Small Child, Big Cliff

Continuing to hike through the pandemic, but its about to turn bad in AZ. Today was our first 100 degree day. With so many people out of work, unable to travel, and many hotels and campsites closed there will be unprecedented numbers doing dispersed camping. Like much of the West, we seem to have worse wildfires every year. I’m afraid the whole state is going to burn.

Yesterday we headed 100 miles north to the edge of Rim Country, where the Colorado Plateau falls away into the Valley of the Sun. From the top of the Verde Valley you can see 12,500 foot Mt. Humphreys 50 miles away in Flagstaff, and the mesas of Sedona 25 miles closer.

This hike followed Wet Beaver Creek for 3.5 miles to a swimming hole. Wet Beaver Creek flows into the Verde River, which flows south into the Salt, then into the Gila, until it finally joins the mighty Colorado River in Yuma, AZ and on into the Gulf of Mexico. I’m constantly fascinated by these rivers running through the desert. With the right gear and CF/sec reports, sections can be paddled year-round. This trail has one pitch over a red-rock mesa, opening up into a series of cliffs perfect for jumping. Alana alleges to hate biking and hiking, but is fearless around cliffs, and desperately needed a change of latitude after turning into a crazy shutin cat-lady.

This hole is relatively easy to get to, and was more crowded than expected. Lots of people had our same idea. No one, and I mean NO ONE, was social distancing. The attitude among many – from the Governor down to the Mayor – is that shutdowns need to end. I really don’t know. Our hospitals are not full, all our microbreweries are making hand sanitizer, I don’t know anyone who has gotten sick. Those of us who are healthy and spend lots of time outdoors have formed clans with others similarly-minded. I traded a 6-pack of TP to a riding buddy for access to his home gym. My family rolls around in the dirt so much we rarely get sick. I feel like we should get it, so we can get past it. This is a common feeling here. I have no idea if we are projecting our wishes. People talk about want, but we don’t talk about ought outside of our clan, its too controversial. Everyone I know is not quite as rational as we were 5 weeks ago.

Genevieve has become ambipedal, practicing with her ball against the wall every day. We bought Alana a trampoline and tumble track. Zoom warfare everyday in my house, where icy glares scream “GTFO and go to another room!” I dodged a 20% layoff last week, and we promptly donated to Phoenix Herpetological Sanctuary. Its going to be the harshest summer since I moved here in ’96.

Hope you all are doing well and holding it together in your own ways.

Leave a Reply