Miller Peak with Hansel and Zeke

Today was my last chance to bag a peak.  I was tired from yesterday's hike, but still needed to go.  I took the boys (Zeke and Hansel) and left the house shortly after 10am.  High winds were predicted for the afternoon, but I figured I'd be almost at the peak by the time the winds came. 

I was almost right about that.  We got going at 10:45am from Montezuma's Pass to mild, but cool, weather.  I didn't feel any wind until I hit the three-mile mark, at the first exposed ridge, where the trail crosses from eastern to western ridgeline going north.  I wore thermal pants and three upper layers, but my top layer was a vest.  My arms were cold and later my hands got cold, all thanks to the wind.

The mountains are still white-capped when seen from town, but the trail to the peak is mostly dry. All that snow that is visible is off the trails.  The dogs enjoyed biting into the icy snow.  While I did have a gallon of water on me, the dogs got their water from the ice they ate.  There was no other water around. My feet stayed dry and warm the entire time.  It was my hands that got cold.  Despite that frigid wind, I saw three people in shorts.

I hiked at a steady pace. getting to the peak in 2:45 hours but staying only long enough on the peak to take a few pictures and feed the dogs.  The wind was ferocious and my face felt the cold quickly.  And yet I still saw a few ladybugs crawling. I was off that peak within ten minutes and then kept a steady pace going back down.  

Both dogs did well, too.  They were off leash the entire time and were well-behaved.  Hansel stayed on the trail with Zeke.  He didn't chase anything, or drag anything dead back to me.  Both dogs took a nap as soon as we got back to the car.

Despite the late January snow, the trees look dry.  That red hue I see on the eastern slopes is from dead oak leaves.

The trail was surprisingly busy, too.  I passed a couple going up, then met six people on the peak, then ten more by the time I got back to the Honda.  Eight of these people were Arizona Trail thru-hikers.  I got to talk to one of them, "20 Footer" who told me he started this hike to lose weight; he had gained 80 pounds (!!!) during the pandemic because he spent most of that time on his sailboat.

https://www.strava.com/activities/4869080607

***

Global cases 114,900,551

Global deaths 2,556,411

US cases 29,255,292 (+51,910)

US deaths 525,950 (+1183)

AZ cases 816,782 (+1075)

AZ deaths 15,980 (+70)

IN cases 661,673 (+731)

IN deaths 12,573 (+17)

China Peak

Today's hike was led by Jim A of the Huachuca Hiking Club.  Ellen and I joined eight other members for this 9.5-mile hike.  Weather was cool with slight overcast skies.  Temperatures lingered from 40F-66F.  We were a group of ten hikers: JimA, SteveS, SteveA, RodC, BillC, Barry, Doug, JohnS, Ellen and I with pup Hansel.  This would end up being Hansel's first hike with a large group.

This was also Hansel's longest hike so far. While the first two miles with Hansel anywhere are of him running around sniffing everything, today his speed slowed down quite a bit by the third mile.  His attitude went from "Ohboyohboyohboy!" to "ah shit, there is no end to this!"  I kept him on leash to prevent him from winding in and out of people's paths, but he was so tired on the return hike, and the group widely spread out, that I could afford to have him offleash as he stayed close by 

I always enjoy hiking in the Dragoons, and China Peak and the San Juan mines are no exception.   The hike to the peak and mines is all on old mining roads, gaining 2366' in elevation by the time one gets to the peak, with a slow change in terrain and flora.  The first 2.5 miles are exposed, with vistas to the west and Tombstone and catclaw and prickly pear the main flora.  Once one walks through the notch, one enters a different ecosystem of junipers and oaks.  The notch acts as a sort of portal to what once was a bustling mining area.  The cement foundations to what once was Gorden's camp, aka China camp lure campers to the area, as here is where Chinese miners lived during the mine's operation, nestled among rock walls and trees. There are hidden mines in all the hillsides.

This was Ellen's first time in the area and she was excited to explore every crevice, every mine along the way.  We briefly checked out the old camp.  The spring by the campsites was dry, as was the first shaft we passed.  

Ellen wanted to explore every mine along the way.  I did, too, as did SteveA.  Jim knows quite a bit about the layout of the mines from previous explorations. Most were dead-end mines while others were parts of a network leading to other shafts. Hansel didn't want to walk on a narrow plank over a shaft in the main mine, so I had to turn around and join the vanguard nearing the peak instead. Thus ended my mine exploration for the day.

