Miller Canyon Trail

Distance: 7-8 miles
Elevation: 5800'-8600'
Time: 4.5 hours (with 30 minute break)

Today was the last day of my Easter break. Both exams had been taken and a relief was over me. I had spent the previous three days studying my Spanish to the point of restlessness. I couldn't bear another day at home gardening. It was finally time for a hike! I just didn't know where to hike: should I go up Miller Canyon, Sheelite Canyon or Blacktail Canyon or? I finally settled on the Miller Canyon Trail, with the goal of cleaning up the bath tub at the Crest Trail intersection. I hadn't cleaned out the tub since last fall and I wanted to do something "Green" for Earth Day again. This was a good choice as I learned from several hikers that trails in the Huachucas from the army post are still closed off due to fire danger.

That means Sadie and I hiked four miles one way to scrub out a bath tub at 8700'. My friends and family back in Chicagoland must think I'm crazy to do this. I can just see their faces now. "You hiked up to 8700 feet just to clean out a bath tub? Connie!"

The good news is that there was no trash along the way.

It had been almost a year since I was up here and I could already see the dry vegetation from the start. Although there were pockets of greenery, most of the shrubs and trees were looking dry.

We parked at the Beatty's orchard parking area and started the immediate climb on the old mining trail that follows Miller Creek all the way. This is a very popular area for birders. The steepest part of this trail begins at the 1.5 mile marker and continues for two miles through a mostly shaded area. The last half mile it levels out again.

We didn't get started at the trailhead until 1:17pm. It's a late start but I knew I'd be back by 6pm. We didn't see anyone on the trail until almost the end, when a young couple from Tucson with their blue heeler greeted us. They, like me, were surprised at how dry the forest is, and I had to agree. This is the dryest I've seen it in the six years I've been here, and it's a combination killer freeze from February and subsequent dryness thereafter that has caused this.

Miller Creek was dry most of the way. This is such a beautiful hike when there is water at the half-way mark, and columbines bloom along the creek bed. The bubbling water attracts the birds and makes this a much more pleasant hike. It's one of the few hikes featured in Arizona hiking books of southeastern Arizona. Today, however, the creek didn't look too healthy.

Oaks and manzanitas along the trail all were looking dry. Many of the oaks have shed their leaves to stay alive. Several uprooted trees now lay across the trail, too. Grass is dead and there were NO WILDFLOWERS ANYWHERE. Lush green finally became obvious near the Crest Trail. It took me 2:30 hours to get this far (!!!). I'm definitely out of shape after not hiking in a few weeks. I need to start getting into shape from here on if I want to do well in California in a few months.

It took me 20 minutes to clean out the green algae/black mold infested bath tub. This tub was dragged up to this site from an old homesteader whose cabin was nearby. The home is long gone but the bath tub has remained as a reliable water source for hikers and wildlife. It is now an historical relic and is part of the Coronado National Forest. I should suggest hiking club members hike this trail more often so that we can all do our share in keeping the bath tub clean for hikers, since this tub is on the Arizona Trail and we are responsible for maintaining the trail. Most would probably complain about this since the club tends to focus on more political issues.

I brought a grill brush and scrubbing sponge along for the job, but purposefully left the bleach at home so as not to add any chemicals into the water. I first scooped out the algae-infested water with Sadie's drinking cup, then scrubbed and finally sponged off what I could. The algae will come back in a few months, but the tub now looks a lot better than before I did this job. I didn't stay long enough for the tub to refill with water from the pipe, but a second scrubbing and rinsing would probably have helped. Had I gotten to the tub earlier, I probably would have done so.

Our late start for this hike didn't allow me much of a break. As soon as I got as much of the algae and mold removed, we were back on the trail heading down at 4:12pm. The only people we met on the descent was a birding couple from Albuquerque. They asked me if I saw any birds. Other than a few ravens near the saddle and a few wrens watching me scrub out the tub, there were no birds.

It seemed as if more trees had recently been snapped in half in the saddle. A fire that raged here in 1977 has left many charred tree stumps with very little new tree growth.

We got back to the truck at just before 6pm. There was still plenty of sunlight when we got home at 6:15. Being just six miles from the trailhead helps.

Although this is a steep ascent, I am going to try to hike this more often just to help keep the bath tub clean for hikers and wildlife.