Sawmill Trail

Today was my first real hike since coming home from my road trip, a group hike with club members into our own Huachuca Mountains.

It was a butt-kicker of a hike! Despite the easy elevation of 6200-8700' the heat kicked my butt and Sadie's too. Despite my whining I am glad I didn't have to drive far for this high-elevation hike. I'm still not recovered from that roadtrip.

There were five of us on this hike, all diehards from the hiking club: Brenda, Gordon, Rod, Paul and I. Sadie and Chalita warmed up quickly to each other and soon became playmates and wrestling mates.

The trailhead is on Fort Huachuca, which was 14 miles into the post and the back roads, driving Garden Canyon to the end where just a few years ago a Boy Scout's hut still lay. The hut is now gone, victim of an attempted arson a few years ago. The only other people we saw at the trail head were birders in a van, loaded with binoculars and bird guides. We had the trail to ourselves.

Brenda and I started the hike up front, with the "boys" behind us. We talked about school, our college plans, and future hikes in the Arizona-New Mexico area. We were so busy we never saw a ridge-nose rattle snake off the trail. The "boys" behind us had seen it after we had walked past it. No doubt with the hot, dry weather lately we would be likely to come across a few snakes today. After that news of the snake my eyes were fixed on the ground.

The trail started out easy for the first half mile, but it soon narrowed and got steeper as it meandered around Ponderosa pine, Alligator Junipers, oaks, thornbrush and various other desert flora to the Crest Trail a 8300.' There hadn't been much rain up here in a while.

And that mid-morning sun wouldn't relent. We took water breaks after every mile.

The Sawmill Springs was still running, albeit not with full force. It was the only water source along the entire route, and a godsend for Sadie as without this spring to refill the water jugs, we would have been hurting.

Brenda, the hike leader, wanted to take us on a loop hike but when we reached the Sheelite Canyon trail Rod suggested we try bushwhacking up Ramsey Peak and then down to Paloma Mine. I had never done either, and it wasn't that far away. The trails were "illegal" trails, trails that Mexican border crossers have etched into the landscape over time. These trails tend to be steep, hidden, and full of trash. Today's trail was also full of poison ivy. Wild onion grew abundantly on the northern slopes.

However, Rod's GPS wasn't working well and we ended up on the wrong ridge. With little water left for the dogs, we had no option now but to backtrack where we came.

The views from our vantage point where quite pretty, though, as we were in the middle of the mountain range. We could see both the town of Sierra Vista to the north as well as Sonora, Mexico to our south. Mount Wrightson to our northwest was also visible. A high meadow full of large yellow wildflowers grew amid a forest of tall pines.

Skies were partly clouded and a cool breeze blew over the ridge. I can't complain about the scenery as I saw routes I've never seen before. What was a little risky was the loose trail and overgrown roots that caused a few of us to lose our hold a few times. Even I fell and got a superficial cut in my right hand.

Sadie burned out after only five miles, victim to the heat despite the shade. When we got back to Sawmill springs the second time we all rested, and the dogs slobbered up a lot of water while the rest of us rested our legs. We had gone up and down quite a few hills today and hiked just 8.3 miles. I was exhausted.

We never came across other hikers until we were less than a mile from our cars.

I treated the group to some Montana and New Mexican beers before we all departed. I didn't get home until almost 5pm. Kevin had chicken and beef fajitas ready for us. Sadie crashed on the floor next to me. I was so tired, even after a filling meal that I went to bed at 8:30pm. (When was the last time I went to bed before 10pm?) Even Sadie slept soundly next to me.