Deep Freeze

The storm that blew across our area over the weekend dumped a lot of snow north and east of us at higher elevations. Now we have our mini winter, when highs reach the 40s and lows dip into the teens. I brought my Iraqi acacia inside last night. All water ponds for the birds and dogs are frozen over. The cat food I keep outside for Willie keeps getting eaten, and as long as I am around, will continue to leave out food for him in these cold nights. He may go hungry in the two weeks I'll be gone. That worries me.

I came home and realized that I had left the back door closed. None of the dogs had free access to the yard for pee and poop breaks. Oops. One dog left a physical reminder of my forgetfulness, right in the middle of the hallway by the front door.

Most unusual for us, though, was the long naked stem on our palm tree as I got home yesterday afternoon. What was once a tall palm tree with a heavy undergrowth of dead fronds is now a nearly trimmed canopy of green fronds. It lost a lot of its dead fronds in yesterday's winds. Our yard, back and front, are covered in dead fronds. I lost count at 50 and that was just in the back yard. There are still a few more fronds still hanging periously to the stem, but will blow off with the next storm. The wind came from the southwest and must have bent that tree perilously low to the ground for hours. In our 11 years in this small house, this is the first time we have seen the tree lose so many of its fronds from a wind storm. The tree will lose a few with every wind storm, but never so many that the shavings become noticeable. This time even Kevin noticed.

I have had local tree trimmers come by and offer to shave the tree for $100. I have always refused, because that palm tree is home to many of the birds that frequent our yard for the seeds the weedy flowers leave behind, and which are essential for their survival this time of year. There's even a barn owl that lives in that tree that has been leaving its pellets on the ground for several years. I'd hate to think any of the birds have lost their nests, or have died in the storm, but that is nature at its fiercest. The palm tree was void of any chirping all day, and I never saw any birds fly to or from the palm tree. I do hope the tree gets repopulated with a steady community of birds soon.

This deep overnight freeze will last until tomorrow, when temperatures return to normal and get back into the 60s and 70s.

Lost Mexican

Yesterday's high winds turned into a wet storm this morning, turning to snow flurries in the afternoon. What perfect weather to play in the snow in Ash Canyon! So I packed up the dogs and off we went. It was around 4:30pm. I needed to get the dogs out since we didn't walk yesterday. They were ready!

The dogs were beside themselves with excitement and pushed each other out of the way as everyone wanted to be the first out of the van and on the trail. As usual, they all ran ahead of me; they know the trail we usually take and couldn't wait for me. I normally walk the dogs in the dry creek bed, away from vehicular traffic. My low-clearance van can't do the ruts in the road well, so I park the van on the main road and walk from there.

I stayed at the van, trying to get my GPS app working when I saw a lone man coming down Ash Canyon Road. He looked cold. He came toward me. "I am lost!" he said. "Can you drive me [into town]?" he pleaded.
"Are you from Mexico?"
"Yes"
"Want me to call La Migra so that they can help you?," I asked, as he looked cold. And wet. His jacket was not rain resistant. He wasn't even carrying a backpack, which was surely abandoned higher up the trail.

At this point the dogs, who turned around when they realized I was being held up in conversation, and came running up to the man full speed. Oh shit. The man did not realize I had four dogs with me when he approached me because the dogs were down the trail, hidden by a downward slope and a curve in the road. They didn't come into view until he had gotten close to me and the dogs didn't like that. He immediately got scared.

"Don't bite, don't bite!" he screamed, flaying his arms up and getting the dogs more excited than they already were. They did not attack the man, nor made physical contact with him, but they did circle tightly around the man and let their displeasure of his presence too close to me be known. This is what a pack of dogs does when enveloping their prey, allowing for no safe regress. I was getting annoyed that they wouldn't stop barking. (Not really, I was quite proud how protective they showed themselves to be, especially Sadie). But I also didn't want this cold and lost man to feel fear. He was in a bad-enough predicament now with the weather turning bad and daylight soon ending. My dogs would know when to attack by the command I give them, and I did not give them that command.

"Can you drive me?" he pleaded again.
"I can't, but I can call Border Patrol and get you to a safe place."
"No, no, please give me chance!" he replied. He realized I couldn't help so he walked on, toward SR92 on Ash Canyon Road a half-mile away. He stopped a few other cars going up the canyon, but no one let him in. He would stop and turn around and look at me, but continued walking east. The snow flurries were now getting colder and wetter. It was not a good time to be lost and cold. He stayed on the road, not once ducking into a driveway or seeking cover by the underbrush.

Instead of playing in the snow with the dogs higher up the canyon, I now decided to follow this man as he continued walking east on Ash Canyon Road. I called USBP and the agent who answered my call sounded suspiciously like our Agent Daniel from the hiking meetup (he works at the Naco Station). "I'm on my way!" said Agent Daniel, as he asked me to describe the man.
"Dark blue hoodie and dark brown pants, facial hair, short, 40-ish." Most people coming across illegally wear dark clothes to better blend in at night with the natural vegetation.
"Sounds like the man who got away from me last night!" commented Agent Daniel.

I followed the lost man, always keeping a safe distance, until I saw the USBP van turn into Ash Canyon and stop in front of the man. The man did not run. He was cold and lost and had given up. He stayed in front of the van and let the agent approach him.
I turned around then to let the agent process this man in peace. It must be a defeating feeling to give up a dream of coming to this country like this, after surely paying coyotes his life savings to come here. He had crossed these mountains in the worst weather of the season and as wet as he was, he would not have survived the night.

I continued the walk with the dogs up the canyon for another mile. It was 5:15pm when I decided it was getting too dark (and who knows how many more cold and lost people were in these snowy mountains?). We walked a mere 1.67 miles. The USBP van had just then turned back on SR92, on its way back to the Naco Station 26 miles away.

While I never once felt scared of this man, I am extremely proud of how well the dogs protected me. Even Old Sammy did his share of incessant barking. All dogs got extra treats tonight. And while I felt sad for ruining this man's dream, I know in this shitty weather that I did the right thing. Tonight's low in the valley will be 25F. It will be much colder at 8000'.

Turns out a larger group of illegals was getting tracked by military police on Fort Huachuca earlier today, where Ellen was mountain biking with friends. Perhaps that is the group the man got separated from. We are going to have another freezing night before warmer temperatures return tomorrow. I hope everyone is off these snowy mountains and safe and warm.

A great week for hikes with the dogs

We lucked out with summer-like temperatures during the day (and the notorious cold at night) this past week, but I have been fighting fatigue at night and have kept some strange hours.

Monday and Tuesday night I couldn't fall asleep. I'd get up at 1:30am, 2:30am and finally by 3am I'd be up for the day. This made my energy level during the mornings especially lethargic. I had to push myself to go outside and walk.