It took me 2:10 hours to reach the peak.  It was a bit chilly on the summit as we all found a calmer area on the north side of the peak, right below a US flag planted here since my last hike to the summit.  Hansel had his lunch, I had my chicken pot pie, while SteveS went through the peak ledger that was tucked inside a tin cookie jar along with USB cables, energy bars, and money.  The peak was our assembly point for our bushwhack loop to the last mine on our route.  I had to keep Hansel onleash  to avoid him sniffing other peoples' lunches or licking their faces.  No one enjoys dog tongue.

Four men in a modified Jeep Cherokee joined us briefly as we were ready to descend.  The trail to China Peak is popular with ATVers, and three more would follow on our return hike. The campsite was also slowly filling up with overnight guests.

Our bushwhack to the final mine on the return hike got us through an oak-covered ridgeline that wasn't too hard to follow.  We had to walk single file here, up and down a narrow ravine, around oak trees and yuccas.  The views down into the mines we had explored earlier demonstrated how extensively mined these hills had been.

Neither Ellen nor I though the bushwhack was that difficult, but that changed once we climbed down to the last mine tailings of the day.  This old mine was on a steep, loose slope hidden by oaks.  Getting to that mine  made my feet hurt as they pressed against the toebox.  The group rested here while Ellen and SteveA explored this mine.  Hansel and I rested outside this mine. My feet were swelling up by now, making walking more painful for the rest of the hike.

(photo by SteveS)

The rest of this hike was back on old mining roads.  We switchbacked down FR4390 to the main road, then just descended the same route we had taken earlier.  We were all slowing down now and spreading farther apart in the last three miles.

We got back to our cars by 1:45pm.  The hike was around six hours long with around 4:30 hours of that actually moving.  Hansel plopped down in the back of the Honda, I sat in the driver's seat wishing I had Keen sandals to slip into, as I waited for the last of the group to arrive.  My feet were swollen by now from all the hiking and not fitting too well in my Merrells.  

This was my third hike up China Peak.  Sadie, Minnie and Zeke have all been to this peak, but they are now slowing down.  Sadie is retired from hiking and sleeps all day, Minnie is too arthritic to walk much, and Zeke lately hasn't been showing the enthusiasm for hiking as he used to.  Jim told me that Hansel was a real trooper today.  He hiked better than expected and he didn't pull too badly when on his leash.  His biggest flaw today was digging up parts of dead deer he sniffed out along the trails and carrying the smelly parts in his mouth.

The official full moon was today at 6:57pm, but my feet hurt too much to go out for another short jaunt with the rest of the pack.  I'll make up for that tomorrow.

***

Global cases 114,588,888

Global deaths 2,550,995

US cases 29,202,028 (+76,043)

US deaths 524,670 (+1926)

AZ cases 815,707 (+1179)

AZ deaths 15,967 (+70)

IN cases 660,942 (+871)

IN deaths 12,556 (+25)

Walking the Loop: from Grant Road to Prince Road

Thr Loop is Tucson's own 54-mile multi,-use trail that travels around the city's diamond-shsped perimeter. It's official name is the Chuck Huckleberry Loop.

Weather was near ideal for another walk in Tucson.  This time I just took Hansel, leaving Zeke at home to rest after yesterday's hike up Bruce Mtn.  Skies were mostly sunny and it was in the low 60s.  I picked up SteveT and his dog Trace for company, gassed up at Costco for $2.49 (up another 20 cents from last week) and then drove to the 1912 brewery where we parked to resume our walk from last Monday.

As expected, there were far fewer homeless encampments along this stretch as we were moving away from downtown, and far less trash in the wash.  The interstate was also moving away from the path, making this stretch also quieter.  We walked on the eastern path, but the western path continues to have greater bicycle traffic. We were walking behind the parking areas or storage areas of businesses as we were now in an industrialized zone.

The dogs behaved well together.  Trace is more comfortable when it's just Hansel around.  Zeke lately has been more grumpy around other male dogs taking me away from him.  Hansel is still too much of a big puppy to care for such canine nonsense as jealousy and possessiveness, but I'm sure he will develop those senses as he gets older, as Zeke has done.  When we got off the Loop and walked on the parallel dirt path, both dogs stayed close by and did not run off on the path.  They were too busy sniffing the ground.

