falcon flow

 Another chilly morning (and no particular rush to be anywhere on the Friday after Thanksgiving) meant that we didn't get up to the Falcon Flow trailhead at the Sand Flats Recreation Area until 10:45 a.m., for a hike on this newer MTB trail.  There were a handful of other cars there so we knew we'd need to keep an eye out for bikers; all told, we saw twenty-one MTBers so it was only barely busy.  H had ridden this trail from the upper end to this entrance but I'd never been out on it - it was clear nearly from the start that FF will be a trail I walk and not one I ride.

M hustling to catch up

It's easy hiking though, if you're not lugging your MTB along.  The trail is rubbered in pretty well so it was never super sandy, instead mainly a nice combination of packed dirt and ledges.  There is some up and down and a couple of no-fall zones (if you're on a bike) but the footing is good.

Cushy footing that

With this being our third hike in three days, we could tell Milton was slowing down a little bit, staying close to H more often than not.  At one point, when he and H were on one side of a wash and I was on the other, he (Milton) stopped to watch me, came back a few yards to check, and then, when he was sure that I was going the right direction, turned around and sprinted to catch up with H.  I guess I know where I stand in the pack - at least he came back to check on me!

Funky beehive sandstone formation

When we got back to the trailhead, it was full to overflowing with vehicles - people had definitely waited for it to warm up before hitting the trails.  We quickly surrendered our coveted parking spot and drove back to the Slickrock parking lot for beers and sandwiches.  There were lots of people (MTBers, hikers, dirt-bikers, 4x4 folks) and a couple of other trail dogs milling around too but M was too tired to do more than look on interestedly as he crunched his post-hike biscuits.