Tuesday morning I managed to hike with Zeke up Carr Canyon road with Nina's group, but my pace felt slower than normal. I had started late and caught up to Nina and Claire before they reached the middle falls at the two-mile mark, but once I got to the top where we normally sit and chat, I wanted to walk back down, get back home, and nap! Brown smoke meandered across the northern horizon from a prescribed burn on Fort Huachuca, but that was the one new thing of notice. Claire and I policed the area of trash (the view is popular with booze-drinking ignorami) and we both walked down with full bags of bottles, cans and plastics. I chatted with a young gal named Farah, an army wife new to the area.

When we all gathered back at our cars by the bridge and the lower falls, I told the gang that I was tired and needed to nap. Normally I join them for lunch somewhere but not this time. And nap I did, until 3pm! I hope this does not become a habit because day naps throw off my sleep cycle.

On Wednesday I rested my sore left ankle and didn't walk much until 6pm, when I met Emily and her fast-walking meetup group for the 5-mile fitness trail around town. This is a course I'd love to do every week for speed. We did the course in 1:32 hours. I'd like to get down to 1:20 hours. I took Zeke along again, who always gets praise for being such a sweet dog. While Emily's three dogs always bark at Zeke initially, he never barks back and prefers not to fight. Sadie, Minnie and Sweetie have taught him well! After a few barky exchanges from Emily's pack, all four dogs were able to walk the course on leash without further intervention. We had no moon, so the dark stretches on this path were darker than normal. We were only four women, but four dogs gave us extra protection.

And then on Thursday was the Bisbee walk. I had Holly walk us the Bisbee 1000 course and of course that meant walking all those crumbly stairs! There were far more stairs on her walk than on the walk I reconned on Monday. Bisbee is Holly's old home, and she quickly took over the hike, showing us her old house on a hillside, introduced us to a Bisbee artist who painted many of the murals in town, and told us some history of some of the older buildings.

Walking Bisbee

This was a recon walk to measure mileage that should have taken place yesterday, but yesterday my left ankle was sore and needed a break after Saturday's long hike. I didn't get started until the afternoon, when I could leave for Bisbee with the recyclables (mostly cardboard from Amazon and petfood cans), which was a good excuse to head out to Bisbee 26 miles away. It was a beautiful late fall day in the mid 60s with slight overcast skies and no wind. I took Minnie this time, since she hadn't been hiked all week. The town was quiet.

I didn't carry a backpack. I figured it was cool enough for Minnie and me to go without water for a few hours. Stores in town have water buckets for dogs, and there was water running in the ditch through Tombstone Canyon. I parked at the brewpub and walked up OK street before turning west and downhill toward the Mullheim House, which is now a museum. The trees down this road have shed most of their leaves now. From there it was uphill again on narrow roads overlooking the town. I can never tire of this view.

The rest of the walk was very close to the annual Bisbee1000 route, a charity run ($75 for 5km!) always on the third Saturday in October. This run is painted on walls and rocks all over Old Bisbee. The charity gives proceeds of that money for local groups. I ran this course four times, but stopped when the entry free went over $50. Very little of any of the monies go to repairing the dilapidated stairs in town, for which the Bisbee1000 got its name. "Save the Stairs!" was the mantra when the charity run first began in the 1990s, but that mantra is no longer used. I prefer streets over steps, though. Although the stairs provide a great workout, many of the stairs go right past private property with open views inside homes. I wanted to find a route that was people-friendly, as many people do not like climbing stairs,and many dogs hurt doing so. Finding a stair-free route in Bisbee is nearly impossible.

Minnie seemed delighted in the new smells around her. She was on leash, but I took her off leash when we got away from the busier part of town. I spent several minutes talking to a local woman named Anne about training German Shepherds; her new pup is four months old and a very determined boy. She approached me as I was walking up Tombstone Canyon. Her pup needs early and firm training to be a good dog as an adult, and she seemed willing to work on him. (Since when am I a dog expert?!) I also stopped and talked to a resident off a short alley way where Minnie was able to get some water from the ditch. This ditch captures the monsoonal rains every year, but today the water was just trickling. Getting to this water was not easy, as the ditch is deep and borders on private property. Everyone I met was very friendly. The town has a European ambiance to it, except the streets are awful and many property walls are cracking. There's a run-down feel to Bisbee, but what makes the town so scenic is the landscape and the personal yard art so prevalent in town. One can hunt for Gargoyles, painted butterflies, iron reptiles as one walks along.

I did the downtown area, hiked across from Castle Rock, went down the IronMan steps, up Moon Canyon and along Adams Avenue, around the Central School, up Quality Hill and back down toward the Gulch. There are modified miner shacks all over town. Some are remodeled and modern, others are run down and neglected. Some are colorful, others bland. I've done variations of this hike many times.

I finished with a few beers and good conversation with the bartenders Vanessa and Danielle at the Old Bisbee Brewing Company. There were only a few other customers at the bar and business was slow. I really like that place as the beer is always good and the clientele as eclectic as the town. And what a mellow day to walk around town. A couple from Nashville had done the Tucson marathon yesterday and were enjoying one more day in AZ before flying back to Nashville.

Minnie growled at a small dog, Scruffy, a regular customer with his owner who likes to watch everyone come inside the pub. He sits in the same spot by the door every time. Minnie barked at Scruffy a few times but luckliy settled down. I would have put her back in the van to calm down had she not done so on her own.

I drove back home with the Huachuca mountains silhouetted by the last rays of sunlight and the city lights lighting the horizon. What a priceless view this is every single time.

Today's hike was a mere 4.68 miles. It's going to be hard to replicate the route for Thursday's town walk as the starting time will be later. Today's pace was slow, as I stopped a lot to photograph the views and Minnie sniffed it all out herself. The distance seemed to be enough for her and she rested well the rest of the day.

Miller and Carr Peak on the same day

Hiking 12 miles to both Miller and Carr Peak was Ellen's idea. She had contacted me via Facebook Friday morning and I said, "Why not!" I've always wanted to bag both peaks at once, but it's not an easy hike. We met at the Perimeter Trailhead parking lot off Carr Canyon road, and at 8:10am we drove in separate vehicles. She had a cycling friend from Tucson down with her, Adam, and he drove with her while I drove with Sadie. Temperatures today were scheduled to hit the low 70s in the valley, which meant 60s on the peaks. I packed a heavy rain coat but never needed it. We began the hike at 8:40am and were the only ones on the trail.

We kept a steady pace, but it was a slower pace than we normally do because we had to keep our strength for the distance. We averaged 33 minutes the first two miles. I wore my Italian-made Montrails which were starting to feel tight around both big toes. I wore these thinking there'd be some ice or snow on the north slopes, but there was none. The only ice we saw was at the waterfall at the two-mile mark. The shoes are cumbersome in snowless terrain, and too tall and stiff for this kind of hike. I kept my eyes to the ground for that reason.