We turned around just  north of Prince road, at 3.16 miles.  The Silverbell Golf Course is on the western bank of the wash and we saw duffers near the western bank resting near a tee. There is no practical place except at the Prince Road spur trail for a measurable section hike and turn around point, so we simply turned around and walked back to Grant Road. We walked the last section not on the path, but on Forbes Road where the 1912 Brewery is.  I had planned on having two beers here, as is customary in Germany, to drink beer after a long walk.  We sat outside, the dogs rested in the shade and I had a hefeweizen and then a coffee-chocolate stout.  We were the only ones outside at 4pm, but we both had to grab our sweatshirts as it was getting cooler.

I picked up drinking beer when stationed in Augsburg in the early 1990s.  It's customary to drink beer after just about anything.  I learned to drink hefeweizen and pilsners there, which are still my preferred beers overall, although a well-bodied stout or porter are also good.  

We stopped briefly for another beer break at the 1055 brewery as we waited for a large cheese pizza at Empire from across the street.  This is the pizza that Kevin requested I pick up.  I only had one more Top Notch hefeweizen.  By now it was after 5pm and again we sat outside, this time near gas heaters.  The patio was doing good business.  We  stayed for 30 minutes, then picked up the pizza and left just before last call at 5:40pm.  We left Tucson just after the sun set.

I don't know when I will be back in Tucson to continue walking the Loop.  Weather is expected to warm up beginning this week.  I have four more miles before reaching the Rillito River section going north.

  

***

Global cases 112,229,875

Global deaths 2489,557

US cases 28,765,371 (+86,788)

US deaths 511,133 (+1317) 1.78% fatality

AZ cases 807,969 (+1804)

AZ deaths 15,505 (+25) 1.92% fatality

IN cases 655,541 (+881)

IN deaths 12,372 (+36) 1.89% fatality

Bushwhacking up NW Dome and Bruce Mountain (Mustang Mountains near Whetstone)

 

Length: 2.7 miles

Duration: 4.45 hours

Cumulative Ascent: 1523 ft.

Significance: Vistas, fossils and quartz crystals

I finally got to bag this prominent rock off SR82.  This had been on my bucket list for several years.  

Bruce Mountain, aka "The Biscuit" is named after Charles Morelle Bruce, who served as Secretary of Arizona Territory from 1893-1897 under the Cleveland Administration, and as Assistant Commissioner of the General Land Office from 1913-1921.

SteveS from the hiking club led this hike. It turned out to be very close to the route that SteveT and I had attempted last year but had to cancel due to SteveT having difficulty with the steep, loose, uneven terrain.  The nearly three-mile route took us five hours.

We were a group of ten:  SteveS,RodC,JohnS, DougB, GeanS, BillC, RyanD, JimA, Ellen amd I with Zeke.  Zeke is starting to show his age lately by slowing down and having more difficulty maneuvering steps, but Hansel is too hyper for this group.

We parked by the saddle between Bruce and NWDome.  It was 8:45am and 58F SteveS led us straight up the side of the hill to get to the top of NW Dome, the taller of the two peaks.  This began in the cool shade, but this was a steep and rocky slope covered with shindaggers and other pokey flora over limestone slab filled with fossils: caphopods, echinoderm parts, bryozoa, pelecyopods, gastropods and crinoids.  Gazing at these fascinating fossils enticed me to stop and photograph the rock, slowing me down. 

My lack of breakfast quickly made itself felt.  I also regretted not packing my trekking poles again, so I had to use an agave stalk again.  The wind was also strong, preventing me from wearing my drawcord-less hat and having my hair fly all over the place.

Our first stop was the top of NWDome, a rocky ridge with little shade peaking out at 6162'.  There is now a weatherstation on the northwest side of this dome that was not here in January 2020. The wind now made its presence known, causing our snot to blow out our noses and my hat to fly off my head, causing me to yell out "Ah shit!" loudly, an exclamation I yelled out twice on this hike to the shock of everyone else.  I ended up carrying my  Tilley hat for most of this hike as the wind never relented.  Note to self: get a drawcord for that hat!

We had our first break on this rocky ridge as we sat on the warm rocks facing Mustang Peak, at 6279' the tallest peak in this range.  Zeke had water, I ate a few tangerines, and then we carefully descended to continue on to Bruce Mountain. This rocky ridge required one's fullest attention.

I was near the end of the group, holding a hat and watching for Zeke and using my other hand to hold up an agave stalk for support.  I used that stalk for the entire hike.  We regrouped to then continue on the east side of Bruce Mtn (6082'), following a narrow trail along the rock slab, with its shiny metal rock climbing mounts visible.  Getting to the top from our path was a slow stepping process, climbing up steep limestone rock, shin daggers and other pokey things.  

