seven hours of playing in the mud
Posted by Zonie on July 24, 2021 at 23:40:06
I'd been thinking about aerobic exercise. My regular mountain climbing partner injured his knee and also needs to take care of his wife who has had an artificial hip installed. My job is becoming more sedentary. We're so busy I spend most of my shift preparing job tickets on the computer and seldom get to drag heavy loads of hot steel across the furnace room floor.
From out of the blue I got an offer that I couldn't accept. Gerry telephoned me and said he's coming to Arizona next month with his son and wanted me to join them in climbing Humphrey's Peak. Gerry's the former hiking partner of mine who shot Tom, another former hiking partner of mine. Yes, their names really are Tom and Gerry, and the accidental shooting was rather cartoonish. Gerry was cleaning a .45 automatic with a loaded magazine inserted. Fortunately Tom has long since recovered.
I had to disappoint Gerry. I had been thinking of going to the high country, but I had in mind about 7500 feet above sea level, not 12,633 feet. The last time I stood on our state's highest point was 18 years ago, and I'm pretty sure I'm no longer capable of it. Even back then I was continuously afflicted of altitude sickness as long as I was above the tree line. I suggested that Tom might still be capable of it (despite the incident they remain on good terms)and that his wife, who still runs marathons at her age, certainly could manage.
I hope they all have a good time, but I was still stumped about my exercise plans, but nature provided. Phoenix will occasionally have an isolated thunderstorm in the month of July, as this is ordinarily the time of the southeast monsoon, but a genuine rainy day is quite rare this time of year. We had one Friday.
Thursday afternoon's temperature reached 106°F, but Thursday evening a thunderstorm began, and thunder and rain continued all night and into the next morning, and even in the afternoon there was no thunder but a light rain continued to fall until the evening. Our storm total was 1.18". I decided I would do something I seldom get to do--go on a summer mud hike in the lowlands.
Friday's temperature range had been 73°F to 83°F. Today's weather was about as good, except that we only had a few sprinkles of rain. I got an early start lest the sky clear and the heat of the sun ruin things, but the cool and damp weather persisted all morning and into the afternoon.
My old mudding boots were falling apart and difficult to get on due to shrunken leather, but I bought a new pair of cheap work boots, entirely synthetic for about $20. I had saved a pair of torn socks so as not to trash those what were still good for work. I wore an old button-down shirt, my work overalls and a camouflage ball cap.
I headed to the torn-up area of the west segment of the Reach 11 Recreation Area near the equestrian center where I'd had so much mud fun during the rainy winter of 2019-2020. I was surprised very few people were there. We don't often get decent hiking weather in July, so you'd think people would want to take advantage of it, but most stayed away.
There were plenty of mud puddles on the trails, and I stomped and splashed my way to the vicinity of the equestrian center. I had last been there in March, and the city had been trying to undo the damage they had done in November 2019 and had leveled a lot of the ground they tore up for the abortive expansion of the equestrian center. There were fewer mud holes than there had been. Still I found enough to occupy me. In addition to splashing around, I used my boots to make a drainage channel for one large puddle to the arroyo. I'd step down on the edge, let the water move in and soften the mud. Then I'd step again and if that didn't work I'd kick, splashing wet mud on my overalls.
After going from puddle to puddle for a while, I found a secluded mud puddle and churned it up really well with my boots and did a full wallow, dipping my hat into the mud and putting it back on my head.
I then went along the edge of the mesquite thicket and explored the arroyos. At the head of one arroyo there was some thick deep mud that went up nearly to my knees. I then remembered a trail into the mesquite thicket that was often muddy after a rain. When I got near it, I found that the mud was there, but the thicket had mostly burnt down, and the mud was mixed with ashes.
I then followed the trail under the freeway underpass. I encountered two old men on bicycles. On said, "You look like you've been having fun." I confirmed that I was.
I followed the muddy trail westward past the second underpass, past the dog park and to the first soccer field, and then I turned around, still amazed at how few people there were.
When I got back to the torn-up area, I indulged in a second wallow and did some more drainage of puddles and finally found a relatively clean and deep puddle, sat down in it and did a partial field-bathing by dipping my cap in the water and pouring it over me.
I then squelched my way back to the car, stomping in mud puddles on the way. When I got into the car, I looked at the lock. I had been out there for seven hours! Knowing that the dining area was on the patio, I went to Pete's Fish and Chips for lunch. I go there so often I had the price memorized, and I unsealed my wallet's plastic bag to produce two bills for it. Then I figured exact change was also the best way to refuel my car, and at the gas station I took a $10 note from the unsealed wallet and handed it to the attendant. Then at home I finished cleanup with the garden hose in the back yard. It's been a very satisfying day.