

The morning after I arrived in Tucson, temps were cool – lows in the 40s, highs barely in the 60s – so I decided to check out a trail in Saguaro National Park. I picked one mostly at random – Tanque Verde Ridge Trail – from Trail Forks, my go-to trails app. I figured I would run/hike a 5- to 10-mile out-and-back before heading down to Sierra Vista.

The trail had a lot of climbing – just what I wanted after a day of plane travel. I felt strong at the start, running and fast hiking, passing quite a few people. Most were more bundled up than I was – besides being cool, there was a stiff breeze higher up – but it felt like a cool summer day to me. All that sunshine was great!

Soon I was on my own. Eventually, I ran into one more person, a park volunteer, who smiled when I told him I was from Fairbanks. He said that explained why I was in shorts and a light, long-sleeved T-shirt, and he was wearing a sweater, pants, and wool cap.

He was heading out after checking the Juniper Basin Campground 6.9 miles in and was disappointed. Campground users had left a lot of trash, and one person had left a fire smoldering in one of the firepits. We talked briefly about the difficulty of educating people about good backcountry practices when there are so many media outlets these days. As we said our goodbyes, he said I probably wouldn’t see anyone else, and he was right.

I decided to shoot for the campground, a little farther than the max I had planned, but I was feeling good, and the campground was a good destination. Of course, when I got there, a sign said Tanque Verde Peak was only 2.1 miles away. I had seen that peak on my app, but at almost 10 miles – nearly 20 miles roundtrip – I knew that was too far. I hadn’t run more than 10 miles since April and most of my runs had been 3-5 miles. Now that I was at the campground, feeling a bit tired but not bad, I knew I had to go for the peak. I mean, only 2.1 miles. Probably not reasonable or sensible, but you understand, right?

I climbed to the peak and enjoyed the 360-degree view. The breeze was stronger up there, and I cooled quickly, so I didn’t linger long. But I was glad I had gone the extra miles. Of course, 2.1 miles on an out-and-back, means 4.2 extra miles. I knew my legs and joints would be complaining the next day.

Atop Tanque Verde Peak

I wasn’t feeling quite as strong on the way back, but I felt pretty good. Then I noticed the sun sinking lower and it hit me. Sunset! It hadn’t occurred to me. All around me was dry ground, green trees, and no snow. That’s summer, right? Being an Alaska boy, I hadn’t bothered to bring a headlamp. Who needs a headlamp in summer? And besides, I was only going for a 5- to 10-mile run. Doh!

The last part of the route had me running toward the sunset, so I could gauge how I was doing. I knew it was going to be close. I had my iPhone’s flashlight if I really needed it, but I wanted to avoid that. The sinking sun gave me motivation to push harder.

Bye bye sun!

With less than two miles to go, the sun set. At first the twilight was good, but it grew darker and hard to see. The light of a half-moon helped a bit. One stumble sent me sprawling off the trail – something you don’t want to do in the prickly desert – so I quit running and just hiked quickly. But I made it back to the car without using my iPhone. Success!

But at 17.6 miles and 4,600 feet of elevation gain, it was way more than I had planned for.

Still Not Learning the Lesson

I felt good for having made Tanque Verde Peak, but I paid for it. The next day, Wednesday, I was hobbling around, so I rested, visited a lot with my mom, and helped her with some errands and chores. On Thursday, I forced myself to go for a short, easy, flat run along the San Pedro River. My leg muscles kept reminding me of my stupidity on Tuesday, but I knew moving a bit would help me recover more quickly.

San Pedro River

On Friday, I decided to go for a bit more challenging run, but nothing too challenging. I picked a newish section of the Perimeter Trail at the base of the Huachucas. Just two miles one-way, so four miles round trip. Reasonable and sensible.

