Tinker Pond - Sheelite Ridge loop

Gusty winds plagued us all weekend.  Yesterday I opted out of a 12-mile hike on the Arizona Trail with the hiking club at Redington Pass because of the forecasted heat -- 92F-- and the wind.  I took the dogs out for a 4-mile power walk instead.  A new fire, the Mulberry fire, was reported yesterday afternoon north of Sonoita, in the same area the larger Sawmill Fire burned for over 46,000 acres that began on April 23rd.  I didn't see much evidence of any fire burning from that direction. https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5174/

Today I wanted to hike the AZT from yesterday's club schedule but ended up staying close because driving in gusty conditions for 90 miles to a crowded trailhead was not my idea of a fun time.  It turns out that the guys who did hike yesterday on the AZT did a partial bushwhack anyway.  I don't like bushwhacking as injuries sustain off-trail can lead to delayed rescues because of the rough terrain.  The hiking club has become a bushwhacking club when certain people lead hikes.

Temperatures today were in the low 70s with an overcast sky.  Perfect for hiking!  I told Kevin I would do 6-8 miles today and it turned out to be exactly 7 miles, all on firebreaks on Fort Huachuca.  I repeated the Tinker Pond hike from March 25th, this time with the intent of making it to the pond.

Tinker Pond access is on the post's most southeastern boundary, across from the aerostat field off Garden Canyon Road.  The last time I hiked here, on March 25th after a control burn, I saw a herd of antelope. Today I saw three turkeys instead.  The last one, a tom, was slowly strutting across the road with no care in the world.  I stopped to take his photograph before the dogs went on a barking frenzy.

We were the only ones at the trailhead.  A gallon jug was placed at the start.  Was this for any thirsty border crossers? The first 1.5 miles were the same route I took last time, on meandering firebreaks slowly going uphill.  This time I stayed in a southwesterly direction.  The burned area is slowly coming back to life, with a new layer of green grass while the unburned area looks dead and dull.  We haven't had much rain since early March; more rain would surely have made the burned area grow back even faster.

I had no trouble remembering the route.  But this time I noticed a trail of pink streamers on tree branches at the 1.35 mile mark. These weren't here last time. These streamers are left behind by border crossers who mark the way for other border crossers.  The streamers usually indicate a safe passage, a spring, or a shelter.  Curious, I followed the pink streamers up the side of a small hill and discovered an underground bunker.  I had to crouch down to get inside.  A ten foot hallway then turned right into a larger room, but I didn't go in all the way as I didn't want to be surprised. The dogs didn't act alarmed so I knew no one was inside.

I didn't linger long as I had six more miles to go.  Tinker Pond was next.  The trail gained in elevation fast.  The pond was at the two-mile mark and 5156'.  I didn't have to tell the dogs to jump in.  Water looked clean enough.  There were no other animals around.  I had water for the dogs but always prefer they drink from natural sources, as long as those sources are clean.

I was going deeper and higher, surrounded by emory oaks, alligator junipers, yuccas.  The firebreaks were on my Google maps and GPS but had no names. Some were long abandoned and overgrown, but an old graded area revealed once-used trails here.  I came up to a crest at the three-mile mark with views into Garden Canyon Road and points east and north.  The crest allows border crossers good vantage points, but it's an area that if an injury were to happen, rescue would be difficult and delayed because of the loose soil and steep grade.  I stopped often to rest.  Between the 2.and 3.7 mile, the steepest, I stopped often enough to drag that mile out to 51 minutes.  It wasn't so much that the grade was steep, it was more that I was tired of hiking on very loose and uneven terrain.  Deep groves from intense past rains can turn these old fire breaks into ankle twisters.

  

The Sheelite Ridge is a natural barrier to the namesake canyon. The trail ends at the base but I didn't go that far west.  I took a left turn going due south and downhill.  The Ridge looked inviting but rocky cliffs are notorious mountain lion habitat so I opted to not explore the base of the ridge.  I'd do it with company but not by myself.

Sheelite canyon is a popular birding destination, even after the 2013 fire that took out the upper elevations and caused severe erosion on the trails.  This eastern barrier keeps predators out from this direction.  It's a steep canyon, too and not for the unconditioned.

