Thursday 3/23

This is a really nice spot. The campground sits at the base of a chain of slick rock. Decent facilities and up until this evening , just me. The weather is unsettled and that makes for a nice day to hike.
Put on the boots, grabbed the pack and the 10 and away I go. My plans is to walk the base of the rocks from one side of the canyon to the other in a 180 degree arc. Mostly sand and deer trails to get to the start.
As I was getting ready to step from the ground to a rock, than to the slick rock, I fell. Trekking pole went flying and I fell backwards breaking my fall with my forearm and hand and my day pack cushioned my back. My left calf took a whack from the bastard rock. Not to serious, other than my calf. I didn’t cry and I didn’t rub it, I just laid there PISSED. I haven’t fallen in awhile and the last time was from jumping. So up I get, take stock of my gear, go get my pole and continue.

I really like following the deer trails. Their course seems to go where I want to go. Some of the cuts went back a ways and I’m still looking for that pool. It was a nice walk on a nice day.

I found a pine tree with some huge drippings of pine tar. My brilliant idea was to cut off a chunk and drip a little on some postcards to the girls so it could be a scratch and snif card. Cut off a chunk and put it…well i thought I put it in a pocket that didn’t have access to anything else. Now this pine tar is sticky. STICKY. I get back to camp and go to pull the tar out and it is stuck to my glasses! Not just barely either.(big sigh) I start the kettle and basically steam / wipe my glasses clean. Okay, on with the original idea….do you know if you drip hot pine tar onto post cards they get …. sticky? Just a general bad stoner idea. I put the stamp over the pine tar so Allie / Libby that’s why the stamp is where it is. I threw that piece as far as I could throw it. I have pine tar EVERYWHERE and spent the afternoon finding stray bits.

Lunch was quesadillas over a wood fire. I dropped the first one in the dirt but ate the part that wasn’t sandy. Kinda tended the fire dodged some rain, and did some reading. I am reading “The Wrath of Cochise” a history of the Apache. I’m also listening to “The Lord of the Rings Trilogy on disk. (thanks, Jake) Just hung out.
Campground is filling up tonight. May stay here or there is another campground 10-15 miles farther in. I wanted to start drifting east but the weather isn’t cooperating. If it doesn’t warm up I will think about going south into Apache country!
My calf will be sore for awhile.

Miles: 1.5
HWY: none
Temp: 61

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