June Interlude: Momyer

 I was having a hard time deciding on a hike for this interlude - the ones up Baldy way didn't hold any appeal, the ones over toward Sierra Madre / Pasadena have too much uphill full-sun exposure when the temps get up over 90º. I was just about to give up, surrender a good day off, until Tam said, "how about this one? Check it out on The Hiking Guy." And so I did, and it sounded pretty good (never crowded), and looked just as good, if not better. Plus, there was the bonus of being a trail I had never hiked before - the Momyer Trail, out by Forest Falls in the San Bernardino Mountains. Double bonus - it is less than an hour away.

First though, there is that whole thing about getting across Mill Creek. I assured her it was quite sturdy, plenty stable enough to walk across while carrying a dog in your arms, but she wasn't having any of that. Better safe than sorry, I suppose, but...

good thing she didn't realize the traffic that was building behind her...

well, we all laughed about it, and the local ukelele player got to his spot in the shade for a little morning strumming quick enough.

Anyway, from there the trail goes up, and up, and... Yep, up some more. I suppose that is to be expected. After all, when you start at the bottom of a mountain, where else would you expect a trail to go, if not up? I will say, though, that it did not seem as steeply up as some of the other front-range trails, and it does traverse through some healthy and expansive stands of oaks and pines, breaking up the otherwise monotonous toil of sun-baked slopes. Those areas of shade seemed especially welcome to Finn today; he would quicken his pace to reach them, then plop down in the cool dirt for a moment's rest. 

 After we had passed through one such shady dell, a group of backpackers came up the trail, a line of color along a sunburnt stretch of slope. Oof, it's nearly noon already, I thought to myself. When younger, Mr. Bowman would encourage us with his typical "it's just around the bend!" It didn't take many times hearing that before we realized he was just a dirty liar, er, scratch that, he was just helping us through our twenty-mile shake-down with his own words of encouragement. So when, after a photo and saying their hello's to Finn, the group set off again, I told them "there's a nice long shady stretch just ahead," there was at least truth to my words. Maybe it would be enough to get the one bringing up the rear the rest of the way up the trail. He was already in a world of hurt, with at least two miles of uphill still to go.

From prickly pear, to buckwheat, Calochortus, thistles, Indian Paintbush, and great bunches of Lupines growing beside the trail and in sunny meadows, the wildflowers up there are still putting on a show.

All downhill from here, sure, but there was still that problem of the crossing of the creek. Tam was still not sold on the makeshift bridge, so instead we just waded across. Now though, it was Finn's turn to demure - "too fast, too wide, for my little self," he seemed to be saying. Only one thing to do then...

That, being the final indignity, trauma, or whatever to a dog, Finn decided enough was enough: I'm cooked, i'm done, just bring me my food and water before you leave.

Well, then again, maybe not

I guess we might be looking at some triple digits this weekend, so keep it cool, and make it a good one - Anniversary party at CCA all weekend, and the Nick Sandro "Love Fest" at the Garner House on Sunday are just a couple things to consider.