Ashes in the Sacramentos

This and the next:  just setting off on the Grand View Trail

Before Dr. K and I headed out for an early morning trek on the Grand View Trail we took some ashes from Becca's urn and poured them into a plastic bag.  We then took the bag with us, sprinkling a small amount at the beginning (lower trailhead), middle (midpoint ramada) and end (upper trailhead) of the hike.  We shed a tear or two for our loss:  not having our exuberant, happy companion along for the outing.  She was with us in spirit, of course, but it's not quite the same thing.

We encountered nobody else on the trail, saw no other vehicles and never even heard a car traveling down Fresnal Canyon Road.  Just the way we like it.

The temperature was cool--made even better by a slight breeze--but the humidity was sky high from yesterday's showers; we got .63 inches of rain in a short spell.  We're supposed to get even more this afternoon, and from the look of the clouds building over the mountains I'd say there's a decent chance of precipitation.

We did some cleaning of the cabin when we got back in anticipation of a visit from an inspector from Liberty Mutual Insurance Company.  We had to get a new policy after Travelers dropped us because they claimed our mountain home is in a high brush fire area; this after insuring us for 10 years.

Mountain flora in the shadows

Elevation about 7,000 feet

Looking back at the way we just came

Sotols in the high country

Cactus in rock

Hiking through the cut

Pine cones

A stand of geriatric Sotols

Approaching the midway ramada

Midpoint ramada

Grand View Trail