Distance: 11 miles
Elevation gain: 2700 feet, from 5977' to 8476'
Significance: Solitude, seasonal water, views at top, personal challenge.
The Sunnyside Canyon trail is part of the Arizona Trail. I had done this section about 20 years ago with the Huachuca Hiking club. It kicked my butt then and it kicked my butt again today.
The hike plan actually started a few days ago with a message from Ellen asking me if I were interested in hiking the trail with Brenda this morning. She didn't state how far we'd go except "toward the crest...and to explore another flowing creek." but I said sure. The only request is that I drive myself to avoid her SUV getting muddied by my dogs, as water is in the creek right now. I complied, as I don't ever want anyone's vehicle muddied by my dogs. That is why I drive myself most of the time, as everything I need for the dogs is in my Honda. We met in town shortly after 8am and carpooled.
Hansel and Zana are my water-loving dogs but I ended up taking Gretel. She just happened to be inside the house with Wolfie when the other four dogs darted outside to bark at dust. I had to distract Wolfie with some raw chicken legs as I prepped Gretel for the 1.5-hour car ride. We drove through Fort Huachuca and the western slopes of the Huachucas. I don't come out here enough, but the mountains have a different look from the West. There are less people on this side of the mountains. Cell phone coverage is minimal. We drove past Parker Canyon Lake and in another five miles hit Forest Road 228 that took us to our trailhead parking. We had one deep rut to overcome but my Honda managed.
Our hike started at 9:24am. Temperature was 69F with partly-cloudy skies. This was ideal hiking weather! Gretel was off-leash and stayed close, although twice she ran up slopes chasing something. A squirrel or bird, perhaps, as we didn't see any deer. She had plenty of water in the flowing creek the first two miles. We never came across anyone else during the entire hike.
Sunnyside canyon trail is an old mining trail. There are still a few faint sites that once housed miners, but all that remains today is some rusty metal machinery. The higher in elevation the trail goes, the narrower the trail becomes. Today the trail was overgrown with wildflowers and grasses.
We kept a steady pace. I was feeling good. Gretel stayed near the water. I didn't begin to feel elevation until we got up Piano Hill at the 2.5-mile mark and the steepness increased. Steep switchbacks began and I needed a few short stops to get my breathing back to normal. Some sections had a 20% grade. We hit a trail leading to the Copper Glance Mine (Ellen and I did this several years ago) and we still had two miles to the Crest Trail. At that point I knew I had to make it.
We felt the cooler mountain air once we hit 8000' elevation. We could see Parker Lake and its low water level. This part of the mountains was not affected by the 2011 fire. The pinon pines and oaks were now Douglas firs and Ponderosa pines. We had shade and spotted sunshine as we rested with a view east. We hit the summit at 5.25 miles. This tired Gretel and she rested while we chatted. It was just us, the birds, and the view.
Few people seem to come to this part of the mountain range. Trail head signs were broken and on the ground. Trail was overgrown and hard to follow. I wouldn't want to have an injury up here.
The return hike was much better. I was tired and on auto pilot. Gretel was tired, too, and stayed by my side. I was ahead of the two gals and stopped a few times for them to catch up to us. They had mentioned that they wanted to hike back via the creek but i was more focused on getting back to the car before sunset. I also wanted to be on hard pavement before sunset as well.
My cell phone was near dead but I made it back to the Honda at 4:50pm with 5% battery power. Ellen and Brenda came in at 5:10pm and we drove back the way we came. We had hiked over 11 miles. This was my longest hike in several years.
The west gate of Fort Huachuca is remotely manned. One has to call the MP number posted and show your ID to the camera before the gate is lifted for vehicles. I did all that, but the officer had trouble with my last name. It was frustrating as the connection was spotty. She finally let me in when I gave her my ID number. Why didn't she just ask for that in the first place!?
Ellen and Brenda went their separate ways. I got back home at 6:55pm (!) and both ankles were sore. I even had some neuropathy in my left foot that went away in ten minutes.
Gretel was quiet the rest of the night. She didn't even bother barking at backyard intruders for once.