All the wildflowers have died for the season. There was very little color anywhere. We saw several mule deer in the lower elevation, and a few jays, but surprisingly few hawks or falcons that fly through this time of year. Adam had never hiked these peaks before and stopped at every vista to photograph the scenery. I photographed scenes using my new Samsung S5. (It feels weird not carrying my Cannon 6D around.) Sadie stayed close to me, although she would go up front, circle around Ellen, make her stop or move to the side, and then come back toward me. That is typical shepherd behavior. Adam had never hiked any distance with a dog before. I hope Sadie left him with a good impression.

I had my "Mapmywalk"app running the entire time. We made it to Miller Peak at 12:20pm at 5.75 miles. We were the first on the peak and enjoyed our lunch. Sadie got her can of Nutro which I spoonfed her. I had three hotspots developing on my right foot, bandaged them up, and as we were ready to leave, a group of what turned out to be 12 hikers came up the summit. Two of them were Arizona Trail through-hikers finishing their last section at the Mexican border. Another man was a Polish exchange officer from Fort Huachuca, Roddick, who thought Arizona was a flat state. I had to chuckle at that (and I'm sure all the other hikers around us, too) and I pointed at the flat foundation from a former fire look-out tower nearby that is perhaps the only flat area of Arizona. He got the message.

The peak quickly filled up with hikers lounging in the sun. Indeed, it was a perfect day to sun oneself at 9400' but we were only halfway done and had to move on. We bid our farewells and descended, resting only at the bathtub springs before continuing on up along the Crest Trail and then the Carr Peak trail. This one-mile long trail is little used, and frostheave has crumbled parts of this trail. Prickly shrubs along the path whip against one's body in relentless fortitude.

My left ankle by now was hurting. I had to slow down and watch my footing. The trail was full of rocks and loose soil and very narrow for a singletrack, but after climbing up Miller Peak, was easier than expected. I was the last to summit the peak and wasn't that exhausted. We were the only ones here now, with the mass of hikers on Miller Peak. The wind was still calm and warm (so unlike other December summits) and we ate more snacks, drank more water, and took in the panoramic scenery. The horizon over Mexico clearly showed a white, then brown ribbon above the terrain, as wind-swept high-altitude clouds whisped across the sky. It was a perfect day to do this hike.

We descended for our final three miles after 3:20pm. My feet were hurting, but we all kept a good pace. My backpack was leaking water (perhaps a water flask that was not properly closed) and by the time I got back to the van, my entire back and butt were wet. How embarrassing!

We all managed to get back home by 4:30pm. Kevin was already in bed watching YouTube on his laptop and left a pot of turkey-rice soup on the stove. I didn't need to be told to help myself. Sadie rested peacefully nearby the rest of the evening.

Carr Canyon Road Twice today

I didn't work today, so when 9am rolled around, I got Minnie ready for a walk up the road with the usual Tuesday gang. By the time I started, everyone had already left the trail head but I caught up to them at the middle falls. (Nina, Robert, Cissy, HollyW, SteveT, Allen and me) We stayed there another 30 minutes or so, chatted, and walked back down. Minnie drank from the iced-over falls water which I broke open by throwing a rock on the surface.

Minnie did well today. She hiked most of the way up on her leash, behaving nicely. She's getting the hang of having a leash on her. But she was off leash on our walk down. I didn't bring a daypack on this hike, as I knew there'd be water at the falls for her to drink, and I usually don't drink on these short hikes.

The gang opted to have lunch at Culver's. I was delayed as I saw four people from the HHC group in the parking lot: Rod, SteveA, Pat and Wayne who had completed a 5-mile hike to the watershed. There were 16 people on that hike. We chatted a bit about that hike. They didn't join me at Culver's though, where the others were already seated and getting served.

The six of us had our burgers and sat inside for an hour talking. We always have interesting conversations, and today it was about the Black Lives Matter movement and how that movement is only hurting itself. Police brutality is a sad reality but statistics show that more white men are killed by cops than black men. However, it's clearly murder when a cop fires 17 bullets into an unarmed (black) man who's walking away from the incident.

We finally left the restaurant at 1pm. Minnie was resting in the warmth of the sun in the van, with the windows open. Back home, she drank more water as I tried to get a few Amazon reviews written. The mini road trip prevented me from reviewing much this week (I'm now ranked at #568) but once back home, finally posted my review on the book "Wild By Nature" by Sarah Marquis, a book I had a hard time getting into before finding my rhythm.

Daniel, a USBP agent, had a night hike scheduled up Carr Canyon Road at 6pm. The start for this one was .8 miles lower on the road than the morning route. I RSVPed for that at 5:45pm, wearing a heavy winter coat, a hat and gloves and took off and was the first at the Perimeter Trail head with Sadie and Zeke. Both were sporting blue lights around their collar. It was 47F degrees out. Emily came along with her three dogs, so we had five dogs and three humans. Hers were on leash but mine weren't. She said a car came speeding downhill a few weeks ago and hit one of her dogs as the driver kept on going. She will no longer let hers run free. We started at 6:05pm to an already dark road with clear stars above. The half moon hadn't risen yet. I had to keep my headlamp straight on the road to watch out for the many uneven ruts.

Luckily no other cars came or went on our hike, which was 5.94 miles and took us 1.54 hours. We started out fast but slowed down as Emily and Daniel were into heavy chat mode and I wanted to give them their privacy. We averaged a 19:13-minute mile but that's slightly off as I didn't pause the GPS when we rested briefly at the turn-around point.

We got back to our cars at 8pm. It was 32F degrees at the parking lot, 40F at home. Unlike the morning gang, these two bid good-bye and took off; void of any post-hike chat. I went straight home, had my tacos that Kevin had picked up earlier, and drank a beer; dinner that waited three hours for me. The sweat I had worked up was now starting to get cold on me.

Total miles hiked today: 10.19 miles. All three hiking dogs were exercised and that's a good feeling. Weather and ankle permitting, I'll try to do more of these night hikes with Dan and his crew.

Thanksgiving

Clouds had moved in overnight. The van's windows were open but by 6am I felt the drizzle. I closed the windows to keep the dogs dry, but was saddened to see no ambient light at all. The full moon was completely shrouded. That made the 7am sun rise rather blah, as the darkness slowly morphed into a dark brown, then brown-grey. No rays of light at all. No one was around and I got up at 8am to walk the dogs on the same fitness trail as last night, but this time leaving the leashes in the van. I could tell that the dogs appreciated getting out, as they chased each other around the course but refrained from barking and calling attention to themselves. I kept a brisk pace as I planned on showering at 9am when the fitness center was scheduled to open. By now the rain was coming down stronger. The aroma of wet dog permeated the van. I remained parked at the fitness center waiting for Eric, reading another book for review as the dogs watched all the passers-by entering the gym.

I had no idea where we would find an open restaurant for today. The plan was to drive to the business district off US82 and US277. Golden Corral is usually open, but before we got there, we saw an open Applebee's and tried that instead. There was already a line forming but we were seated right away. We both ordered a turkey meal (at $11.99 with no pie or drink included, rather steep for processed meat) but we sat there and chatted a bit. There were other parents taking their airmen out for a meal, and several larger groups as well. Service was fast. We didn't linger long and left. A nearby Cinemark theatre listed current start times for some movies: Trumbo and Spectre (the latest James Bond flick) were showing. Both seemed interesting.