We caught a brief respite on this climb to explore a small shelter cave near the top, with beautiful quartz crystals near the opening.  This opening was just large enough for a person to seek protection.  It was near this little cave that I yelled out my second "ah shit!" when I saw Jim's bloodied right lower leg. Alcohol wipes and a large bandage over that laceration brought that wound to a quick halt.

  

 Soon after that cave the path climbed the final ascent from the north. We had followed a faint trail.  Zeke managed well, but he struggled like I did.  I kept thinking of what SteveS told me last week, that this hike would be more of a "grasswhack" compared to the bushwhack up Bruce Mountain.  HAR HAR HAR

 

I was glad to get to the peak. I sought shelter in the rock shelter and gave Zeke his meal while everyone else plopped down on the peak facing the north and had their lunch.  Zeke needed a shady rest but he insisted on following me all over the peak as I walked around to look at the views.  The Mustangs are not a large nor a tall mountain range, but the views in all directions  the peaks here worth exploring. Steve entered all our names in a notepad that had been left in a registry jar in the rock shelter. 

This was a loop hike. The descent on the northside was no more easier than the ascent.  We stopped briefly at a plaque  for Mr Bruce, mounted on the north rock wall in 1922 "by his friends and fellow pioneers ...in recognition as a pioneer in the first settlement of the county."  The plaque now is hidden by brush and it not easily seen.  The rock here is laden with protruding fossils. This makes me wonder why this plaque was mounted here and not somewhere more prominent.  Nature does have a funny way of taking back the land.

It was all downhill from here...steeply downhill as we headed back to more level terrain near the base of the mountain for a final push back to the cars.  Luckily no one had any more injuries although I did fall once but quickly recovered.  My legs ended up with plenty of pole holes by the time we got back to our cars.  It was 1:45pm and 72F.

r

Zeke got more water and food here, I drank my iced tea, picked up some brass that careless target shooters left behind, and admired the rising waxing gibbous moon over the saddle.  

We all broke off for the drive back home once everyone was back at the parking lot.  My stomach was cramping by now, something I contribute to perhaps not drinking enough water.  I munched on some white cheddar CheezIts while driving, to stifle my hunger.  The cramps persisted for several hours until I had dinner and some leftover coffee from the morning.

***

Global cases 111,929,849

Global deaths 2,484,235

US cases 28,706,421 (+73,392)

US deaths 509,875 (+2209)

AZ cases 806,163 (+2047)

AZ deaths 15,480 (+59)

IN cases 654,660 (+1415)

IN deaths 12,336 (+11)

 

Walking the Loop: from Congress Avenue north to Grant Street

This urban walk was a continuation from last weekend, adding another 2.4 miles I've completed on the Chuck Huckelberry trail around Tucson.  I had company with Steve and his dog Trace this time.

Steve came by early to patch my tire, then we drove into town to have a new tire I had put on at D&M Tires.  The nail had pierced the sidewall and Dave (one of the owners) said the tire was not salvageable.    The new tire was put on rather quickly.  When we got done walking around the block, the car was ready for pick-up.  I paid my $20 and we were able to continue on to Tucson, where we had planned on walking part of the Loop and then having beer afterward.

I parked on the west bank of the Santa Cruz river and on the north side of Congress Avenue, next to the Garden of Gethsemane Felix Lucero Park.  (Lucero was a World War I veteran and artist-sculptor who dedicated his life to creating religious statues)  This is a pleasant little garden sadly taken over by homeless people, and we saw homeless and their trash all throughout this walk.

The water in the wash, the water that refreshed Zeke and Hansel last week, quickly dried out as we walked north and was completely dry by the time we got to St Mary's Street.  We were walking on the west bank as cyclists sped on by, so we stayed close to the metal fence to get out of the cyclists' way, then went into the wash for the dogs to run but that proved to be a sad act as the trash that we saw from the path was now much closer to us and stunk.  The rocks made it harder to walk on as well, making the decision to let the dogs off leash here a not-very-good idea.

And Trace made sure he took that stink with him when he rolled in something smelly.  That stink never went away during this walk.

We got back on the path at the next ramp back up on the east side of the wash.  We were now on the homeless side, as every rest area along this stretch was taken over by homeless encampments and their trash.  These weren't just encampments, though; some resembled dumps with large mounds of decomposing trash, clothes, cardboard and filthy furniture. 

To add to the ugliness, the traffic from I-10 was just to our east and the sounds of tractor-trailers speeding by never left us.  We probably should have walked on the west bank at this point, where far fewer encampments were visible.

