Huachuca Canyon Trail

I haven't hiked up the Huachuca Canyon Trail in perhaps eight or nine years. It's accessible only via Fort Huachuca, which means those not affiliated with the military will need added documentation to get here. Years ago I'd walk the lower canyon during my lunch break, just to get away from the noisy office. It is rocky the higher up it gets, and ends at 3.3 miles at the post's boundary and a vista toward the southwest and west.

Beth and I met at the first parking area after work last Thursday. We drove the 1.7 miles to the most upper parking/picnic area at the water gauge. It was 3:35am when we, along with Sadie, started the hike. It was all into the sun, so I either had the sun in my eyes or Sadie and her furry butt to look at.

There wasn't as much water in this canyon at all, not after all that rain from the previous week. I hadn't packed any additional water for Sadie because there's usually water trickling down the lower canyon here. Instead we just saw lots of California Sisters (butterfly) fluttering just above the surface. The water remained in the shallow creek nearby. The more flowing water was higher up, near the trailhead for the Huachuca Peak trail.

I noticed last year the severe erosion in the upper section of this trail. There are crevices over three feet deep now that weren't there a year ago, all created from the flash floods from last fall. Today there are even deeper and more ruts and I fear the trail will be totally obliterated in a few more years. The many large rocks also made the hike uphill at times treacherous.

We made it to the boundary line at 5:05pm. The pinon pines here have grown and hidden most of the view. The old jeep trail that continued south here is also overgrown with grass and young saplings. We didn't stay long here since we had to hike back to our cars in the waning sunlight, but we did enjoy a few moments resting on warm rock. Beth really seemed to like the solitude. We heard nothing but the sounds of the wind whistling through the trees.

I need to come back here and hike south along the boundary. After all these years here there has got to be some changes along the route. This would be a nice trail to explore with two or more dogs. I only brought one dog today because I had to stop by PetSmart before meeting with Beth and I didn't want the dog to suffer in a warm van (despite the windows being down).

I didn't pack any food for either Sadie and me, but she was well rewarded for her efforts when we got back home at 7:30ish. Our hike back was in the cool shade. I felt so energized once we got home. Hiking twice in one week is really great for my psyche. Beth leaves in five weeks to return to her main office in Phoenix, so I will miss these mid-week hikes of adventure.