First, we had to walk the dogs. I wanted to see Lucy Park, which, according to reviews I read on Tripadvisor, is the nicest city park in Wichita Falls, with a 1.7-mile paved circular route. Rain was picking up now but we had our rain gear on. The dogs didn't mind. Eric went on ahead as I figgeted with the leashes. He went straight to the Wichita Falls, which is now a man-made waterfall as the original one was destroyed in a massive flood years ago. Despite the rain, there were plenty of people walking around. In nicer weather I'd like to have explored this circular park more, as pavement meandered along the course of the Wichita River, with smaller paths dissecting the trail. The city was cutting down many of the diseased trees, so there's less of a lush forest now than before, but still a nice place to walk. The trail along the river is now is a complete 20-mile circular loop called the Circle Trail, but we only did 2.5 miles. If I had a spare day here, I'd walk the entire thing.

The Falls themselves, though, weren't running. The steps leading up to the falls were slippery from the rain. The falls were therefore not very impressive, but the riverwalk is nice.

We went back into town now, just in time to see "Trumbo" starring Brian Crayson, at the Cinemark theatre off Kemp blvd. This street has a lot of the chain restaurants. The dogs were comfy in the van despite the cool rain. We drove from the theatre to the Hasting's Book store, where I enjoyed a cappuccino while Eric browsed the books. We always did enjoy hanging out in bookstores years ago. The rain outside continued, from drizzle to downpour and back. The rain dictated what we could do today, which wasn't much on a holiday, but the mall afterwards was quite crowded with Black Friday shoppers ahead of the game. By 9pm we were tired of all the hectic and returned to base, and here my right windshield wiper broke off while on the interstate. Lovely! Luckily I found a nearby Walmart open and went inside. It was 10:30pm and I was expecting crowded aisles and crumpy shoppers. Four city cop cars were up front, armed cops were walking around inside, but there weren't that many people in the building. The cash registers were quiet. It was here that I spend several hours in the parking lot, surfing the web and playing around with my new Samsung S5 phone that was on sale for $229. I had been wanting a new phone for over a year, but didn't want to fork out the $479.

It was a cold night to sleep out. I had to use both sleeping bags to stay warm. My feet were cold.

Thanksgiving Eve and the drive to Wichita Falls, TX

I finally pulled out of the driveway with Zeke and Minnie at 6:57pm Tuesday night. My neatly-organized bags and boxes that I had meticulously placed in the van were quickly disheveled because the dogs couldn't sit still. As soon as I drove off, both dogs were romping around and looking out the window. "Look at me!" barked Minnie at nothing in particular, "I'm going on a road trip!" Zeke preferred sitting quietly in the passenger seat, riding shotgun the entire way.

Two big boxes that I placed in the back of the van were for Eric and a special delivery. They were the primary reason I was driving to him, so that they were guaranteed a safe delivery. They contained his laptop, his PS4 system and a few other things he had packaged up so that I could mail them to him once he had an address and he could receive personal accessories (he was not allowed anything that wasn't issued to him during his basic training). He didn't package the stuff well, though, as the laptop box rattled and I didn't want that going through the postal system. I even brought along his $10 bottle of special beer that his friend Derek had sent to him last year.

The first 130 miles were along the border with Mexico, as AZ80 meanders along the mountain passes known for its drug smuggling. I usually see USBP vans parked off the roads, with their radar pointing south. I didn't see any USBP vans this time as I drove along this desolate stretch at 60mph. It's beautiful here, albeit the sense of danger never wanes.

The full moon had already risen and lighted my drive the entire length of New Mexico. I drove on auto-pilot, knowing that I'd be pulling over a few times during the night for cat naps before arriving at my destination. The roads were clear with no obstructions. I would pull over and nap behind the wheel whenever I felt tired.

I had no traffic to worry about. I drove AZ80 (which becomes NM80 crossing into NM) to I-10 just west of Lordsburg, NM, where we had our first pee break at an abandoned truck stop at Road Forks off the interstate, 14 miles west of Lordsburg. The place is now closed, thanks to the build-up of modern truck and travel stops in Lordsburg. The entire lot was overgrown with weeds growing up from the cracks in the crumbling pavement, the trash bins were overflowing with garbage and the glass windows to the former convenience store broken. This was not the sign of human life I like to be around, especially at night with no witnesses, and made this stop as quickly as possible. We continued on I-10 east to US70 outside of Las Cruces, where I took another pee break with the dogs at the Rio Grande river, which was dry at that point. There wasn't even a trickle of water flowing, as I normally see it when crossing the bridge in the winter. The river passes Las Cruces from the south. I had never seen it dry here during my other drives across the state. It was 2am, the full moon was high, and we romped around in the dry river bed. No one bothered us. When we walked under the bridge, the dogs didn't bark, which tells me that no one was sleeping here, either. All was quiet.

I like the Las Cruces/White Sands area. If it weren't so far away, I'd be exploring it more. The valley here is wide and sheltered by mountains in all directions. These mountains cut a sharp, ragged silhouette under the moonlight. I cut across the White Sands area on US70 toward Alamogordo, coasting downhill from the pass but aware of potential speed traps. I saw none tonight. The Lincoln National Forest comes into prominent view here as US70 continues from Alamogordo north to Tularosa and then into the mountains. I drove below the posted speedlimit of 65mph because of elk off the road. One very large and impressive buck was standing on the shoulder and looking back at the headlights of passing cars. Luckily we didn't meet by accident, as he was a beautiful animal.

I didn't get tired until I reached the pass at 7591' and pulled into a casino parking area not far from the Ruidoso turn-off, where I napped until cold feet woke me up a few hours later and I resumed my drive. I resumed my dark drive until Roswell, NM, when the sun finally came up again. This part is an ugly part of the country, as the mountains give way to the flat Permian Basin, which is rich in oil reserves. Oil derricks, burning natural gas pipes and now wind turbines dot the landscape. It smells badly when the wind comes from the right direction. Oblivious cows chew their cud as they stare at passing cars. I'd stop every few hours to let the dogs walk a bit, usually on a dirt road leading to some oil company's tanks or towers and back.

The small towns along this stretch of road, toward Brownfield, TX look neglected. Boarded-up wooden shacks, rusty equipment, overgrown weeds engulfing brick homes line the road here. The inhabited homes looked a tad better. I ate breakfast at a McDonald's in Brownfield, TX and bought each dog an extra sausage biscuit as I drank my coffee behind the wheel. Here US70 continues northeast to Clovis. We continued on US380 east, a straight highway in northern Texas dotted with now-plowed cotton fields and ranches. At night the stray cotton balls along the roadside look like snow trapped in the weeds, but I knew better after many drives across Texas. The scenery didn't change from boring to rolling hills until I passed Lubbock and stopped at a rest area, the Silver Falls rest area, where the dogs ran around for almost a mile along the creek and its refreshing water. I had my GPS on tracking our movement.

