Bassett Peak

Today I managed to get together with several diehard hikers from the hiking club to hike up Bassett Peak, a 7650' summit in the remote Galiuro mountains. The 11.8-mile r/t trail to this windy peak is popular with leaf peepers. Big Steve is back from his four-month contract in West Virginia, so he was there, along with Rod, John S and Steve A. I brought Zeke and Sadie along on this hike. Weather was ideal this time, and there was water running in the lower canyon. We met at 6:30 at the Fry's parking lot in town and off we drove in three vehicles. I drove myself due to the dogs.

The waning full moon was setting as we drove the final stretch into the canyon north of Willcox, the far northern edge of Cochise County. This is a three-hour drive but well worth it. We got to the trail head at 9am and as expected, other campers and hikers were there. The Southern Arizona Hiking Team does this hike every November, the ALT Hikers and a few other Tucsonans. Lots of younger people!

It's hard to gauge when prime colors come in this canyon, as it depends on what kind of late summer/autumn we had. Our warm, wet summer has kept the leaves greener this year, and the maples in the lower canyon, which are known to show off their reds, were still green. The higher we got into the canyon, the more red we saw, but vibrant colors just weren't there yet. Perhaps in a week.

The dogs did fine. Zeke carried a day pack that he didn't seem to mind. Each pocket carried two 16-ounce bottles and a 3-ounce bag of treats. Sadie and Zeke are a nice team; they don't provoke each other like Minnie and Sadie do. This pack got harder to manage once two of the bottles were drank and the side pockets kept flipping over to one side.

I had to watch for other dogs. The first two we met were at the Ash Creek Springs 2.8 miles into the canyon. Sadie did her usual growling and Zeke his usual high-pitched bark, and luckily the other dog, a boxer mix, was as fearful of Sadie was. Away from other dogs and they did fine, although I had to make sure the dogs weren't always going in between the legs of others. Sadie likes to walk ahead of me and then turn around to wait for me, causing people at times to walk right into her. When she turns sideways, she blocks the entire path because of her length. The best way to prevent this from happening is to walk in the back or be way up front.

Predicted highs today were in the 80s and clear. This was cooler than last year, when we didn't even make it to the first ridge line. I felt stronger this time as I climbed up the exposed switchbacks after leaving the canyon for the ascent to Bassett Peak. The entire group walked at the same pace, so that there was no waiting around for everyone to catch up.

The wind, as expected, picked up once we were on the ridge line. From the ridge, views to the north wilderness were impressive, as all one sees are mountains and valleys. No towns or artificial landmarks. From this ridge, the peak is still 1.4 miles away to the west, and onward we went. We had some shade again, which cooled off the dogs.

The sun shone on the B-24 wreckage that still spots a north-facing cliff near this trail. Eleven people died in this 1943 crash. The shattered remains are too difficult to remove and are now part of the landscape.

The last mile to the 7650' peak were the steepest, and recent landslides made traversing this switchback ominous at best. Decideous trees lined the trail again. When we got back on mostly level ground, we took our lunch break. I was hungry and it had taken us three hours to get to the top. The dogs each got some raw meat, water, and snacks. I ate a spicy chicken sandwich. The meat for the dogs cost more than that sandwich! Rod wanted to wait until he got up to the top to eat his lunch, despite knowing that it would be windy up there. He insisted.

The final ascent to the peak is via a short bushwhack off the East West Divide trail up the loose decomposed granite. It's easy to follow up, bot not so easy to follow down. One false move and you not only slide downhill, you may also find yourself descending in the wrong direction. I'm surprised no one has marked this section with tape off of the trees. Two members from the other hiking party were yelling for "BOB!" and another man, both who were using GPSes to navigate.

The peak was crowded and windy. This rocky outcrop of a peak is not suitable for large crowds. There is no room to spread out and relax. We talked to several people from the Tucson hiking groups on the peak, as we all huddled close by. One man held his Pomeranian Joseph, who seemed to enjoy antagonizing my dogs. The owner held him the entire time as I held on to my dogs. The peak is not a place to sit and meditate. The winds are too stong and there is no solitude.

We stopped again afterwards back at our break area on our return hike so that Rod could eat. I will not understand why he couldn't eat when the rest of us did, as as soon as we got to the peak he said it was too windy and crowded on the summit! He says and does silly things when he is dehydrated. Rod doesn't like to drink much water and lately he has been more tired than usual. He's a great guy on a hike, though, as he knows so much about our trails and he doesn't talk much. Like me, he prefers to walk in silence. Big Steve, though, never shuts up.

I took a nice fall as I got back on the trail, bruising my right shin as I rolled to protect my camera. That fall hurt the rest of the walk down, but my leg never swelled up to an intolerable size.

The sun was now setting on the other side of the mountain at 2:30pm, and when I got back down to the canyon, the sun was no longer shining on the leaves. The dogs were back to being near water, and I waited for the rest of the group before we all returned to our cars. Many of the day hikers had already left. We were back on the road by 5:15pm. We barely had light before we hit pavement again. I get uncomfortable driving at night on dirt roads.

The dogs were exhausted as they spread out in the truck. They ignored three white-tailed deer that jumped in front of me as I was leaving the campgrounds, but they got excited when cows came on Ash Canyon road, the main and only thorough way. They barked incessantly and wouldn't calm down once we were past the cattle.

There were sadly two dead dogs on the road in Willcox, one was a border collie. Those dogs were still alive earlier that day as I did not see any dead dogs along the road. Sad, so sad how quickly life can be taken.

I convinced the guys to try the new Mexican restaurant, "Isabel's" in Old Willcox. It's a small placein a historic hotel. It was crowded as we got inside, as it looked like a wedding party was finishing up a meal. I appreciated the warmth. My enchilada-style chicken burro was exquisite. The three Diet Pepsis I had gave me enrgy back, so that the rest of the drive home was uneventful



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