Upper Bear Mine on the Lutz Canyon Trail

My plan to bag Miller Peak via the Lutz Canyon trail today was not to be. I hadn't yet hiked up this trail to the Crest Trail since the fire. This is the shortest but also steepest way to get to Miller Peak.

The Lutz Canyon trail was badly damaged after the fire and floods of late 2011. Flash floods have torn a wider creek bed, and many dead trees still line the path. Subsequent monsoons can continue to wreck havoc on the lower trail. The old mining trail is now an ankle-twisting rock bed in many parts. What was once unnavigable after the summer of 2011 is now passable; many other hikers have re-treaded the trail so that the original path is obvious once again. Heavy rockslides and debris had hidden the trail on earlier attempts to ascend the trail toward Miller Peak. When strong winds blow, ash still blows in the wind. There are no shaded areas along the entire climb up the Crest Trail, 3.7 miles uphill. What trees there were are now charred stalks.


I had taken Sadie, Minnie and Zeke with me on this hot and exposed trail. Sadie started showing signs of heat exhaustion half-way up the trail. She started acting delirious at the two-mile mark. She'd hide off-trail in whatever little shade she could find in the new growth of young scrub oaks. That's when I realized she needed out of the heat and extra water. She didn't want to come when I called her. I was able to coax her to go as far as Upper Bear Mine, two switchbacks away, where I knew Mexicans crossing illegally would have left some water after resting inside the mine. The open mine is used for border crossers to rest for the night, and the trash down the entire length of the mine is proof it's still heavily used. One sees the many black plastic bags (which the border crossers use as sleeping bags at night), but at closer look there are many more things in that cave: weatherworn clothes, rusty tin cans, cracking plastic bottles.

This was my first time walking down the shaft. I'm a bit paranoid of dark places and I'm no fan of mines. I always fear finding a dead body in a dark crevice, or coming upon a mine dweller. Bats and bugs are no fun, either. Since the dogs didn't sense anything perilous, I proceeded down the mine. The dogs followed me into the mine as I looked for any water. I was stepping on trash the entire time. Light from the entrance was visible until that final bend toward the end, about 100 yards. My flashlight helped me navigate to the end. I found a nearly unused gallon of water wrapped in black plastic on my way back to the entrance. That was Sadie's saving grace. Once we were back at the entrance, the dogs rested at the mouth of the mine and Sadie got the extra water. It was evident they all appreciated the rest. It was 12:45pm.


We stayed in the cool shade of the mine entrance for 1:50 hours, just relaxing, and with it being Easter Sunday I was fine with just some time to reflect on the year so far. It was quiet up there. I only saw one butterfly and one reddish bird flit by. My stupor was only interrupted twice by Zeke and Minnie barking, but I never saw any signs of people coming down the trail. We never saw anyone else all day. I could gaze toward San Jose Peak and wonder of all the yet-to-be-explored sights of Sonora. Maybe one day I'll muster the courage and travel south of the border.

The other two dogs seemed fine, wanting to explore the area. Minnie seemed fascinated with the tailings tumbling downhill and creating a dust cloud. She wanted to chase the tailings even farther!

I made sure I gave Sadie extra water while she rested. Minnie had been possessive of the water along the trail and Sadie probably didn't get as much as she should have.



I collected a few plastic bottles and other light trash and carried that back down to the truck, and later dumped that into our regular trash bin, which never gets full anyway since we recycle what we can. I know what little I took out of the mine doesn't put a dent into what was left behind. I only take just enough trash to avoid being uncomfortable on the hike down.


I do plan on hiking back up the Lutz Canyon trail to Miller Peak. I need to start earlier to avoid the heat, as even I drank most of my water. The dogs still had water but had we continued on to the peak we would have relied on the remaining snow pack in the aspen grove, two miles away. I also think Sadie's recent epileptic seizure from a few days ago had tired her out and she was on a trail too soon. There are many factors I can think of that caused Sadie's exhaustion. It was in the upper 70s but what tired us all was the lack of any shade until we got to Upper Bear Mine.