This rest area was a godsend for the dogs, as they were inside the van for several hours with the day's warmth heating up the van despite the AC on. Minnie and Zeke darted into the water, fetched sticks, and had fun being dogs. This also meant muddy paws. Lovely. The creek was open to travelers, but it was just a sliver of public land. Recent rains had muddied up the banks. A chainlink fence reminded travelers that the surrounding area of limestone slabs, rocks and oaks was private property. The trees were starting to change color. This little recessed parcel of land lay hidden from drivers on the highway.

Traffic never got too congested anywhere. This was a desolate part of the state. Red buttes sprang up in the distance in this rather treeless region of mostly small scrub oaks, mesquites and sotols. Weather was still mild, but the sky became overcast as I reached Wichita Falls at 3:20pm and then Sheppard Air Base ten miles later. I drove around the base, explored where important facilities were at, such as the fitness center where I showered every morning, and secluded areas to park for the night. I found both quickly.

I showered right away, then let the dogs on a 2.5-mile walk along the Windy Creek fitness trail, a trail built on a once-former golf course. A few people were jogging and walking their dogs, and I had mine on their leashes. It was after my duties to the dogs that I contacted Eric via my Facebook messenger. It was after 5pm; surely he'd be off duty by then.

Eric was finally able to get free by 7pm. By then we were both hungry. We had our first meal at a beer pub in town, the Backporch Drafthouse which is more of a sports bar than a beer pub. (Wichita Falls does not have its own brewpub!) None of the beers is brewed on the premise and the prices are a bit high. Our meal, with two beers each and an appetizer of chips and salsa, was $57. Ouch. The place was crowded, too, and not the best place for conversation.

The drive had tired me out. I dropped Eric off at 9pm. We made plans to get together again at 11am tomorrow. Some place would be open to serve a turkey meal and we would find it. I went back to the dark parking lot across from the Windy Creek fitness trail and slept soundly from 9pm until Minnie's barking woke me up around 4am. Apparently an airman had walked too close to the van and she had to protect her turf.

Texas bound for Thanksgiving

Gasoline prices dropped ten cents overnight, from $2.08 to $1.98 at our local Canyon General store in town. What perfect timing!

Minnie and I are about to head out to Wichita Falls, TX to see Eric for Thanksgiving. He requested that I bring Minnie and I gladly oblige as having a dog makes the solo trip less boring. I had to work Monday and Tuesday and had been pre-packing the van both days. I want to make sure that nothing that Eric needs stays behind. He only took one set of clothes when he left this house for his USAF MBT in September.

I took all four dogs out for a quick lap around the Oaks Estates tonight, under a near full moon. Even Sammy did fine, as I walked at his pace while the three hiking dogs pranced on ahead, surely making the 1.34-mile road more like two miles for them. The lone house on the road was dark; its owners surely gone for the upcoming holiday. It was after sun set, but the moon lighted up the road nicely. The dogs won't get walked until I return on Sunday.

Hope the weather stays OK. The southern Plains are going to get hit hard with a storm on Thanksgiving, with a cold front and freezing rain over Friday.

I saw Willie again this afternoon when I got back from work. He was in our neighbor's yard. When I approached the yard, he meowed at me, and even followed me to our yard where he nibbled on that cat chow I've been leaving for him. He's welcome to make our yard his home. After he ate, he ran back across the street.

I better head out. Texas is a time zone ahead of us.

PS: As I waved Minnie over to come with me (which always precedes going outside to the van for a hike), Zeke bolted out the door as well. Nothing gets past that dog as he observes my every move. I figured "Why not?" Having Zeke with me will give Sammy a break from Zeke's shenanigans and he'll have five peaceful days. It's been a few years since Zeke was on a road trip with me. So now I have two dogs instead of one dog, but packed only enough canned food for one dog. I guess that means more shared beef patties with my canine companions on this trip. That's not really asking too much.

Garden Canyon Road

Rod emailed all hiking club members earlier this week that Garden Canyon on Fort Huachuca is now open to hikers. It had been closed for over a year after last year's monsoon floodings. Fall foliage is now in its prime. I took today to hike there to see the improvements done on the road this past year. I hadn't been up the road since October 2014.

I drove into town to drop off Pat's hiking poles at the 8am meeting place. Everyone else was going to Sonoita Creek but I wanted to recon Garden Canyon. This gave me some solitude and the opportunity to finally push myself at my own pace. I ended up hiking 11.4 miles in 4:10 hours. Sadie and Zeke were today's hiking dogs and they enjoyed the romp. Both did very well today.

I started my hike at 8:35pm. It was still very chilly in the shaded canyon. Two other full-size pick-ups were already at the gate parking area (most likely hunters). It's a mile on pavement before the pavement gives way and the dirt road begins. A sign warns of bear habitat and to keep dogs on leashes. Like I paid attention to that. (Bears will avoid dogs off leash and will run away). The dogs never showed any indications that they smelled bear. I didn't see any scat until I hit the Crest Trail at mile 5, 1:41 hours from the start.

The picnic areas look so abandoned, like Chernobyl after the blast. The playgrounds are weeded over. It doesn't look very welcoming. The bathrooms are locked, too. The fall foliage in the sun, though, is quite pretty.

I was chilled for most of the walk up the road as the sun didn't come over the hills until two hours later. The repair work on the road is impressive. All new culverts, reinforced rock walls, and deeper ditches off the road. Water flowed for the first four miles.

The only people I saw were two mountain bikers and a hunter who'd been at his spot since 0530 hours today. He saw no wildlife, either, despite the plentiful water.

I hiked at a steady pace, stopping only to photograph or investigate something. I took two five-minute water breaks but kept on walking. I wanted to get back home at a reasonable time today. The dogs had plenty of water to drink from. There was only one two-mile stretch that was dry and that was on the Crest Trail.

I've been up Garden Canyon many times, but never before have I hiked to its terminus. I usually stayed near the old boy scout hut area and returned. But this time I wanted to see where it ends. It ends at Gate 2, five miles up the road, which then falls back on the other side of the ridgeline. A barbed wire divides the fort boundary with national forest land. The Crest Trail then intersects here at a "T" and I took the "T" going south and uphill. The Crest Trail then narrows into an overgrown singletrack, shaded by oaks and agaves. The meadow area of Garden Canyon looks so expansive here. I can now understand why so much wildlife hangs out here, because it's mostly level ground with shade and water.

At the two-hour mark I came to a fire break and views into Mexico. I could see Parker Canyon Lake and Sonora's northern mountains. Although I've seen the western slopes of the Huachucas many times, I had never seen it from Garden Canyon. The canyon really is more of a pass across the mountain range. No wonder so many Mexicans come over via this route! (Or at least they used to; surveillance has increased quite a bit since 2008). Trash, however, was minimal. I did find a Leatherman-Wingman here, though, that didn't look like it had been there for long.

