Hiking French Joe Canyon was Bill's idea. He invited me to join him and one of his teaching colleagues, Ray, and I obliged. Lately, I have been isolating myself from other hikers and have been hiking alone. Today it was nice to have company and be the guide. Neither men had ever been to French Joe Canyon. It's remote and not easy to get to, and the dirt roads can get impassable after heavy rains. Hiking with Bill was a great excuse to get out today, despite the high 80s and cloudless sky.
We met at the Pizza Hut off Fry Boulevard in Sierra Vista and continued in Bill's high-clearance Toyota pick-up. Zeke rode in the back and was a big hit with Ray. We found the turn-off and managed a half mile over a rocky trail before Bill decided to pull over and walk the rest in. It's two miles from State Road 90 to the trail head parking area, so we added at least three miles to what was to be a four-mile walk.
Ray quickly fell behind. I worried about his conditioning as he's a large man and it was hot today. The heat and recent storms also make this ideal for spotting rattlers. One thing we didn't have were cows staring us down. Zeke had nothing to chase and that kept him close to me. Lately, he has been listening to my commands better. The road seemed in better shape today than the last time, when Doug drove his big Chevy over deep ruts. Maybe we were on a different trail then?
Ray ended up dropping out and returning to Bill's truck at the 1.5-mile mark, just a half mile before the shady start of the old trail. He would have enjoyed this part. Bill, of course, is like an enthralled boy in a candy store when he's out in nature, stopping every few feet to take 20 photos. I walk on ahead and then stop to allow Bill to catch up. It's a nice rhythm we have on the trail since we are about the same in speed and strength.
The pretty part of French Joe Canyon begins at the shady trail head, along the boulder-strewn creek bed, past an old horse trough, and finally along the rocky creek going toward the mines and intermittent water fall. There was water flowing quite nicely, too, proving Zeke with all the water he needed.
This first mile of the official trail is the prettiest part of the canyon, with its unique rock slabs forming a natural trail. Water collects in these rocks. All kinds of birds, lizards, and mammals call this canyon their home, but today we didn't see the horned owls, chameleons, and vermillions that I've seen in the past. Bill was in awe of the geology as I walked on ahead, stopping to let him catch up with me.
The higher into the canyon we hiked, though, the more overgrown became the flora. A recent flash flood eroded parts of the narrow canyon walls and felled a few more weak trees. Despite the green grass, there were no wildflowers as we approached the mine. We spotted one firecracker penstemon near a rock outcropping. We opted to turn around .5 miles from the finish to rejoin Ray. We walked back the way we came with a slight detour to the swimming hole. I picked up Zeke and threw him in the deep part so that he could cool his belly off. He was startled at first, but quickly appreciated the refreshment and became animated.
When we returned to Bill's truck, Ray was still napping and a curious Black Angus bull stared at Zeke and me from a safe distance. Zeke was smart enough not to take chase.
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