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.