"No, I got too much to do," I replied, intending on getting some clothes sorted for Good Will. I probably folded ten shirts and filled up one bag before Susan texted me, asking me if I were interested in walking today in a non-windy spot, "perhaps a canyon tucked away...you know the canyons here better than most and I haven't been in some for many years. I trust your judgment."
I thought about Lutz Canyon and its creek. Few people besides hunters go up that way as people tend to congregate in the wider Miller canyon instead. We could take the dogs there without disturbing anyone.
I almost always am willing to go for a walk with the dogs. Walking benefits both the dogs and me, and a few miles would be what the dogs needed. They had been longingly watching my every move, as I didn't walk them at sunrise. I wanted to conserve my energy for tomorrow instead. I knew the dogs would enjoy the exercise. I quickly agreed to join Susan.
We settled on Lutz canyon at 11:30am. After a delayed start because of a low tire and a wrong turn, we finally made it to the trailhead just before noon. There was one pick-up nearby but we encountered no one. We went down to the creek, followed it south, but turned around when the water quickly ran dry. We instead went uphill on the road, then along the trail, and then cut off on a short connector trail that took us to the main creek that was cascading. Here is where we found so many gems. This was the creek I didn't find when Chuck and I hiked up this trail to Miller Peak in February. Lutz creek was badly eroded during the 2011 fire and flood and cut a new creek nearby. Many of the old side trails that would lead to a former mine or homestead have been left to return to the wild and are now overgrown.
I had walked this creek with the dogs years ago, with Sammy and Sara, before that fire and flood ripped so many trees from their roots and sent them tumbling downstream. It was a beautiful creek shaded by old growth. It runs for a mile, then disappears again near where the creek intersects with the trail and starts a steep ascent up the canyon. There are some wide rock slabs along the way. Now the sides of the narrow creek threaten to erode further. One can still see sections of the old trail along the creek, but most of it is gone for good.
We ended up rock scrambling for over two hours! There were many snags we had to overcome, and at times we had to help push Minnie or Sweetie up a slab as they had no traction on the wet rock. We came across some Golden Columbines but we basically would walk a short distance and stop when we reached the next pool of water and let the dogs splash around before resuming our scramble.
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Both Minnie and Allie have joint issues that prevent them from walking far. Allie starts limping and Minnie's arthritis stiffens her. The rock hopping quickly tired them out. While Susan was now interested in going up the trail for another mile, I opted to turn around to give Minnie a break. Both Susan and I could easily have gone farther otherwise. Susan, like me, likes to explore hidden trails and I like that about her. We agreed to come back here another time Perhaps, suggested Susan, I could lead a hike up to the Crest Trail with the SVHikers. Perhaps. The seven-mile hike would definitely be a workout.
We ended up scrambling for just two miles when we got back to the cars, returning to a quiet trailhead with no one else around. The dogs looked well-exercised. It was a fun day and both Susan and I agreed we must do this more often. I would like to go back to the hidden mine camp high up Ash Canyon, but the main trail there was washed away in the flood and is hard to follow without a GPS. Search and Rescue teams would have a hard time finding us if either of us were injured. There is an impressive waterfall there that is otherwise unknown to most hikers.
***
While Governor Cuomo from New York announced a downturn to the coronavirus outbreak in NYC today, deaths continue to mount elsewhere in the country, including Chicago and Philadelphia. A sailor on the USS Teddy Roosevelt, docked in Guam, also died today. He was a Chief Petty Officer in his 40s.
Global cases: 1,879,752
Global deaths: 119,383 (6.3% mortality rate)
US cases: 558,199
US deaths: 22,783 (4.08% mortality rate)
Arizona cases: 3705, with now 16 cases in Cochise County
Arizona deaths: 122
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