BBQ and Game Day

Yesterday I had my 2nd annual BBQ and Game Day at my house. Things went very smoothly and I had a very enjoyable time. I spent a good amount of time cooking the day and night before. A made about twice as much food as I needed to for it as well. I cooked up 13 lbs of brisket and about 30 lbs of pork. Although I had about the same number of people as last year (40), I think less food was consumed this year. People started showing up a bit after 11am and we played until about midnight. I had enough tables (7) and chairs (44) to accomodate everyone who came. A very enjoyable time, although tiring.

Waterfall Hike

Dan and I did a hike out to Reavis Falls yesterday. It was around 14 miles round trip. I did this hike last year about this time. It is a rather hard climb out from the bottom, but both Dan and I seemed to do quite well on it. I really didn't feel like any section of the trail was taking a long time. Everything went very smoothly. We did run into yet another rattlesnake on the hike, though. About a mile or so before the end, Dan about stepped on a big one across the trail. He backed off and it slowly slid off of the trail. It never reacted to him. It had distinctive black and white banding at its tail. There were several rattlesnakes with this kind of marking, so I am not sure what kind it is.

Rattlesnakes and Hiking

I did a 14 mile loop hike yesterday in the Superstitions. I look the Bluff Springs Trail to Dutchman to Red Tanks to Whiskey Springs to Dutchman. This was a second attempt at one that Dan and I tried to do a few months ago, but had to cut it short due to weather. This time, the weather was flawless. The hike was fairly level with a number of interesting wooded spots to stop at along the way. I passed 2 rattlesnakes within about 5-7 feet of the trail (and me) early on. I felt a bit unnerved for a lot of the rest of the hike after passing the second one. Made me realize if I ever pass one that is hidden right next to the trail, there is a good chance I could get bit. The second one I passed rattled and reared his head up. As I was backing away, he raised up more and lost hold of the rock he was on and fell off it backwards. Not a big fall or anything, but if it wasn't for the danger of the situation, would have been amusing I guess.