Along the AZT: hiking south from Gardner Canyon Road

Steve and I never did hike to El Pilar tanks.

I somehow missed the turnoff to the road that takes one into Hog Canyon from the north via Gardner Canyon Road in the Santa Rita foothills, so I immediately opted for plan B, which was to hike the AZT south for three miles and return the same way, making for a comfortable six-mile hike in the same area, across the alluvial plains and riparian habitats of the eastern Santa Rita foothills.   This is part of Passage 4, Temporal Gulch, of the Arizona Trail.  (There are 43 passages) Skies were overcast and it was in the upper 50s, but it never became windy as forecasted.

 

The hike started out rocky, down to the creek and then with an ascent up a few switchbacks to an oak-studded meadow, along the side of several hills as the trail followed a creek that parallels the Santa Rita Road.  We went through five cattle gates.  There were many horse droppings on the trail.

The 2005 Florida fire, which burned 36 square miles, destroyed old Douglas firs, caused a landslide that buried part of Cave creek, and destroyed so many of the oaks in the area we were walking in.  A sign warns hikers that one is entering a burn area.  Many of the old, burned trees along Santa Rita Road have been preserved for wildlife to use as shelter.

Several historical hydraulic features are along this stretch: pipes, a penstock, the Stetson Dam (which once was 10' high and 100') that collected much-needed water for gold extraction in the area and several other mining-related artifacts.  The Forest Service even has signs erected for the hiker to read up on the history.  This was a busy mining area early in the 20th century.

Despite recent rains, the area is very dry.  We didn't see any wildflowers.  The only plants in bloom were the manzanitas. The hillsides were dry and dominated by browns, greys and dark greens.  Many of the oak leaves were yellow.  Steve said that's how oaks shed their old leaves for new growth

 

We stopped at a campsite off Santa Rita Road and the creek, had some snacks and returned the way we came.  It was getting warm now and the dogs were panting.   We were lucky to have had mostly overcast skies for this hike, because the exposure on a hot, cloudless sky would have been more uncomfortable for us all.  Had we hiked 1/4 mile farther, we would have reached Tunnel Springs and begun the ascent up Walker Basin.  That will be for another day

We now were ready for the post-hike brewpub in Sonoita, the new Copper Brothel Brewery recently opened by a transplanted Colorado family.  Robert and Cheryl Jesser built this steel structure and daughter Samantha (Sammie) is the brewmaster.  She plans to have four to six beers ready in about six weeks.  Right now there are only guest beers from around Arizona on tap, most of which I have already tried.

The place was busy and we were told that food would take about 45 minutes.  Yikes.  Don't say that to two hungry hikers!  We ordered shredded beef nachos.  I had two beers, Steve had one, the Lefthanded Nitro Stout out of Colorado.  The woman next to us at the bar was impatiently waiting for her appetizers.  She had been waiting 40 minutes.  She ate her food and promptly left.

The people are still working on the kinks.  I plan on coming back to try their own beer.  The place has a large seating area, with a small outdoor area facing the south.