Finally finished

Finished, in a sense. It finished me, in a sense, too. The whole trail is done for now. It still needs more work, like big heavy rock steps in places, and widened with a pick in places, but that can wait until my big strong kids visit. Sunrise found me up above the upper landing.

It was such a lovely cool morning that I overdid myself. Looked for a better route across the ridge but there isn't a better one. So I worked a while on the current one. It's the worst part of the trail. I've dubbed it "the rugged crossing."

I added that lower rock for a step. It seems stable, but when I get help we can put a bigger heavier one there. And many other places. The rock is level and all but the wide-angle lens distorts things.

Next is the portion of trail between the corner and the Aoudad trail. This view is looking back toward the corner (in the clouds most of the morning).

Here is the last section of trail I did. It's on the Aoudad trail near the saddle. Too tired for a ribbon cutting ceremony. Just a before and after shot. I hate what the Aoudad (Barbary Sheep) have done to the lovely vegetation that used to be there. There used to be just a few Aoudad and now there are at least thirty of them.

I don't know anything about mosses and ferns* but there were some neat ones up there near the corner.

Coming down the mountain, after being up there for over five hours was difficult. I just waddled in baby steps using two walking sticks.

Back at the oasis it's always a treat to see a Turquoise-tipped Darner. Apparently they're not very common and were only discovered in Texas in 1996.

* I looked up the fern in my fern book and I think it's Notholaena copelandii, for what that's worth.