Apache Peak (Whetstone mtns, AZ)

Apache Peak at 7711' is the tallest peak in the Whetstones. There are no defined trails to this rocky top; it is a bushwhack for the entire 2.5 miles.  Driving the 18 miles on a rutted dirt road takes as long as hiking to the top.  Anyone planning on bagging this peak must plan for an all-day adventure. 

I had always wanted to bag this peak and today I had the chance when one of the Huachuca Hiking Club members, BarryD, invited me to join him, Ryan, and Doug.  The original date was yesterday, but Barry changed that to today because of yesterday's storm.  

We met at the Pizza Hut Bistro in Sierra Vista at 5:30am.  We drove off two minutes later.  I rode with Doug who didn't mind Hansel riding along, although the poor dog was getting stomach upsets after the bumpy ride and took a shit right after we got to the trailhead.  At least he didn't relieve himself in the cab of Doug's Nissan Forester!

The trail lives up to its reputation.  I had read trip reports from previous hikes on peakbagger.com and all said the drive was long and the hike was strenuous because of the rocks and flora, but there was no mention of shin daggers and tree cholla cactus being the two floral obstacles.

We got to our trailhead parking 2:10 hours after leaving the Pizza Hut Bistro. We entered the forest road from the Empire Ranch access off SR83. This is the Las Cienegas National Conservation Area, which is managed by the Bureau of Land Management.  We didn't reach the Coronado National Forest until the last few miles. The road came to a dead end at an overhang.  There were no signs anywhere that this was the route to Apache Peak.

We were all anxious to get started, and started we did by an immediate incline at 5405' for the first 0.3 miles as we ambled southward through desert flora which included shin daggers and cane cholla.  Hansel kept stepping in those pesky cholla stems, forcing me to stop many times to pull them off his legs and paws.  My right knee was also hurting--it's my meniscus again--and it hurt with every step I took. Carrying 1.5 gallons, food for two, plus a first-aid kit surely came to a 20-pound pack, forcing me to bend forward many times to relieve my back of its chronic pain. 

The route to Apache Peak was fairly direct. We had reached the first hill after that 0.3 miles, entered a level saddle, the followed a ridgeline in a northeasterly direction.  We could see the snow-covered top of Apache Peak from this ridge.  The adventure was now ready to begin. We took off our wind gear and headed up the mountain from the south. 

The hardest and steepest part of the route began after the 1.2-mile mark, when we reached the base of Apache peak.  The grade at times reached 40% as we meandered around cholla, shindaggers, prickly pears, catclaw, small oaks, and limestone containing fossiled brachiopods, crinoids and coral. 

The last 700' was covered in an inch of snow, much of the lower and exposed snow having melted by the time we descended.  The wind also picked up, so when we arrived at the rock-covered peak two hours after starting this hike, we all sought shelter on the north side of the peak to have our lunch. Hansel got his shank steak, I had my tangerines and a meal of fettuccini as we all hunkered down in the wind.  Had it not been for the wind and snow, we would have wanted to go farther and bag French Joe peak (7675'), adding 1.5 miles to this hike with much of the same terrain.

The panoramic views on top of Apache Peak are worthwhile.  It's quite noticeable how much higher Apache Peak is from all the other peaks in the Whetstones.  There are no trails visible anywhere, but one can see the topography very well: three ridgelines positioned at a northwest-to-southeast direction.  Granite Peak (7420') is the most southern peak in this range.

 

We descended the same way we came up.  The last half-mile was the most treacherous, as we got off course and ended up bushwhacking along dense brush and steep slopes.  I took a fall right on my right knee that caused a half-inch cut.  I could feel the wet blood trickle down my leg, but I didn't have time to patch it up; the pants kept the cut covered.

We were back at the cars by 3pm, an hour earlier than what Ryan had predicted.  We were all tired, even Hansel, who stayed in the cab and rested, farting a few times for his amusement on the drive back to Sonoita. 

My right knee was hurting badly during the drive out of the national forest and preserve, so when Doug and I stopped at the Copper Brothel Brewpub for a meal, both legs were cramped and I had to walk around to loosen the muscles.

Barry and Ryan drove on home, but I enjoyed a quiet meal with Doug.  The parking lot was crowded, but it wasn't too bad inside the brewery.  We were seated in a corner table that cushioned the noise.  I had a grilled chicken sandwich with a tasty winter ale and a mediocre cranberry-fig porter.

We got back into town at sun set.

https://www.strava.com/activities/4948959081

***

Global cases 120,616,870

Global deaths 2,679,726

US cases 30,081,605 (+38,294)

US deaths 547,234 (+669)

AZ cases 832,743 (+649)

AZ deaths 16,553 (+7)

CA cases 3,623,603 (+2218)

CA deaths 55,813 (+178)

IN cases 672,554 (+695)

IN deaths 12,856 (+10)