RENEGADE RAMBLE. Day 17: 11.0 Miles. Total Distance Thus Far: 118.2 Miles
I am seeking $20 donations for each mile but will accept any amount: ProtectOurPreserve.org/donate. We only need another $1500 to meet our goal of $25,000 by the end of July!
Fraesfield Trailhead. Gooseneck Trail. Redbird Trail. Service Toad #3. Service Road #2 back to Redbird Trail back to Gooseneck Trail all the way to Tom’s Thumb Trailhead.
Joe Durnell got up early to help me with a shuttle; he also kept me company with excellent conversation on the Trail. I was quite tired, and feeling a bit funky from the green-chili mac-n-cheese [homemade] foolishly inhaled at 9 pm, so I was especially grateful for the motivation.
Crepuscular hikers meet bleary-eyed at trailheads throughout the Preserve; this morning Joe and I both arrived late for the appointment. He said he’d slow down, but I still arrived later (5:04) at Tom’s Thumb. I drove roughshod on 128th toward Fraesfield while Joe noted with dismay close to Dynamite, “The road has been grated.” (Development’s coming.)
We left the 4-Runner lonely in the lot and headed out, lagging at sunrise.
Before the mac-n-cheese, my plan was to hike every Trail in the Gooseneck, after Redbird Loop it was clear – that wasn’t happnin’.
I spotted a flycatcher, which we watched for a minute or two. I think it was an ash-throated flycatcher. What do you think, Joe? We agreed there’s no point in hiking if you don’t stop to appreciate the wildlife and scenery here and there along the way.
Further along, we discovered the place where a family of mule deer had bedded down recently. I wished I could have watched the stars with them.
Magic and consciousness, Twin Peaks and The Walking Dead, bird watching, small town life, light and art, James Turrell and the Zizyphus – these were topics of conversation as we roamed the desert this morning.
If you’d like to hike a leg with me, or if you have suggestions about how ProtectOurPreserve.org might raise money and awareness, please contact me.