Fairbank Loop

This was meant to be a pleasant and easy walk to welcome in the new year.  Mother Nature had other plans.  Rain was forecasted early in the morning, but then the front's arrival was delayed until early in the afternoon.  Seven people had signed up for this walk around the historic mill town, and in the end it was just SteveT, KimG, I and dogs Sadie and Minnie. The majority of those who had signed up un-RSVPed earlier in the week when rain was forecasted.  Two more, Angie and Claire, unRSVPed this morning.

Thankfully, SteveT and KimG were determined to do this hike.  It was their first time walking this loop. It's a level 4.2-mile loop through historic Fairbank, the cemetery and the GristMill a mile up the road, before the trail then turns around and follows the river.  Oaks line the trail for the first mile going north, but the trail does open up and is exposed to the sun. For newcomers to southern Arizona, this is a very pleasant way to get introduced to the local mining history.  Fairbank is where a lot of the ore was processed from Tombstone. There isn't much left besides fading adobe walls and rusty pieces of metal, but one can look across the terrain and imagine how this place once was alive with miners, support personnel, mules and trains.

The sky did look ominous when I left the house to drive the 28 miles to Fairbank at noon.  I had postponed the hike twice, from 10am to noon and finally at 1:30pm.  It rained hard the last eight miles to the trailhead, but because two people were determined to see this area, I did not cancel.  The rain stopped miraculously just as we were to start this walk, so it all worked out well!

The small group allowed for an easier pace, allowing us to divert off trail and explore lesser-known relics along the trail.  There are at least two mine shafts that are still open but are now chained off.  The shafts drop straight down, so one needs to heed the posted danger signs.

Steve brought his dog Trace, who was all over Sadie who I discovered later in the day was in heat.  Lovely.  He would not leave her alone, prompting Steve to keep Trace on a leash.  Steve was not happy about that as my dogs were running freely.  I could sense his anger at me and I could tell that Kim sensed the tension.  Trace annoys Sadie even when she is not in heat, though, as both dogs are not altered.

We stopped at the cemetery, the GristMill, then looped back around.  By 1:30 the sky had cleared and the sun came out.  There wasn't as much water on the trail, either. mAll was not lost!  In the end I'm glad I hosted this walk, but will keep Sadie at home whenever SteveT and his dog come on hikes.