Elevation: 2700-3280'
Elevation gain: 1600'
Significance: Hiking among the saguaros; vistas; solitude
I enjoy hiking in the Tortolitas. There's something about walking among the saguaros, ocotillos, sage, desert palo verde and other low-elevation flora that we don't have in the Chihuahua desert. A cold front moving in from the Pacific Northwest had been forecasted for today, making a hike today ideal. The front came in yesterday afternoon when temperatures dipped and the wind picked up. Last night at 8pm we had 25mph winds from the ESE.
The wind howled all night long At 4am when I got up to get ready for this hike, it was 49F and the wind was still howling. The overcast skies kept the sun from poking its first rays. It was so dark when I drove off at 6am, that I felt in an alternate universe. Zeke was my hiking dog today. He jumped in the back of the van and rested on my canvas cover. My gear from my Cmas road trip was still in the van. I hadn't driven the van in over a month. It felt strange to be driving so high up again.
Diehards SteveS, MelG, and JimA met me at the 6:30am meetup place behind the Pizza Hut Bistro on Fry Blvd in Sierra Vista. We chatted a bit, then drove north on SR90 to meet Rod in Benson. The sky was turning a lighter shade of grey as we drove north on SR90. I could see the smoke from the Knob Hill fire in the Dragoons. The fire is near the Stronghold and started on private property last Friday. It's now 15% contained and burned 2900 acres. I'm glad I was able to show SteveT the Council Rocks trail last month.
Rod rode with me. Zeke didn't mind; he stayed in the back of the van for the entire time.
The sun finally made its appearance once we left Benson and got on I-10 west toward Marana. Traffic wasn't bad at all. We got to the Ritz-Carlton trailhead parking lot at 8:25am. The lot was not full but other people were also getting ready to hike. There were two other dogs with their families. We were on the trail by 8:32am, hiking the Wild Burro trail (a wash) in a NE direction. It was still cool out, with a subtle breeze. My van registered 55F when we started and for the first mile I regretted not packing any gloves, even though Jim offered to lend me his extra pair. I didn't take my fleece jacket off until we were four miles into the hike. Once I took the jacket off, however, it was warm but not hot the rest of the day.
Jim and Mel had never been in these hills before. Both seemed interested in them.
"What's your favorite trail here?" Jim asked me.
"The Wild Mustang Trail!" was my quick response. The Wild Mustang trail travels a high ridge in a Northeasterly direction before descending back into the Wild Burro wash. This makes a nice 10-mile loop, but there are other trails to connect to from the Wild Burro trail. Mining relics and other artifacts are on the northern part of this park.
Jim signed the trail registry and off we were, now heading Northwest on the Upper Javelina trail and starting our ascent. I took Zeke off leash to prevent me from falling. We only met one other group of four from here out. Zeke did well and stayed by my side.
The trails are rocky and exposed all throughout the park. We were gaining elevation, with views toward Marana to the south, and views north toward Picacho Peak. We switchbacked two miles before reaching the 3.6 mile Cochie Trail. This trail travels predominantly in a Northeasterly direction, descending gradually along an exposed ridge into Cochie Canyon. We could see the West Cochie Canyon trail road and several other dirt roads meander up and around these saguaro-studded hills. A few secluded homes nestled among the desert flora. The big landmark, however, was the dry Cochie wash. It cut across the brown desert landscape like a wide, white snake. We were to ourselves for the duration of this hike.
We averaged 19:26 minutes per mile. I didn't see any crested saguaros, but we did walk past many chollas, prickly pear, ocotillos, sage. There were a few skeletal remains of saguaros that died after the Febrarury 2011 deep freeze. but the numbers weren't as bad as I have seen on the higher Wild Mustang trail. Some of the lower-elevation ocotillos were in bloom, and what looked like Red Cardinals also dotted the trail.
The Cochie Springs trail ends at the springs, noted by a bulletholed AEROMOTOR Chicago windmill and a retaining basin. A small corral is nearby. An old bathtub at the corral acts as a water reservoir for livestock, but all we saw was a small lizard that had died from dehydration: the poor thing managed to get inside the tub, but couldn't get back out.
Cochie Spring trail continues northward a short distance to connect to the West Cochie Canyon dirt road that continues northeast around the Tortolita range. Rod had quietly suggested we continue on the dirt road until we hook back up to the Wild Burro trail. He was quickly defeated with an equally quiet, but determined "No!" (There is actually a faint trail one can use to get up to the ridge, but I didn't want to spend time scouting for it today: https://hikearizona.com/decoder.php?ZTN=15236)
We sat along the edge of the basin, shaded by two desert palo verdes. The spring was dry and so was the retaining basin. I fed Zeke a can of Pedigree; I had a 6" chicken breast sandwich. Our little spot was a small mecca, but I can imagine how much energy must spring forward after a monsoonal rain, bringing the colors and aroma of the desert back to life. The windmill occasionally caught a breeze and would churn and crank and be the only other sound around us besides our voices.
We went back the way we came. The trail in reverse didn't seem any harder than before, although we were ascending for almost four miles. Zeke held up nicely, too, until he hit the seven-mile mark and started looking for shaded areas to rest in. He was a real trooper today, and the guys were supportive of Zeke's need to rest. We took two stops along the ascent. We rested longer at the trail junction when we met a lone mountain biker coming uphill. He suggested we try the Dove Mountain Brewing Company on our way out and that is what we did.
While we hiked this trail as an out-and-back route, we agreed to the "Hotel Spur Trail" going back, cutting almost a mile off our total distance and adding some variety. This is a half-mile steep trail that ends in a T in front of the hotel. I had never been this close to the hotel. Steve had been talking about checking out the Ritz's "High Tea" time, an English tradition where tea is served at 4pm every day. When he had the chance to check out the hotel, he opted not to. This would have only delayed our post-hike meal.
From the hotel we continued south (taking a right turn at the T), along a crushed granite footpath back to the parking lot. We had to cross the paved road to get to the parking lot. We got back to our vehicles just after 2:30pm. Twenty minutes later we were seated outside at the brewpub where we enjoyed a good meal and lively conversation. Zeke rested under the table. Food and beer were good. Everyone ate their meal and cleaned their plates.
We left an hour later. This was the first time I left the Tortolitas while there was still daylight. The clouds and wind returned once we got back to Cochise County. The smoke from the Knob Hill fire in the Dragoons wasn't obvious when I turned south on SR 90. Hopefully some of the moisture helped extinguish the flames.
I have a feeling there will be more hikes in the Tortolitas
http://www.dovemountaincivicgroup.org/Hikes/HIKING%20IN%20THE%20TORTOLITAS%20-%20DMCG%20Hiking%20Guide%2011%2012.pdf (excellent guide)
No comments:
Post a Comment