Hurrah Pass - The Road

Usually each year San Juan County will make a pass or two up and down Hurrah and then are gone for the year and usually it's not until winter but this year they have come hard with grader, fill dirt, front end load, and rock chipper and have taken away and crushed up rocks and ledges that have been problems for years. It's unbelievable. I'm going to say in my 17 years here this is the best I have ever seen the road. Kobae, Jax, and I hiked the west side yester day so we saw it up close and now, right now, is a magical moment, that may never come again though I expect the road will continue to be pretty good for awhile and the last picture is the skinniest place in the road and I think you can get two vehicles through there at a time. I'm calling the septic and propane people tomorrow to come now. If the road was discouraging anyone from coming out, that is over.

Kobae, Jax, and I, Do Hurrah Pass

It was a beautiful day as they nearly all have been despite it being the rainy season. I was caught up on the day's goals so I opened Kobae's gate a little earlier than usual and he headed down the driveway. I got my stuff, camera, canteen, head lamp, walkie, gloves, and a book to read and we all three headed down the driveway. Kobae turned left at the Base Camp sign and Kobae, Jax, and I headed for our journey up Hurrah Pass.

Kobae took a break about a third of the way up, that means an hour later, so Jax and I found some shade as the clouds had gone away and the temps turned to 80ish. While we were there 8 bicycles riders on the way up Hurrah and six or so side by sides on the way down crossed in front of us about the same time and nobody noticed us 20 feet off the road. Then off again.

Six or eight vehicles, some going up, others down, all interesected at about where we were hiking and between looking at Kobae and the black truck that is still down in the canyon two weeks later it was a traffic jam. I couldn't even think of taking a picture of the bedlam trying to keep Kobae from getting run over or going off the cliff until they were all gone.

Kobae is so slow that Jax learned to get a couple hundred feet in front of us, find shade and wait for us to catch up.

As we approached the top of Hurrah Pass, with the shadows growing long no way we're even make it a little way back down the pass for home before it got dark so I walkied my grand son Thomas and ask him if he'd bring the laundry truck up Hurrah to help me load Kobae for the journey back down. When he arrived I had him escort Kobae the last few hundred feet while I moved the truck for the best place to lift him in the back and took a picture of the Hurrah sign, into the sun. About three and a half hours after departure we reached the top of Hurrah Pass.

Life

Sharp-shinned hawk hanging out the last few days. Really haven't had a bird of prey opponent for quite a few years. Had a Cooper's hawk for a few weeks that hung around in their customary statue mode without moving for hours and then would snatch anything that walked by. I've had a couple Loggerhead Shrikes in the tree top. Always very top of the highest branch. Mostly white but black wings and black mask around it's eyes. It pretends like it's a songbird and then snatches whatever is closest and eats it. Know for taking it's prey and flipping it onto thorns which hold it while it eats it. Incredibly feared at least by my songbirds. It is the enemy within. Called the Butcher Bird.

In the early days when Linny and I first moved here we didn't take guests. I had roughly 25 to 30 years of almost no days off running the indoor soccer facilities. I was taking days off then. I had somehow got into feeding birds and there was one predator, the sharp-shinned hawk that took a terrible toll on the songbirds. It's strategy was to come in low and chase them into the windows and then snatch one that was dead or injured and fly off with it. If I wasn't here it would eat them and leave the mess on the porch. I began scaring it off, then put walkies out to surprise it talking next, through snowballs at it, and came up with various schemes to chase it away. I learned to track him. Long story. I spent the day at his house so he knew how it feels. Two days later he returned to the lodge and brought me a dead songbird as a peace offering, I petted him for five or six minutes and neither of us every went to the other one's house again. The battle went on for months. I learned a lot. I shall have a large headstart if this sharp-shinned hawk becomes a steady predator.

Jax and I hiked the shortcut 240 trail I sent the runners on through Doug's property up above. I found one glove and one of our headlamps about half mile down the trail. I just went through and counted the finishers. Seems to be around 124. A little over 50% of the runners finished the 240 mile run.

Today looks like the last 80 degree day of the year. Got some 70s, some 60s and even a couple of 50s in the next two weeks. Still nothing in the way of a normal rainy season and that is not breaking my heart. I was going to buy a front end loaded but figured I'd need the money for other stuff and that's how it turned out.

The road out here is sweet. Nice work San Juan County and they are still up there.

Jax and Kobae

We offered Kobae to go with us but he just sat on the porch so Jax and I went hiking.

It's been a weird rainy season and by that I mean we haven't gotten any rain. Last year at this time Linny and I were both fighting for our lives on seperate rains at different ends of the property. Ten or so years ago we had five once in a hundred year rains in sixteen days which shaped the way the creeks are now. Instead of lots of little ones there are two main ones running through the property and into the river. Nothing in the forecast either all the way through the end of the month.

Teresa and T5 found a dead skunk yesterday. So hurts to lose friends in the wildlife. Their time is so much more limited than ours. We buried it in the wildlife cemetary that is hidden right by the lodge. It's been a couple years or so since we've had to do that. I think it's been two years or so since we buried Dexter a dog of some guests who died on top of Hurrah on their way here. They knew he was close so set out on a week vacation to take him hiking in various places not imagining of course this would be his final resting place. We're all out there with shovels with tears coming down our faces. I didn't even know Dexter but I know the hurt so I'm out their crying with them. The next day Kobae did go with us.

It's mostly a pleasure to hike with Kobae until it's time to turn around. When we follow him down the driveway or up the hill I mostly let him go wherever he wants unless I see potential danger coming and if that's the case sometimes the battle becomes intense about direction before I wanted it too. I don't want to fight him on the hike because I know I'll need all my energy for the turn around and go home battle which is almost always an exhasuting battle. Yesterday it took me 45 minutes to turn him around so we could get home by dark which we just barely did.

Stuff

The road is being graded up and down Hurrah Pass and I have to say it's sweet. Last year they made a trip up and down Hurrah Pass and were gone. This year they've been up there for a week and some change. They have a grader, a front end loader, and a rock chipper which is knocking out all the stuff you can't grade over. Guests showed up yesterday and told me it took them about 45 minutes to get here down significantly from the usual hour and some change. I want to thank San Juan County. What a wonderful job and very much appreciated. I went up to find them and thank them and Hurrah Pass was busy.

Starting to get a little cold outside and everybody wants in.

Serghei and Craig bullet proofed Kobae's gate so he won't excape again.

Collin and Allison came through doing the Hayduke Trail.

Jesse and Jake

Monday was their last day working at Base Camp and on Tuesday they headed out to explore some of the country on their way back to New York. I don't know that I've ever met two nicer people and it was a pleasure to have them both here. They will be missed. Thank you.

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