True to my word, I was able to make it back to my beloved Mt. Graham (a.k.a Pinaleño Mountains) to round out my summer camping.
This time I chose another campsite (5), which features a three-sided shelter that is reminiscent to those found in the Adirondack Mountains. I was tempted to use it as a garage, as it appeared to be the perfect size for my Crosstrek. 😛
I brought along my Pop-up Pod to provide me with an in-camp restroom. The Shannon Campground has several vault-style toilets, but having a Porta-Potty of my own was money well spent (which wasn't much 👍). The pod also doubles as a place to change clothes or shower if desired.
Another change to this visit is that I camped in my car instead of a ground tent. I built a low sleeping platform and my car is just long enough to allow me to stretch out. The weather during the day was in the upper 60s, but the nighttime temps dropped into the low 40s, so having the car provided me with a nice warm place to sleep, plus the critters couldn't mess with me like they did last time.
Site 5 backs up to Marijilda Creek, which runs North to South through the campground. Even in mid-September it still had running water, which is always a nice addition.
(View of Marijilda Creek looking North)
(Looking up to my campsite from Marijilda Creek)
Even though Fall was technically just a week or so away, the local flora was not yet experiencing any color changes. I did see a few trees on the way up the mountain that were beginning to show signs, but in the campground, the only evidence were the wild Geraniums, whose leaves change to a brilliant deep shade of red.
Something fun I like to do when hiking or camping is to build a "Cairn", which is a grouping of stones, typically used to mark a special site or trail route. I took advantage of a large flat boulder that was in my site.
I couldn't verify this, but according to someone I spoke to in camp, who has been coming to this campground for 30 years, that may have been built by the Civilian Conservation Corps. It has all the markings of such a build, with lots of stone walls and steps and two three-sided shelters, but I'm pretty sure the campground is at least 60+ years old, based on the sign you encounter when entering. That's the Smokey I grew up with -- a bit old school and not so modern.
Here's a URL to an ad campaign housed at the Smithsonian from the 50s:
(Not to worry, Smokey, there was no fire ban in effect,
and I made sure to douse my fire before leaving camp)
I have one more chance to camp at Mt. Graham next week, as the weather is still staying quite warm at night for this time of year, but I think I'm ready to head to a local lake and get some kayaking and camping in for a change. Stay tuned...
