The drive is only 21 miles from Sierra Vista, cutting across Fort Huachuca west to south of Sonoita, then turning north on Cimarron Road until we hit a dirt road with a row of mailboxes. I would not have found the trailhead without Rod's navigation. One other full-size white pick-up was already in the parking lot.
We started off heading south, crossing the dirt road and then quickly heading uphill. This unnamed hill is the highest point on today's hike, topping out at 5991' and among shady oaks, two gates (to keep cattle out) before the long descent. I remember this hill from last time: it's almost three miles of ascent and then descent before one reaches more level ground. The views into the San Rafael valley are spectacular, with the eastern front of the Huachucas visible. There were also plenty of dead trees providing for interesting backdrop. Were these dead trees victims of the May 7, 2009 fire that erupted near Fort Huachuca's west gate?
This is free range country, and despite gates there was still cow scat along the way, especially in the lower elevations. This is rocky terrain, interspersed with interesting geologic formations. We didn't see any cows today, which was fine with me. I was more worried about having enough water for Zeke. I carried a gallon for us two, plus our lunches. In the rainy season the washes fill up with water and there were still a few pools for Zeke to cool off in. The one big watering hole today was Middle canyon pond, 4.3 miles south from where we started.
We all walked at a steady pace, but this small group walked in separate groups. Doug and Steve were together, Jim and Maryann stayed together, and I was with Zeke toward the rear to keep him from bothering others. We gathered up at several breaks and got to the Middle canyon pond together shortly after noon.
"No frogs in the pond!" said Rod, referring to the club's last hike in this area when frogs were visible. It's still too cold for tadpoles. Some of the water in the wash still had a thin sheath of ice from the overnight temperatures.
I ate my chicken burrito I bought yesterday at Rodolfo's in town. Zeke had a can of Pedigree. I was hungry and could have eaten the entire burrito, but grit had gotten on the last part, from sand that got into my backpack over the last few months. I gave Zeke that part, which he gladly ate.
Twenty minutes later we all got up to head back to the cars. This time we were more separated, but stopped twice to allow everyone to catch up. Just like last time, heading back up that hill tired me out, and my boots were starting to pinch on my toes. I just wanted to get back to my Honda and take off my boots. It was warm now, in the low 60s, with little breeze. It was an ideal temperature, but an overcast sky would have made this hike even better. We hiked 8.6 miles today, three miles less than last time. Next time I would like to hike this section going north to Harshaw Road. I've done many sections of the Arizona Trail in this area, but have only completed the Huachuca mountain section.
Rod rode back with Doug because he said his "tush" got wet sitting on the passenger side. (The dogs had knocked over my gallon of distilled water and soaked my seat cover. Placing my rain coat over the seat obviously didn't help today.) so when we all drove back to Fort Huachuca, I went straight home. "You're home early!" said Kevin. I went to the bedroom, feeling tired in the thighs. Will I manage tomorrow's hike in Slavin Gulch? I ended up taking the dogs out to the river at 5pm just so they can romp around. They hadn't been walked yesterday when I got home from running errands after school. I got to see the sun set ar 5:41pm behind the Huachuca mountains and then the full moon rise above the Mule Mountains at 5:58pm. This dogwalk added another 1.6 miles to my earlier mileage.
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