state trust land: only a little gunfire this time
Posted by Zonie on December 30, 2023 at 02:05:35
Today I visited the state trust land in northeastern Phoenix to the northeast of the intersection of Tatum Boulevard and Pinnacle Peak Road, though I started further north than that intersection. Despite the disappointing mud results from the west segment of Reach 11, I remembered that a week ago this area got more rain than most areas (about a full inch) and that the power line trails were more uneven and could hold deeper puddles.
I tried out the wool socks and the new cap from Bass Pro, and, conforming to the news of the corporate merger, they both bore the Cabella's logo. I wasn't used to wool socks, but I noticed that unlike cotton, they came off easily when wet. With cotton socks I have to be very careful when they're wet and muddy, lest they rip on the way off.
Having dressed in a more conventional manner earlier in the week, I went back to overalls and shitkickers. I wasn't disappointed. There were some deep mud puddles on the powerline trail that topped my boots. I headed east finding frequent puddles and enjoying myself thoroughly. Initially all was quiet, but as I neared the power station I heard gunfire. Remembering mudding there last May, I entered a nearby arroyo, old songs from the First World War going through my head.
This time it was a low rate of fire, as of a single person legitimately practicing rifle marksmanship, not several people firing fully automatic weapons all over the place as seemed to have been the case last May. At length the firing ended.
I noticed that the midday sun was getting a bit warm, so I headed back to the power line trail and sat and laid down in a mud puddle, turned over, kneeled and splashed mud on my abdomen. I was cool enough to resume my hike without overtaxing my canteen.
I then heard the noise of dirt bikes and soon saw them as I turned back west. At the intersection of the power line trails, I saw a side-by-side with children riding in the back, thrilled by the bumpy ride on the uneven power line trail.
I then headed to Coyote Central, where I had wallowed before the plinkers arrived last May. I had been there in November when it was completely dry and had been surprised to see a boat there in fairly good condition. It didn't have bullet holes to indicate it was a practice target or other obvious damage. I thought maybe someone put it there waiting for the winter rains to fill the water hole so they could go boating.
Today, however, the boat was gone. I don't know who took it away or why. The water hole wasn't full, but there were three deep mud holes that had not yet merged. I had a good trudge through those, and it was a great lower-body workout. After the third hole, I went back to the first one, and something strange happened. During the crossing, it felt like my boots were coming off my feet. I've heard of people losing boots in deep mud, but, for whatever reason, I don't recall it having happened to me. I altered the way I applied force to move the toe upward directly, minimizing movement within the shaft, and that did the trick. My boots stayed on through the traverse.
Getting fatigued, I retraced my steps back west, going through the same mud puddles again. The last puddle before Tatum Boulevard was relatively clean, so I could get most of the mud off my boots there. I got back to my car, and the clock indicated I had been away for five hours.