I parked at the official trailhead at the end of the road, then took the pack down to the creek. Water here would mean more water farther uphill.
Coming down the short road to the creek, I noticed a bright red cross. What was that? That was not here before. It was a cross for a Mexican woman, Araceli Lopez, who had come across the border illegally and had died here. A non-profit group out of Douglas, AZ, "Pilgrimage of Remembrance, " erects crosses in locations where border crossers are found deceased within the county. Upon further examination of the cross site, I noticed an upturned jar with a candle and folded note inside. That note turned out to be a citation from a forest ranger, citing the anonymous person for "erecting a permanent structure" in the forest without a permit.
We continued the hike here. There was water in the creek, so we walked uphill along the creek bed. This is a slow process because I have to watch out for Minnie, who struggles with hopping. It was cool out and the water kept her going.
We didn't go far. The creek crosses the trail a mile uphill and that is where we turned around, taking the official trail back to the van. It's faster this way and the views open up. Along the road to the trailhead, the Forest Service has allowed people to come here and chop down dead trees for firewood. I saw evidence of recent tree cuttings.
To add some mileage, I walked the Lutz Canyon road a bit to the old homestead and then turned around here, as it was getting dark and Lutz Canyon, with its history of drug smugglers and illegal border crossers, is not a safe place to be after dark. We never came across another soul and we got two good hours of exercise. I am happy, the dogs are happy. Life is good.
No comments:
Post a Comment