Distance: 10 miles
Elevation gain:2414'
Significance: views, solitude, really sore feet
This is a true bushwhack to a remote peak in the Mule Mountains near Bisbee.
SteveS from the Huachuca Hiking Club led this hike. We were originally a group of 9: SteveS, SteveA, DougB, JohnS, RodC, RyanD, Susan and Deb from Bisbee and Zeke and I. We all met at the Old Divide in Bisbee and then drove up Juniper Flats to the trailhead just below Juniper Peak. We began this hike at 7:45am under sunny skies and 50F as we hiked down a rocky road and continued on a single track down the steep north slope of the hill.
I had taken Sadie, Zeke and Minnie here to explore back in January 2017, but never went down the hill to explore further. Today the group continued on singletrack and game trails in a north, northwest direction. Once we got off the first hill, we were mostly on exposed and rocky ridges dotted by agave, emory oak, prickly pear, alligator juniper. We had to watch our footing carefully as the many rocks were hidden by dry grass.
The path we took offered open views of Wildcat Canyon to the south. SteveA said that about ten years ago a housing development was proposed, but that proposal was quickly shut down. One can see a meandering dirt road traveling down the canyon, and more faint smaller roads go up treeless spurs. Further east I could also see a dry waterfall.
It quickly got warm. I removed the wind jacket and now exposed my arms as I was not wearing my usual white Royal Robbins hiking shirt. Thankfully Ryan let me use some of his sun screen, which I spread across my face and arms. Zeke, too, was getting warm in the sun.
The hills were dry. We came across small bundles of purple verbena, but otherwise saw no wildflowers. The emory oak that dotted the ridge also looked parched. Several groves of ocotillo that we walked past were just beginning to bud. The dry landscape thus offered no colorful contrast to the otherwise browns and greens of the terrain.
We were moving slowly. I thought this hike was only going to be six miles and brought enough water for six miles, but Rod and then SteveS told me that this was a ten-mile hike. I was concerned about running out of water, especially for Zeke who needed to stop often to drink. I contemplated turning around at the 3.5-mile mark, when Doug and then Rod and John decided to turn back. It was 10:30am and they made it back to Doug's truck at 2pm.
The group was now down to six. Steve said that Potter Mountain was only 1.7 miles from where the three turned around. That didn't sound like much so I opted to stay on. We contoured around one steep hill and could see the base of Potter mountain, but getting to the summit took us until noon as we climbed up rocky slopes, dodged agave and ocotillo, and made sure we didn't slide down the hillside.
Ryan and Susan were the first on the hilltop. Zeke and I made it a few minutes later, seeking shelter under an oak tree where Zeke quickly plopped down with water and lunch. Everyone else snacked on the exposed summit. My right shoe was pinching on my foot and I removed the shoe to adjust the tightness, only to discover that the top of my foot was rubbed raw from the sock. Thankfully this didn't hinder my movement.
Potter mountain offers expansive views to the north. The oak tree we were under was near a barbed-wire fence which ran across the north side of the mountain. Why was that fence there? Would free-roaming cattle dare come up these steep hills to graze here? The north side of Potter is steep and covered in cane cholla and oaks; not exactly terrain cattle like to graze on.
We stayed for 40 minutes on the top. We were feeling the heat of the day, but now a gentle breeze and growing cloud cover offered some relief on our return hike. We opted to stay high on the ridge line rather than contour around the hills, stopping to rest every half mile. SteveS looked to be suffering from heat exhaustion.
We got back to the cars by 5pm. Zeke jumped in the back and napped and I took off my right shoe again, this time showing a very raw foot. I kept the shoe off for the drive home.
https://www.strava.com/activities/4981513356
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