rocky tops and juicy ipas

 Tuesday (10/3) was our official move-iversary and so the whole family did a hike together.  I suggested going to the Navajo Rock trail system and doing the Rocky Tops loop; that what we did but afterward H said, and I agreed, that that trail is not quite as enjoyable as I always think it is. It is side-hilly on the sandstone domes and rocky underfoot otherwise.  Still, it seems like a good idea at the time, we all made it without lasting damage and it was a beautiful day.

Heading out

We parked at the upper Navajo Rocks lot and then hiked down to the lower lot.  This is my favorite part of the loop (also the shortest): it's all downhill, most of it is on the rock and it's very pretty.  It starts off with the huge red cliffs off to the left.  The washes you cross have trees and are interesting.  And a stretch goes along the rim of a fork of Seven Mile Cayon, with the Monitor and Merrimac buttes off in the distance.  Scenic!

Monitor and Merrimac

Once you cross 313 at the lower lot, you pick up the Rocky Tops trail.  This trail is mixed footing - sand, sandstone domes, loose rock and gravel - as it goes up and over a number of buttes.  And there is always one more up-and-over than I remember.  It does get a little long.  We encountered several small groups of MTBers along this section and I stopped to help a couple of them interpret the trail maps.  One great thing about the Navajo Rocks trails is that they are well-blazed with maps at most of the intersections.

Napping on the Spitfire patio

When we finished up back at the truck - I think that's partly why I think I like this trail: it's a loop and there are not that many hikable loops in the area - we paused for beers and peanut butter pretzels (Milton thought those were quite tasty).  We went home, got cleaned up and then, to celebrate move-iversary, all three of us walked over to Spitfire for beers on their dog-friendly patio.  It was a pleasant couple of hours, chatting with people in the sun, but that place is expensive and, on that day at least, inconsistent.  We got charged $7, $6.50 and $6 variously for pints, depending on the bartender.

Hike stats: 8.62 miles (Milton must have done 10+); 2:34 moving time / 3.4 m.p.h. average moving speed; 2:42 overall time/3.2 overall speed; only 930' elevation

We put the bootie on his sore paw to

try to keep him from licking it - that

was more traumatizing than the injury

That night we were all moving a little stiffly from the distance.  In the morning, however, Milton was not only stiff and sore but the large pad on his right front paw was very swollen and he would put no weight on it whatsoever.  H carried him to grassy spots for calls of nature but otherwise he stayed in bed all Wednesday.  Both H and I checked his paw but found nothing stuck in it; it didn't seem to be cut and there was no blood or oozing.  (Spoiler alert: he'll be fine.)