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.

Exploring the Dragoons and Council Rocks

Today's hike was more of an exploratory hike to Council rocks and the trail head to Cochise Stronghold West, a beautiful hike that isn't easy to get to because of the ten-mile dirt road that gets you to the western trail head. This dirt road can experience severe erosion because it follows a creek in the last two miles and goes through that creek four times. I want to lead this hike in the future and wanted to make sure the road is passable to the trail head. (It is, with high clearance vehicles)

I took Sadie, Minnie and Zeke on this walk. It was a warm Sunday afternoon. My first stop was Council Rocks were Cochise allegedly met with General Howard to discuss the fate of the Apaches who lived in these hills. Looking around these rocks I can understand why Cochise felt this was his home and wanted to defend it. I always feel so humbled when I come here. I parked 1.5 mile away from Council Rocks and bushwhacked through the grass before finding the overgrown trail that took us to the rocks. There is actually a closer route that takes one to the parking area just below the rocks, but I didn't want to be that lazy today. The dogs and I needed our exercise.

I kept my eyes to the ground to make sure no snakes were hiding. I hadn't been here in years and was going on my fading memory to find the trail. There were campers in the area but no other hikers. I had to be extra vigilant because I didn't bring any leashes this time.