Clouds were slowly getting darker, adding to dramatic sky effects.  On a hot, clear sky this hike would be unbearble, but the cool temperatures and overcast made this loop enjoyable.  I'm so glad I had ideal conditions for this loop, as I got to see higher elevations from different locations never before seen.  I could see the upper falls in Brown Canyon.  Along the southeastern post boundary now bordering Brown Canyon, I could also see illegal trails made by border crossers wanting to use the firebreaks to get down into the valley.  Part of the barbed-wire fence had been cut open and replaced.  People coming through this area would have to have bushwhacked a steep canyon to get here.  The remote area would allow many to sneak in undetected.

Betweem 3.7 and 5.2 miles I was following the post boundary with Brown Canyon and hiking in a northeastlerly direction.  I was at the highest elevation along this loop, at 5900'.  The remote beauty now took over. I stopped now more to enjoy the views.  The overcast skies provided shade that otherwise would not be here on the exposed trails, but the late afternoon also helped provide for shade.  Both dogs were by my side.  Minnie would have slowed me down and Sweetie would have wanted to run down the white-tailed deer we came across.  The dogs were so tired by now, they didn't notice a young fawn feeding right off the trail.  I stopped to photograph it but my movement startled the fawn and it sprinted off, still undetected by the dogs.

I didn't bring my windbreaker on this hike.  My movement kept me cool but had I rested more, would have felt the cold front coming in.  This is unusual for this time of year.  Others may have complained about the unusual 70F day, but I took advantage of it with this hike.

It was all downhill now, often on steep, loose decomposed granite.  This kind of terrain is more painful on my knees than a steep ascent.  At the 4.8 mile I crossed the trail I had used last time on this loop, so now the trail was familiar once again, as lower Brown Canyon came into view.  Here's where I then took a northwesterly turn on an abandoned trail that brought me back down to the land navigation course and close to the hidden shelter.

While scenic views were along the Ridge, I was now in a small riparian area.  Herbaceous plants were growing back from the fire.  Yuccas that had burned stalks were also coming back to life.  After a heavy rain I assume this area would be brimming with wildlife of all kinds.  Sadly, we encountered a young, dead fox and a few feet further, the spine of another mammal I couldn't recognize.  It did not have canine teeth.  I'm going to assume it was of a deer.

We  had now hiked almost six miles.  It had been four miles since the dogs were in Tinker Pond.  I had stopped to let them drink while on the Ridge trail, but Sadie didn't take that opportunity.  The dogs had to have been thirsty by now.  The trail we were on came out north of the old Site Boston wildlife pump but by then we had less than a mile to the finish line.  The dogs would have to wait until we were back home for more water.

Dark clouds were now forming over the mountains.  It looked like rain, which was not in the original forecast for today.  It was breezy but no longer gusty.  I lucked out with the weather and this trail!  The seven miles took me 3:47 hours.  Once back at the car and seeing the Sheelite Ridge from the parking lot, it was hard to believe this was only a seven-mile loop.  The Ridge looks farther away.

The waning western sun was now casting its golden hues on the grass as I drove off. It was almost 5:30pm when I got home.  Minnie and Sweetie were excited about their walk, but I ignored them and they didn't harass me for long.  Sadie slept in the hallway as soon as we got home and didn't move much the rest of the night.

Hiking on wide firebreaks is only enjoyable when there is cool weather and overcast skies.  Today was such a day.  On a typical May day, this hike would not be much fun, although a short 4-mile loop to the pond and back around the riparian area would be a pleasant after-work jaunt as long as there was daylight.  I'm glad I finally made it to Tinker Pond.  That area is a hidden gem that few people get to enjoy.
http://www.mapmyhike.com/workout/2176826195

Kevin was awake but in bed when I got home.  He had made a nice pot roast dinner and kept my plate in the microwave.  I'm normally starving when I come home from a hike, but tonight I didn't eat right away, instead grabbed crackers and later some custard.  I'll save the pot roast for tomorrow.

Emmanual Macron won the French election today.  That didn't surprise me.  What does disturb me is Marine Le Pen's far right party, the National Front, won just under 35% of the vote.  This shows a steady increase in the National Front's policies since 2002, indicative of the social unrest across France.  While I do support stronger law enforcement vis a vis crime, drugs and gangs both here and in Europe, what does disturb me is the hatred that comes with it toward anyone not deemed "normal."