CrowMac Creek

After listening to what Trump and Hegseth said in their talk to the top brass of the military, I am very concerned about our Democracy as well as anyone's ability to express an opinion. The right to freedom of speech we have enjoyed, the right to express an opinion, is gone, that is unless we do not want to be arrested or even killed.  How do we deal with this? There's not much we can do, except to keep up with what's happening, say very little, find allies, and remember: "Loose lips sink ships!" That is, our own personal ships, including our families and friends. When I was in the Army, I took an oath to protect the Constitution and I never withdrew from that pledge. When I used to run, I was able to deal with any anxiety I may have had, and I was successful. I can't run anymore, so I will take hikes and mountain bike rides instead. Hopefully this should address the concerns I have now. Today was a short hike, .88 miles. But I did take a 4.83 mile mountain bi...

Yesterday I decided to hike the Guindani Trail at Kartchner Caverns State Park. It is a challenging trail on which a person hikes up uphill for at lease 2.5 miles. It continues upward from there, but at that point, I was not feeling well. The trail is like most AZ trails, rocky with some of the trail partially washed out. I was feeling a bit dizzy so I returned to the car. The dizziness increased throughout the day and the evening brought nausea.. I slept hard but was still feeling ill this morning. It is about noon and I have improved, but still a bit off my feet. I am hoping that I will feel better tomorrow. I hiked 5.5 miles yesterday.

  In spite of the fact that I have a vehicle that has good gas milage, I drive it as little as possible, walking and riding a bicycle instead. My hiking though, finds me wanting to drive to assorted locations along the Arizona Trail. Unfortunately the nearest locations are over 50 miles away, and putting those miles on my car causes a conflict between enjoying hiking in areas I’ve never seen and facing the probability of needing to purchase another car. Of course this is an option I do not desire. So I’ve decided to hike locally as much as possible. Of course there is more heat in town, and to avoid that discomfort I am starting my hikes before 7:00. That's AM. There are some areas that are wooded here in Benson and they make my hikes more interesting. Today Jack and I walked 3.03 miles. I walked as quickly as I could through local trails and for the first time since I was forced to stop running, I enjoyed the runners’ high. As mentioned in prior posts, I introduced Jacks gir...

       My best, only, hiking partner, with the exception of Jack, that is Amanda, has left to care for her brother in Alabama. Though I have enjoyed our hikes together, the distances I need to train for the big hike are not being met. She and Honey have been and will be my best partners, I will need to schedule my longer hikes, and the shorter hikes when I am not training.     In addition to those challenges, I have been overwhelmed with the news of the US falling into fascism. I never thought I'd see this country fall into the depths of authorism, we are now pretty much there.      I would have liked to push my fears aside with exercise, but it is so ridiculously hot. I am ready to begin real training in earnest, but not at 90+ degree days which will cook anyone outside. The sun's maximum heat occurs from mid Spring through Summer and mid fall. It's the 2nd day of Fall and it is 92 degrees. I had lived in Arizona from 1969 to 1978, 2001 to 2...

     Yesterday, September 1st, I decided to Take Jack out to the Gabe Zimmerman Trailhead and to see if his front right paw is healing. We walked 3.86 miles with Jack's healing going well. It wasn't hot but not quite cool. Never-the-less, it was a nice easy hike. Gabe Zimmerman Trailhead