The Crest Trail dips down for about 50 yards, then levels out through an old road covered in tall Lovegrass. Old signs on the national forest sign remind trespassers that anyone entering the post is subject to search by military police, as per a 1951 regulation. The signs look as old as the regulations!

The Bisbee Loop

Back by popular demand, I hosted this loop hike in Bisbee again. Thursdays is the one day every week the school gets out early enough for me to lead a hike in daylight. It was a great excuse to come back to this town and enjoy a few hours of its ambiance. The views from the hills above remind hikers that this town is predominantly a mining town, with direct views into the Lavender Pit, the famous open-pit mine that got Bisbee its fame...and infamy. It's a loop hike that takes one through town and past some unique buildings, both for their history and their verge of dilapidation.

Six hikers showed up for this hike: Holly O, Holly W, Claire, SteveT and new gal Danielle, who is also a seasonal park employee at Kartchner Caverns State Park. Minnie was today's hiking dog since she hadn't gotten a good workout this week. She did very well both in town and along the trail. She had no other dogs to distract her so she was at her best behavior.

I enjoy this hike because it provides for lovely views into this historic mining town and starts and finishes at one of Bisbee's most active streets: Brewery Gulch. There is always something happening in "the Gulch." Today, though, it was quiet.

I got into town at 3pm to drop off some recyclables at the town's drop-off center and then drove to the brewpub, our meet-up for today. We met at 3:15pm, parked in front of the BrewPub, (elevation 5277') and walked uphill along the road for the mile when the road gave way to the trail into Zapatecas Canyon. Everyone showed up at once. Three were no-shows but I already knew from their RSVP history that waiting on them would be futile. So at 3:20pm we took off.

There weren't too many people in the streets. No dogs barked. We met one man coming the opposite direction on the trail and then we were to ourselves. There was some water in the canyon for Minnie and the shade was deep, but once we took that sharp right uphill we were in the steepest mile of the five-mile loop, walking at a steady grade until we reached the ridgeline with views of the surrounding hills in view. We went from shade to sunny hillside, and this felt good today. Today's high was in the low 60s, perfect for this hike!

It took us an hour to reach this trail intersection. Claire, HollyW and SteveT were the rear guard. Danielle and HollyO were up front. I tried to stay in the middle so that I wouldn't lose sight of either group. Once we got to the ridge, it was much easier walking, but the shade caused by lack of sunlight made the photos look grey. The lights in town hadn't come on yet when we got to the highest point at elevation 6108' and the shade made the fall foillage look dull as well.

The wind was not bad at all along the ridge this time (Unlike our hike in April!). It was too cold to come across rattlers, either. We did see a pack of javalina meandering downhill as we got to the third-mile mark. That's when I put Minnie back on her leash as she looked interested in them. We also spooked some Montezuma's Quail. Otherwise she did fine today, hiking at a good pace and leaving most sticks alone. She stayed close to me. The cool weather was good for her as she never showed fatigue.

I was very pleased with today's pace. We got back down into town without having to turn on our flashlights. Steve, who was the oldest today, is near 70 and held up his own quite well. The slower group was never that far behind, either. I had my "MapMyWalk" app running but didn't start it right away, so the total mileage was wrong. My app said 4.08 miles and HollyW's said 4.8 miles. It took us 2:15 hours to do this loop, so I will favor Holly's reading over mine. No one had injuries and everyone was in good spirits.

Just like last time, we had dinner at the Screaming Banshee. We drove in our cars through Old Bisbee with its holiday lights already on display. That little restaurant seems to be everyone's favorite, although I find the prices rather touristy. Pizzas and calzones can take quite a long time when the place is busy, so I stick to the easy stuff. I had my spaghetti and meatballs with a pint of local pilsner, a $14.95 (plus tip) bill. Minnie rested in the truck parked right in front of the restaurant as we dined, and seemed to enjoy the nap. We got seated right away. Last time we waited quite a while, but today we also got here two hours earlier. The crowd didn't really come until we left. Great timing!

I agreed to host another hike Monday after work, starting at 5pm on Carr Canyon Road. This would be my last hike before the Thanksgiving break as Tuesday after work I must drive to Wichita Falls to spend the holiday with Eric. Eric's one request, outside of bringing him his winter clothes, laptop and PS4 set-up, was that I bring Minnie along so he could play fetch with her again. That's an easy request for me as that's an excuse for another mini roadtrip with one of my dogs. I dread that long 890-mile drive across the Staked Plains. Wichita Falls doesn't seem to offer much as far as recreation, either, other than the multi-use trail along the lake on the south side. But I will reserve my final opinion until I get back from this latest trip, as so often some times the best part of any trip are the people one meets along the way.

Cochise Stronghold West to East and Back

I cancelled a hike in the Chiricahuas this morning because of the forecasted rain for mid-morning. Ten people had un-RSVPed before I cancelled at 5:30am, so that alone encouraged me to cancel. I didn't want to risk having high winds and rain during the two-hour drive to the trailhead. But I should have gone on the hike anyway. The weather in the eastern part of the county wasn't that bad.

We did receive the rain, but it wasn't as intense as it was supposed to be. It started drizzling at 6am, with a few bouts of intensity, but it wasn't the howling strong storm we were expecting. Pache came home wet and cold and then stayed inside the rest of the day, sleeping on his perch in the garage looking out the window.

All morning long I regretted bowing out, but when one hiker encouraged me to go out to check out the Stronghold at 11am, I bit. I am glad I did. Now I had an excuse with some invigorating company. Had we waited any longer, we would have finished the hike in the dark and been all the more colder and wetter for it. I took Sadie and Zeke along, my two strongest hiking dogs.

Kristin, a young woman new to this area wanted to hike, regardless of the weather. We met at the Fry's store in town at 11:10am and carpooled together to the trailhead in the western Dragoon mountains. Cochise Stronghold is a five-mile trail the Apaches used for hunting and scouting and travels over a moderate elevation with easy grade. Elevation is between 5000 and 6000 feet, so nothing too strenuous. The ten-mile trail out-and-back offers views of both east and western vallies, with striking views of the rocks. We started our hike at 12:34pm. It was cool and foggy, with just-fallen rain on the Buffalo Grass hugging the path. That wet grass dampened my jeans and running shoes real fast! The sage and juniper scented the trail nicely as we hiked up the rocky, manzanita-studded slopes.

We walked at a steady pace. There were some puddles and mud along the way, but nothing that would force us to turn around. The rocks weren't too slippery, either. We got to the Divide, the highest point on this hike, a hour later. I had a rain jacket on but Kristin just had several layers of wicking gear. Both dogs were behind me during the entire hike. Even Kristin said they were very well behaved and asked if I had trained them. No, I replied, they are just used to hiking with me. Zeke does tend to want to chase deer and cow but luckily there were none on this hike. I brought my leashes and only used them in the campground.