We took a break near the 1912 Brewery just south of Grant Street, sitting on two large boulders under willowy trees to let the dogs drink and chat a bit.  I knew that the brewery was closed today --many of Tucson's breweries are--but it would have been nice to sit inside and have one of 1912's wit biers.   It's a small brewery with a dog-friendly taproom. Perhaps we can do that on our next Loop walk, when we continue the walk near the brewery and walk north to Silverbell Golf course, a distance of 3.2 miles one way.

We walked back to the car from the brewery, staying on the east side for the entire duration.  A homeless man and his dog was taking over the one pool of water near the end, but by then we were both hungry and looking for someplace good to eat.

Steve mentioned Rocco's Chicago pizza, and I was for that, but couldn't get my phone to work when I needed it.  We settled for Vietnamese at Miss Saigon off Campbell Avenue, where I had a tasty portion of chicken lo mein.

After our filling meal we stopped by MotoSonora.  The biergarten was busy!  We sat near the RuffZone where the dogs could play with other dogs.  They seemed to have fun, although at first Hansel wanted to be close to me instead of near other dogs, but the more dogs that came by, the more he relaxed.  I had a Mexican Lager and later a Cafe Racer brown ale.  Both were tasty.  This is one brewery I will be coming back to a lot to try their varied beers.

***

Global cases 109,923,075

Global deaths 2,433,198

US cases 28,317,651 (+53,659)

US deaths 498,203 (+1034)

AZ cases 798,608 (+1338)

AZ deaths 14,978 (--)

IN cases 649,652 (+777)

IN deaths 12,191 (+18)

Hunter Canyon to Kelly Springs

Winterstorm Uri blew to the east of us overnight, sparing us an arctic blast, but dropping light rain.  It looks like a dusting of new snow fell on the peaks.

I missed the sunrise, but when I got up at 8am to look at the mountains, the peaks were still shrouded in clouds.  The ground was damp from rain. I knew I had to take the pack up to Hunter Canyon for a romp in the cool air.  I planned for 11am and invited Susan.  She was able to join me at 11:30am and I took the dogs on a warm-up lap on the mountainbike trail off the parking area.  

The oaks here are recovering from the drought from last year.  Yellow leaves have been replaced with lush new growth.

I used to come to this canyon quite often, but started going to the river instead because of Minnie's arthritis.  I had forgotten how pretty this area is.  There were already four cars in the parking area, a reminder that many other people think this is a pretty area, too.

The plan was to walk the dogs in Hunter Creek, a well-trodden wash seldom filled with water.  This way I could walk the dogs off-leash while the mountain bikers stayed on the trail.  The destination was Kelly Springs, two miles from the parking area.  The wash meanders along rock walls and oak groves, providing for some shade, and opening up to nice expansive views of Carr Peak.

Three of the four cars had left by the time Susan joined me.  I had already walked the dogs 1.4 miles. They were ready for more. We went straight to the wash and stayed in the wash until we intercepted the Hunter Canyon trail (the sign indicating the turn off is missing), then resumed our hike on the trail until we reached first the turkey trough where the dogs drank, and then finished off with a short break at Kelly Springs 

While there is water in the pool where the springs originates, there was very little in the drainage flowing from this pool.  There was some mud there, but even that didn't travel far.  This is just an indicator that we still need more rain.

We sat here for a bit to let the dogs splash in the water.  Hansel had a blast diving into the water and then coming out to shake himself off right in front of Susan and me.  He has developed into quite a lovable, playful goofball, a contrast to the more serious and protective Gretel.  It was sitting here and chatting that Susan realized that she had lost her leash along the way, but we found it on the return walk.

She had dropped the leash early in the walk, less than a half-mile into the trail.  Once we found the leash, we continued what we had left to walk on the bike trail, where we had to make way for two bikers at separate times.  Both were very courteous, and the second one told me that my rear passenger tire had a nail in it and was losing air.  Lovely

Luckily the nail was tightly in the rubber.  I had enough air to get safely back home.  I'm glad nothing blew on the three-mile drive back home, as I only brought one leash with me.

I had walked 5.4 miles in the 2:22:50 hours we were in Hunter.  What a pretty little place to seek out some solitude, although more people are now coming here since the Forest Service has begun charging  an $8 day use fee at Brown Canyon Ranch and other popular gathering sites.

***

Global cases 

Global deaths

US cases

US deaths

AZ cases

AZ deaths

IN cases

IN deaths