End elevation at turn-around point: around 6000'
Approx 5+ miles but under six
A few weeks ago I thought I would be driving to the Tortolita Mountains with Valli to hike the Wild Burro trail today, an out-back trail of 7.4 miles. A few days later she bowed out because she thought the hike was more like five miles. The recent cold snap also scared people away. When today came I opted to stay close rather than drive 2+ hours to a mountain range not much different than the ones here.
In comes Robin, a gal from my volunteer group who turns out to be around my age and an avid hiker. She was also stationed in Augsburg, Germany shortly after I left and knows some of the same people from the Volksmarching group there. She suggested hiking in the Dragoons and the first thing I thought of was Slavin Gulch. Robin had never been here and I hadn't been here in almost a year, when Judy and I had our falling out.
Robin took her minpin/chihuahua, Odie, with her. What a champ he was! I had never hiked with a minpin before and this little dude walked with great confidence ahead of his mom. The big dogs gave him his space. The only thing I was afraid of was the big dogs intimidating him from drinking water or taking his snacks. As a courtesy I'd walk on ahead so that Robin could give him water without the big dogs harrassing him. That worked.
What a gorgeous day for a hike. It was in the low 70s at today's warmest. I brought a windbreaker but instead just wore my tshirt and winter pants and low day hikers. I brought along Sadie, Minnie and Zeke. That alone was a risk but in the end all did better than expected. The most impressive was Minnie, who seemed to like Odie and both hiked ahead, shoulder-to-shoulder, ahead of everyone else.
I was impressed how well the dogs got along with Odie. Zeke was a little ornery at first, running around off trail and chasing imagery friends. He quickly showed he didn't mind having another dog around; all three were pretty oblivious to a fourth dog on the trail. Sadie stayed mostly by my side and didn't care whatsoever about Robin or Odie. We never met another person.
I had no idea how far we would go, or how strong Robin was as a hiker. The hike to the upper hoodoos is about three miles one way. It's a bit under four miles to the abandoned Abril mine at the end, once an active place for zinc and copper. The first mile is easy, walking across the grassy floor shaded by mesquite and manzanitas and an occassional oak or yucca. Once you cross the creekbed the grade ascends and the trail narrows, following the creek uphill past granite walls. The vista to the west is mesmerizing.
We ended up going just past the hoodoos and turning around at the two-hour mark, just as I had planned. We had passed the hoodoos and were now encountering thick manzanitas and pinon pine and juniper. I knew this would be only hot and dry, but I would have enjoyed the challenge. (Would the dogs have?) We started at the trailhead at 10:34 and got back to the van at 2:20pm. The van was able to maneuver the dirt forest road despite its low clearance. That was my biggest worry since I spent time this morning trying to find my keys.
The hike as we did it was a bit over five but less than six miles. I don't recommend this hike in the heat of summer unless there is running water in the creek. Venemous snakes are prevalent here and if this heat wave continues they may be out by the end of February.
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