Once on the Divide, it was all downhill to the east campground. There were no hikers on this trail. The rain must have scared them all away. Most hikers starting on the east end are also campers, and most would have left early Sunday to head back to their homes. The only person we saw was a young man with his young Black Lab, standing at an overview a half mile from the HalfMoon Tank. The dogs barked but quickly calmed down. No cows lingered around HalfMoon tank, either. The tank was nicely filled and didn't smell too badly of cowshit. We also saw a lot of horseshit.

We never saw sunshine on this hike. The fog and drizzle followed us on this hike both going out and coming back. I was hoping to catch sunlight on the autumn colors, the trees along the creekbed were in their prime, but that was not to be. The sun adds color to these granite outcroppings, and the colors are always changing. At least the cool temperatures kept the dogs energized and we didn't need to worry about heat exhaustion. There was plenty of water in mortars and puddles along the way for the dogs.

The plan was to hike two hours one-way, surely making it to the east side by then. And we did. We arrived at 2:30pm at the campground, used the bathroom, and had a 15-minute break as we stood and ate our snacks. The dogs got their jerky treats. There were three campsites still occupied, but no one was walking around. The man and his dog returned to the campground, we waved at him and resumed our hike back at 2:45pm, hiking the way back up the way we came. We were now more tired and I could feel my

fatigue set in. I had worked up a sweat and that sweat was cooling me too much. The grey clouds got darker, the rain more intense for the few times the clouds broke open. The overcast prevented Kristin from seeing the usual break of colors in the afternoon, as the waning sun shines its last dying rays on the rocky hills around us. This is beautiful, rugged country any time of year.

The two miles downhill from the Divide were cold, dark and windy. My hands never regained their warmth. My feet felt like trenchfoot was setting in; they had been wet and cold for the duration of the hike. We saw some sunshine briefly glow against one hillside, but that, too, quickly vanished. We got back to the truck at 4:30pm, making this a hike just under four hours for the ten-mile hike. This was an invigorating hike, and I'm glad Kristin encouraged me to do it. I would have spent the rest of the day regretting cancelling the original hike.

I got back home at just after 6pm. The dogs were tired. The house was quiet as Kevin was already in bed. Luckily he had kept dinner wrapped in the refrigerator. I helped myself to a bowl of Mac-Cheese-Italian Sausage as the wind outside increased in intensity, and by midnight we had gotten the storm that was supposed to hit us 12 hours earlier.

West Hunter Canyon

While several of my favorite hiking partners were up in the Galiuro mountains for a weekend camp-out to see the fall foliage, I stayed local. I wasn't in the mood to travel 2.5 hours and then sleep in near-freezing temperatures. Yes, we are in fall now but I'm still not ready for this cold. This is the first year I didn't partake in the annual fall foliage hike in the Galiuros.

Our trees along creeks in the Huachucas provide for small autumn splendor, but many are high up the mountains, above the mesquites and oaks and cacti that stud the lower elevations, and are thus hard to get to. Miller Canyon used to have a beautiful array of colors this time of year, but sadly many of the trees burned and the trail is now a rockslide that's hard on the ankles.

The West Hunter Canyon trail is the mile-long trail built by the Girl Scouts years ago. It starts at the end of the dirt road, at the Miller Peak Wilderness boundary and has been officially abandoned by the forest service. Hunters still come up here and locals walk up to the shaded spring site for some solitude. For years, this was a nice high-elevation area to hide out from the summer heat and look over into the San Pedro Valley. While many of the mature trees died in the 2011 fire and much of the shade is gone, there are still plenty of trees covering the creek area and provide relief from the heat.

The trail starts at an elevation of 5548 feet. This is a steep and now uneven trail that was badly burned in the 2011 fire. The lower half is exposed. Heavy monsoons later that year caused great erosion over the trail, giving the trail a deep crevice for most of the mile. It's a good after-work workout, though, if one watches one's footing.

I took Sadie, Minnie and Zeke on this short hike. As expected, we came across no one. There was running water in the spring once we got to the old homestead site (which also was washed away in the 2011 floods), but I trekked on. The old trail officially ends here at the former homestead site, where rusted mining equipment now litters the creek bed. The trail continues uphill, though, as border crossers have worn down the trail coming down the steep hillside. Where does this trail begin, I've often wondered. This is what I wanted to explore, going uphill as far as I safely could with the dogs, while also enjoying the colors.

A few years ago I couldn't get very far up this trodden path, due to fallen trees and thick brush, but this time we were able to climb farther, up and around fallen trees, thick shrubs and weeds until the trail was no longer safe and faded into the landscape. Years ago we would see discarded backpacks and trash from the border crossers, but today I only found several woolen blankets placed over a log and some weather-worn black trash bags that are used as sleeping gear at night.

I could see fall foliage in some of the deciduous trees higher up the mountain as the mid afternoon sun still shone on the canopies. Most of the colors were hues of yellow and spotted orange; very few reds. I had to climb down off the slope with the dogs and rockhop the creek to get closer to fall colors, but here the deep shade faded the colorscheme. The creek was dry but pools of mud indicate this was recently running. The dogs pranced around here, drinking from small pools of water and wanting me to throw sticks for them. The barking surely warned any nearby smugglers to stay away. Sadie's barks echoed in this canyon.

This hillside is still used for smugglers and is actively patrolled by the USBP. I was aware that I could unknowingly walk into a drug drop-off zone, some smugglers/border crossers hiding in the rocks, or find a dead body long past decomposition to be recognized. I always worry about this when I bushwhack steep or potentially hazardous terrain.

Today I only saw hunters' trucks parked in the lower areas but saw no hunters. It's hard even for the USBP to get here and follow people; the terrain is very rugged. Agents just park their vehicles at the trail head and wait for the smugglers to get lower and closer.

I have no business being high up this unmaintained creek bed, either, but there is a sense of being in unchartered area when one is deep in the rocky canyonside. If something were to happen to me, like I slip down a slope and hit my head against rock (and then have loose rocks above me come crashing down, crushing me), I'm a goner and wouldn't be found by search and rescue teams unless the dogs stayed near me and barked in frustration over my cooling corpse. Would they even do that?

I hadn't hiked the steep creek bed for several years. The last time I was up this high, Sara and Sammy were with me and there was much more trash left behind by the border crosser. In a heavy rain, this area would be full of cascading water, but it's undeveloped, hard to reach, and only people like me with a deathwish perhaps, who would witness this splendor.

The 2.2 mile hike took me over two hours. There was a lot of stopping as I took photographs, but even I was surprised at how slow I was. By the time I got back down to terra firma, I noticed that my left ankle was hurting again. I must have twisted it coming down a steep rock.

Soren Pass and the Abril Mine

My thighs were feeling yesterday's climb but I didn't want that to stop me from getting out today to explore some more. Minnie hadn't gotten a good workout all week and today was her turn. I ended up taking all three dogs  (Sadie and Zeke as well) with me and left the house after noon on my way to the Dragoons. I wanted to explore Middlemarch road some more, specifically Soren Pass. I had last been here in 2008 with Kevin, Sammy and Sara. It was time to get back here as all I remember was the overlook and an abandoned windmill.

