Murray Springs

Today's hike was not the planned hike.  Steve had wanted to hike in the Dragoons and I suggested China Peak.  Since I was driving, he offered to make breakfast.  I got to his place at 7am and he had the Eggs Benedict already made.  He made it with salmon instead of Canadian bacon.  We ate our little breakfast and were ready to go 20 minutes later when Steve tripped on an electric cord and fell, hitting his head on the corner of his kitchen counter.  Immediately blood squirted in all directions, as well as many expletives.  When he finally sat down with a paper towel pressed against his wound, I could see that he got a deep cut.  It looked serious.  He was calm but the blood took a while to stop oozing. He let me drive him to the hospital.

We took both dogs, his Trace and my Zeke, with us since we had no idea how long we'd be in the ER.  I suggested I walk the dogs while he was being treated. The place was empty of waiting patients, but there were patients in the treatment room waiting for triage.  The clerk told me he'd be in the hospital for at least an hour.  That's when I decided to take the two dogs to the nearby Murray Springs trail and walk the dogs just long enough to make it an hour's worth.  Murray Springs is only five miles from the hospital, north on Moson road just past the MM9 sign.  I was the only vehicle in the gravel parking lot.

Both dogs were glad to get out and move.  Trace peed as soon as he leaped out of the Honda. I opted to hike down to the springs, a 1.6-mile linear path that follows a long-ago railroad bed.  The weeds on either side of the trail near the start are so heavily overgrown, it's like walking through a thick jungle.  Thick growth of cat claw and the most creosote per square feet I've seen locally are also abundant here.  I couldn't even see the trail and had to look down to see where I was stepping. In some sections the weeds are 6' tall and slap you in the face. This is how it was last time I was here.  The trail does widen out and the old railroad bed is obvious once out of the weed jungle, so the entire trail is not all tall weeds. The Bureau of Land Management, the agency that controls this trail, is understaffed and has no one to maintain this area.  When I got to the springs, I noticed that the trail going to the north has collapsed into the creek and the weeds almost cover up the trail signs.  This section would make a good restoration project for the Scouts.  This is not an enjoyable trail right now, but it's interesting to those interested in hiking on to the Clanton house for some local history.  This is flat terrain with the Huachuca mountains in the distance.

The dogs enjoyed the romp.  I enjoyed getting out to walk.  The turpentine bushes are currently in their fragrant yellow bloom, and there are a few other flowers off the trail, but there was otherwise not much scenery on this trail.

It was approaching 9am and it was getting warm.  Perhaps not hiking to China peak was a godsend, as the dogs would have gotten overheated.

Steve was in good spirits when I came by to pick him up.  Dr. Stapczinski was the ER doctor on shift and did a good job stitching Steve's forehead back up. The entire staff was nice to him.  Now he sports a 6cm stitch (2.36 inches) above his right eye.

"Put some bolts in your neck and you're ready for Halloween!" I told him.  He took my comment in stride and was still in good spirits, but now under the calming influence of localized Novacain around the laceration.  He left the hospital with his head wrapped in gauze.

The incident this morning left me emotionally drained.  It wasn't because of the trauma I witnessed, but rather the thought of what would happen to Trace should Steve ever need hospitalization for a more serious injury or illness. Would my dogs as a pack accept Trace as a guest?