Huachuca Peak

Distance: 9 miles
Elevation: 5500'-8410'
Time: 9+ hours

I hadn't done this hike in five years, and the last time was with Kevin and two very much younger dogs. It was time to hike this summit again. I summited this yesterday.

Big Steve and Hannah showed up for this hike. I was surprised only two showed up since several other members had been wanting to do this hike. Maybe word got out that I was going up this peak via the steep side. I had forgotten how steep this was, but I hadn't forgotten how pretty it was.

Kevin went out hunting in the Patagonia area and took Sammy with him. I had planned on taking Sadie along but Sara insisted on coming along as well. She ran outside with Sadie who immediately took the back seat. With all three dogs outside and all three confused as to where we were going and what was going on, I broke down and took Sara with me. The thought of leaving her home alone without her best pal Sammy with her would have been cruel.

Sara did better than expected although she got tired several times on the return hike and I had to rest with her. But she did the entire hike and didn't slow us down too much. I was so proud of her. Her only problem was her pungent gas! She kept farting as we went uphill. Luckily I was ahead of the other two so that they weren't exposed to the toxic fumes.

The hike starts out in McClure Canyon, an unmarked canyon off Garden Canyon Road. If you don't know it's there, it's easily missed. It's the first right passed the road gate, up a jeep road for almost a mile before it hits a T intersection. From there one turns left into the canyon popular with birders. Except today we didn't hear one bird. Bees and butterflies, however, were today's amusement.

Hannah had to stop a few times because she was feeling queasy and had a headache. It almost looked like we were going to have to cut the hike short, as she repeatedly complained of the steepness. I honestly didn't think this trail was so bad, and I certainly don't remember it being steep (although Kevin later on back home said that was the first thing he remembered)

The first mile is on an exposed maintenance trail with large rocks. The dogs found comfort in a nearby drainage. This is not a level hike by any means, and the further up we went, the steeper it got.

"I hiked up here before and we came to a wall and turned back!" said Hannah, remembering this hike, but I couldn't for the life of me remember any "wall." But trails do change over the years. There was a new trail sign pointing to the McClure Canyon Trail 1.33 miles uphill that Steve and Hannah pounded back into its post holes. The sign was bent in the middle. The rest of the 1.33 trail from that vantage point looked more like an illegal trail through heavy brush, but this is where I remember the trail leading to.

The trail gets pretty here as it enters the deep ravine of McClure canyon. There wasn't much water here, but after a heavy rain this would be a beautiful area to observe wildlife, if the hiker doesn't mind the strenuous hike to this point. Bare limestone exposed the remnants of an intermittent waterfall. Two small pools remained, and it was this pool that delighted Sara going up and then back down the peak. This water probably kept her from dehydrating. I had a gallon of water for the dogs.

The trail through this canyon is heavily overgrown. Thornybrush, sotols, agaves and young oak trees are now taking over. My knees were heavily poked by the time I got done with this hike. But what I like about this trail is that it doesn't switchback much: the narrow trail just goes up the steep canyon and hugs the foot of Huachuca Peak, which by now comes out as a giant volcanic outcrop in the range.

I only lost the trail once briefly, but we were able to get back on the faint trail.

We stopped at the intersection at Pine Park (7600')and an old helispot. Sara needed the break. We sat there for a good half hour, and I was prepared to turn around here for the sake of the others, but then Hannah said the magic words "Well, shall we?" and decided she had rested well enough to make it to the summit now just a mile away, according to the faded forest sign. Yay!

I remember this last mile being exposed, but in five years many of the young oak trees had grown tall enough to provide shade. Only the very top was exposed as we moved through thick strands of young oak and thornybrush. We had a beautiful view from the top, but Carr Peak hid the view of Miller Peak. Other peaks in the area, though, were quite visible: Mount Wrightson, Mount Lemmon, the Whetstones and the Santa Cruz valley to our west. This was a view I hadn't seen in a while.

We sat on the cement foundation of an old look-out tower now long gone. The cement blocks were the only level (and comfortable!) seating arrangements here. We drank our water, Sara rested, and it was back down the way we came. Both dogs by now were tired and had slowed down, and Sara sat down several times to catch her breath. I always let her rest a few minutes, but after telling her "Let's go!" she obediently got up to continue.

Sara and Sadie got along very well today. They didn't fight over the Alpha spot and provided good company for each other. It had been a while since the "girls" were together like this. Except for Sadie barking at Hannah at our meet-up spot, the dogs behaved very well.

This was a long hike due to the slowness of our pace, but I still enjoyed the trail. I hadn't been in the Garden Canyon area in quite a while and forgot how pretty some of the side canyons are. The road closure probably added two extra miles to this hike. My hiking guide isn't very clear as the exact mileage of today's hike because the trail doesn't even officially start until that first sign we passed, pointing 1.3 miles to the Crest Trail. My estimates had this at an eight-mile hike, but we went over nine miles considering we had to walk up and back down that first jeep trail.