I ended up driving 47 miles to the trailhead. The road changes its character once it enters forest land. Middlemarch Road quickly narrows and is no longer a straight, wide dirt road. It's now a curvy, narrow mountain road. I had to pull over and let three full-sized trailers get through. Black Angus cows and a few stray horses also mingled along the side of the road. Once I was in the forest, no other cars came. I parked at 4384'.

The Soren Pass road, FR345A, takes off from Middlemarch road at the pass. This road is a single lane that is passable for the first mile, but it's along a mountain side with no guard rails. I parked at the windmill and walked the last two miles up the road, with three happy dogs delighted to be walking in the afternoon shade. It was 1pm and the sun was already getting low in the west, creating cooling shade as we walked up the rutted road. The rain from Friday had still left some soft spots in the road.

This road travels through a narrow canyon that in wetter times has a seasonal creek flow through it. A dry waterfall had some water in it which the dogs took advantage of. They chased each other uphill while I noted the junipers, oaks, sotols and agaves. Fresh tire tracks revealed recent ATV traffic through here. I passed several abandoned mines right off the road.

Once I hit the Soren pass I was now in a familiar overlook. I was looking down into the Cochise Stronghold in the distance, with the upper Slavin Gulch below and lower Abril mine. The sun was now beating down on the road, with only a few short southern stretches in the shade.

I remembered the view from the pass from my first visit here in 2008..  What I didn't remember was that the road continued downhill.  I decided to take it.  I could see where the road was meandering to and it looked doable. I had enough daylight; we could do it. 

The only thing that hurt was the exposure.  We came out of the shade and into the exposed sun.  We had already walked at least two miles and walking the road to the finish would tire us out.  And it did.  We stopped at the mine shaft but didn't go in.  So this is the famous Abril mine I've heard about.  There was more of the mine further down the hill, but I made the shaft my turn-around point.

I had to make several shade and water breaks for the dogs on the way back, though.  That incline was rougher in the afternoon sun!  We stopped at several overlooks, rested on old foundations.  Trash left behind was evidence that this is a popular trail for ATVers and that they even camp out here.

I will have to come back here.  I stayed mostly on the old mining road, but unmarked trails led off from Soren Pass into the hillsides, some closed off with barbed wire.  How many more mines were out in these hills? The views from the high points were impressive.

We got home later than planned.  The dogs were tired, I was tired, but what a fun area that pass is.  I must go back! 

Sheepshead Rock with Zeke and the hiking club

This was a combined hike with both the Huachuca Hiking Club and the Sierra Vista Hikers.  Rod, JohnS,  JimA, SteveS, Nina, Robert showed up for this hike.  I brought Zeke along and he had no trouble jumping up the rocks or squeezing up boulders.  I even had no trouble finding the route. 

The group quickly broke off into a fast and a slow group.  This hike, although only four miles long, is very steep in that second mile. and Nina struggled getting up.  But she did make it in the end.  What an accomplishment that was.  Robert, Nina and I hugged each other on the top.

This was Rod's 70th birthday, he later revealed, and he was slow, too.

We scattered on the top to have our lunch.  The views from this rock top are back toward Tombstone and Sulphur Valley.  I rested with Zeke in a shaded part.

Jim and John were eager to get back home.  I could tell they were annoyed with the slower hikers.  They were waiting at the cars when I got back. I told them they could just leave, and that I would wait for the entire group to get back. They quickly drove off.

Nina and Robert got back later than planned.  I now knew I would miss Halloween today.  Nina had plans as well, which is why I was surprised she wanted to join Rod, Steve and I at Ringo's for a post-hike meal.  By the time I got back home, I had returned to a dark street and a quiet house.

Sheephead's Rock, Dragoons

I had a meetup hike scheduled for this mystical place for today at 8am and we couldn't have asked for better weather: high in the low 70s, winds 5-7mph from the SW, clear skies. After yesterday's wet soaking, this felt nice!

We met at the Fry's parking lot in town. Everyone who signed up came on time and we were on the road by 8:10am and at the trail head at 8:50am. Middlemarch Road was muddy in parts, but the washes were dry There were many campers in the area today, some with ATVs and a few with hunting gear. Perhaps some of the cars were also from rock climbers, since Sheep's Head Rock is a popular climbing destination. The Lovegrass was still green but with seedheads on top. The first mile is an easy mile across a meadow before it hits the base of the mountain and gets steep.

We had 13 people start this hike: Rod, SteveS, SteveA, Paul, David and Karen, Nina, John, Barry, Jeff, Ted and Robert. Zeke was my hiking dog today since I know he can handle the jumping and climbing. Not everyone had RSVPed but that was fine with me. The important thing is that they could do this strenuous hike. It's only four miles r/t but it goes up a steep grade and requires one to be able to pull themselves up boulders. Yesterday's rain left the shaded and northern areas wetter than usual, but it was a very passable trail.

We quickly broke into two groups, the fast and the not-so-fast. I stayed in the back with Nina and Rod, to make sure Zeke wouldn't be in the way of the others. He did very well today, staying close to me and not chasing anything. Even others commented on his good behavior.

I felt strong today but also stopped to make sure Nina wasn't too far behind. Rod also was slow. The fast group waited quite a while for the slow group to make it to the saddle where we continued. I wanted to wait for Rod to show me the way to the top, but the fast group was restless so we went on without him and we managed to find the rock-hopping trail to the top of the granite dome, with its views over Tombstone and the valley west of us. There was even water in the mortars for Zeke to drink out of and get his paws wet, which he did. Of the 12 who made it to the top, half had never been up here before.

We were at the peak for a long time, chatting and looking around. I didn't bring anything to eat for myself, but Zeke got his chews and begged for more treats from others. I walked around the top to take pictures. Others chatted and seemed to enjoy the comeraderie. The Dragoons are an area I should really explore more. There are hidden mines and abandoned trails here. It has been at least six years since Kevin and I were here.

I also worried about the time, though. We were all slow getting down the steep grade. The decomposed granite in places is loose. Nina needed to be back home at 2pm to get ready for her church's Halloween event at 5pm and I had plans to walk around Bisbee to take pictures of costumed people. It was clear, though, that we wouldn't make our times. We didn't get back to the cars till 2:20pm.

As the official hike leader, I waited back at my truck to make sure everyone came back OK. The fast hikers had already gone home but I waited for the others to get back safely. When someone suggested getting something to eat in town, I agreed, but that got Nina and me later than expected back home. We had a nice meal at the Depot in town and Zeke got to sit outside with us. It didn't get home until 4:30pm and felt exhaustion take over. My plans to head out to Bisbee and photograph the costumes was cancelled. Last year I went with Zeke and had a blsst, even though Zeke spent most of the time in my van chilling.