Rabbit's Ear Mesa
McInnis Canyons National Conservation Area (BLM) I aimed at starting the Rabbit's Ear Trail in time to finish around sunset, somehow doing the math without quite understanding how late sunset is this time of year. I am trying to get around the other thing that happens this time of year: it is very hot. The car thermometer reads 104°F at 6PM when I get to the trailhead. The trail is a lollipop, traversing a ridge to the north end of the Rabbit's Ear Mesa, then looping around the edge. A sign with a large topographic map claims it is 5.6 miles total while the loop is 4.2 miles and the stick 1.4 miles, a total of 7 miles to finish. At this temperature, that can be over a liter of water difference, so very important to planning what to bring. I have four liters and grab it all and very little else. It seems like too little as I listen to the giggles from the people playing cards in their air conditioned camper next to me. Juniper and sage make up most the local ve...