My legs were still a bit sore, but I felt good. Too good, I guess. I got to the end of the trail and saw on my Trail Forks app that I could connect two other trails and do a loop. I wasn’t sure how long that would be – maybe six miles? – and I wasn’t sure about the elevation gain. But I felt good. I didn’t want to stop. So, I didn’t.

Heading toward the Huachucas. Bonus miles!

I did the full loop – 7.3 miles and 1200 feet of elevation gain. Nothing too radical, but a bit much after the punishment I had given my legs on Tuesday. Still, a loop is always more satisfying than an out-and-back (unless you bag a peak!), so I was happy I had done it. I was thirsty when I got back to the car. I hadn’t brought any water to make sure I didn’t go too far. Doh!

Just One More Stupid Thing

I was flying out on early Sunday morning, so I headed up to spend the Saturday night in Tucson. But first I wanted to get in one more run. The Tucson area has a lot of good challenging trails, and I was game to take one on. I still hadn’t decided which one, when I took a break from the drive and found myself hobbling across a parking lot. My right Achilles tendon had swollen. Yikes! I thought about just resting, but I was going to be on the plane and at airports the whole next day.

Instead, I picked some flat desert trails in Saguaro National Park, just north of Tanque Verde Ridge. I planned a reasonable, sensible run of about 3 to 4 miles. But at 2.8 miles I hit an intersection and could head back for a short lollipop loop or do a bit more. I was feeling good – even my Achilles didn’t bother me too much – so I decided to do a bit more. I thought it was a bit stupid, but not too stupid. Besides, the desert plant life was so cool. I loved looking at all the different saguaro cacti and other plants and birds.

At 3.8 miles, I passed a trail that veered off down a wash and was glad I didn’t have to follow that. Desert wash trails are kinda cool but kind of a pain. They are full of soft sand that makes for difficult footing. A little past the trail intersection I looked at the app. I had gone too far. That wash trail was my trail. Doh!

I headed back and looked at the wash. I could have retraced my steps to the previous trail intersection, but I really wanted to make a full loop. I sighed and headed down the wash, trying to run as best I could without really irritating my Achilles. That wash turned into another, but finally I got onto flat trail again. I slowly ran the last couple of miles back to the car, hoping that I hadn’t done too much damage to my Achilles. My watch said I had done 6 miles - more than I had planned, but I was smiling. Despite my stupidity, that really was a fun run!

At least I didn't have to push a stroller down the wash!

I don’t know why (and I don’t deserve it), but my Achilles recovered quickly. I wasn’t even limping as I navigated airports and planes the next day.

Yikes! This isn't what I came to Arizona for!

A Nice Visit

I’m glad my mom decided to retire in such a nice place. I wouldn’t want to live there, but it’s a great place for a winter getaway from Fairbanks (even though I got some snow this time!). I always enjoy visiting with her, but I also enjoy exploring the wild places of southeastern Arizona. Of course, I like it so much that sometimes I just don’t make sensible decisions. Fortunately, my body forgives me. At least it has so far.

Oh, and Corrine’s solution to Mom’s mop water problem? First, here’s the problem: Mom mops her kitchen and bathroom, then dumps the water into her kitchen sink. Lifting the bucket full of water strains her back. Dipping out the water one cup at a time isn’t a great solution (lots of bending over). She can put the bucket on a small cart, so it’s easy to move around, but how to easily get the water up to the sink?

Mom had purchased an aquarium pump but couldn’t get it to work. I got it to work, but it didn’t have enough power to pump the water that high. I went to a hardware store and found a small submersible pump that would pump the water up to the kitchen sink. We got it to work, and Mom was very happy for my help.

Getting the water pump working

But when I got home and was talking to Corrine, she said, “She’s got a walk-in shower. Why doesn’t she just dump it in there?” Doh!

Mom had a good laugh at that. She said she has spent years dumping the water into the kitchen sink after mopping the kitchen floor and her bathroom, including the shower! It hadn’t occurred to either of us for her to use the shower drain. My solution was reasonable, but Corrine’s was much more sensible.