Southwest Colorado

We left the dry heat of Tucson summer for the cool mountain air of Southwest Colorado. We stayed (are staying) at an RV park in Dolores. The park is on the Dolores River and it has a fishing pond where we enjoyed watching a family of river otters when we first arrived.
Our stated goal was to hike the many trails in the local area in training for our November hike into the Grand Canyon. We are hiking from 8000 feet to 12,000 feet, so the altitude was challenging at first, but we are getting used to it. Climbing 2500 feet in a mile is challenging at any altitude, but, that is what you have to do to get out of the Canyon, so training for it is good. Some of the trails are multi-use. That means you have to beware of horses, bikers, or the dreaded motorcycles. Dreaded, because they all have to go as fast as possible all the time. Luckily, they are also loud, so you can hear them coming. Unfortunately, they are loud, so all wildlife is scared away. Also, they really, really tear up a trail.
We are doing two and three night hikes and refining our packing. At first, we took too much food. Food equals weight, so getting the right amount makes the pack lighter. Lighter is good.
As to the aforementioned wildlife, we have seen deer, elk, coyote, marmot, pika, grouse and cattle while hiking. You can add turkey and bear to the list when you include driving. Oh, yes, the cattle in those mountains are just as wild as any of the native animals.
The scenery is nothing short of spectacular. This, too, is good training for the Canyon. We stop often just to take in the views. Wild flowers! The word "profusion" describes the wild flowers. While hiking between 11,000 and 12,000 feet one day it occurred to me that "the scenery takes your breath away, and the altitude keeps it."
Speaking of taking your breath away..... have you ever been maced?
Well, don't be.
I was accidentally hit with bear spray, which is worse than mace according to the doctor I saw later.
Peggie and I had stopped to filter water to replenish our supply. We were loading up to continue when she bent over and the hip belt of her pack triggered the bear spray canister in her pocket. It was pointed behind her, which is where I was standing. Hearing a hissing noise, similar to a tire rapidly going flat, I turned to see what it was. It was an orange tinged brownish fluid streaming just to my right. I screamed "BEAR SPRAY" and moved left. Then I realized I had been hit. My nose and throat closed off and my eyes burned. Peggie saw what was happening and straightened up, stopping the spray. Then she called for me to get water on my face. I threw off my glasses (not normally a good idea) and leaned into the creek splashing water on my face. When I tried to open my eyes they burned like fire and I couldn't see. Peggie guided me across the rocks in the creek to a grassy area where I could lie down. The canister had instructions to rinse for 15 to 20 minutes if spray got in the eyes. So that is what we did. We used all the newly filtered water and Peggie filtered more, until I could open my eyes without pain and I could see clearly. During the process, I was worrying how I would hike out blind if the rinsing didn't relieve the burning, and what permanent damage would be done due to the delay in getting medical attention. Then when my eyes stopped burning, and I could see clearly, I wasn't sure I needed medical attention. Peggie's cool headedness and common sense took over. We hiked the remaining seven miles faster than any other time, got to the trailer, showered and changed clothes, then headed to Durango, the nearest emergency room. The shower was interesting. As soon as water hit, the bear spray was reactivated, identifying every inch of skin exposed. It felt like a bad sunburn. Peggie discovered that she had been hit some, as well. The fumes made us cough.
The emergency room staff was wonderful. While we were checking in, the triage nurse was notified and came to take us back. His first words were, "I want to hear this story." While he was taking info, the doctor came in, introduced himself, sat down, and said, "I want to hear this story."  The doctor and nurse explained what they were going to do and told us that they often treat mace victims because the Durango police use mace to subdue belligerent arrestees. So another nurse came in and carried out the procedure. He numbed my eyes with drops, then washed my face and hands, then used a Morgan lens. It is a large contact lens with a tube attached. Warm saline solution flows through the tube and washes the eye. When we were finished, the doctor examined the eyes and pronounced them healthy. Whew!
Moral of the story: If you are ever threatened with mace, submit. You are going to be arrested anyway, why suffer?
We double washed all of the clothes we were wearing, washed all hardware and everything we were carrying, even took our packs to the car wash and power sprayed them. All of his caused a new bout of coughing. I discovered I had to rewash my face the next day, because touching it caused my eyes to water again.
Second moral to the story: If you have to use bear spray on an actual bear, ask the bear to move downwind first so you don't get back spray on yourself.
Suggestion: take your hikes in the Grand Canyon where there are no bears, and leave the bear spray at home.
Peggie & Bill--Adventures = Good name for a blog.