Double peak bagging adventure: Miller and Carr Peaks

 This was my last day to bag a peak for May.  I asked Ellen two days ago if she wanted  to join me, and she did!  While I posted the hike on the local MeetUp, no one else came along. Hansel was our canine partner.

We met at 6am in the lower Carr Canyon parking lot, then drove in separate cars to the Old Sawmill trailhead.  It was already 62F under clear skies and heavy dust in the air.    I had no idea how I'd hike today, with the high temperature in town expected to reach the high 80s.  We were the only two people in the parking lot.  We took off at 6:22am

We hiked at a steady pace all throughout the hike.  I was up front this time and Ellen in the back.  She had to stop a few times to get her heart beat to rest.  She still is not fully recovered from her lung infection from last summer.  

The drought continues to raise havoc on our dry forests.  The high desert grasses are dead and haven't been able to come back.  We saw very few flowers beside some lupine and blooming lilac  The only green we saw were the young aspens and Douglas firs along the crest.  While the sawmill springs was running, there was no water higher up.  Even the bathtub springs was barely trickling.

It was while we were resting at the bathtub that a Homeland Security helicopter swooped low overhead, then came back moments later even lower.  The chopper blew up dirt around the crest trail; it it was that low. Something was up.  It made Ellen nervous.  "Should we even be here?" she asked. butt I didn't let a bunch of illegal migrants ruin my plans to bag the peaks.  Once we continued on to Miller, we didn't hear any more helicopters.

Despite our water and heart beat rests, we made it to the top of Miller Peak in 3:38 hours. We met another couple that had just come down from the peak and were now on their way to Carr, and then a younger, buff man with only a camelbak for support, who passed us by as we were in the final half mile to the peak.  Turns out he does both peaks at once every two weeks.  No wonder he sped on by!

The peak was calm with barely a breeze.  We sat in the shade of an oak tree and ate our lunch.  Hansel got his shank steak.  This kept him occupied. so he didn't bother Ellen for food.  He got a second steak on top of Carr peak when we got to that peak at 12:15pm.

We walked right past a US Border patrol agent sitting on a rock off the Miller peak trail as we descended.  Neither Hansel nor I saw him.  He startled us. "That's some good camouflage!" I told the young man.  He was one of eight agents dropped off from the chopper to track 40 migrants coming across the border earlier.  "We just don't know where they are, but there were some reports of a few by the Miller Canyon bathrooms."

The rest of the hike was nondescript, returning the way we came.  Hansel was now panting from the heat and staying close by.  He was no longer interested in chasing deer or squirrels.

We met three more people as we descended Carr peak, three young men hiking 18 miles from Montezuma's Pass to lower Carr Canyon parking lot via shuttle.  Two of the men were visiting from Phoenix and had left that city at 2am to join their SV friend for a morning hike.  So apparently these long hikes through the Huachucas are popular!

We got back to our cars at 1:54pm.  Hansel flopped right into the back of the Honda as I turned the AC on.  It was 80F at the trailhead and 87F when I got back to town.

I was not nearly exhausted as I was the first time I did this double peak hike with Ellen in 2018. By 6pm I drove back to Susan's to pick up Fritzi, who got rave reviews for his overnight behavior.

Colossal Cave Mountain Park

My morning began with a screaming puppy in the backyard at around 330, just before my scheduled wakeup. The screaming sounded serious, so I threw on some clothes and ran outside. It was Gretel on top of her son Fritzi, whom she had pinned down. When Gretel let him free, he continued to wail in a panicked fashion, scurrying around my potted plants looking for a place to hide. According to Kevin, this is not the first time either Hansel or Gretel have attacked their puppies.

Situation resolved, I got ready for my hike with Steve. I refilled water bottles, packed snacks for Zeke, and drove off at 420, not realizing that I had left my backpack on the driveway and my water bottle in the kitchen.  I had a few empty bottles in the back of my car for back-up. A quick stop at the Benson truck stop remedied that problem. Steve carried my bottles for me once we started the hike.

We were nine people. Heddi led this hike again, the same hike from 21 November of last year. We met by the park gate, waited for two more people who never came, and then drove to the back side of Colossal Cave road to park and walk to the Agua Verde trailhead. We began at 6:13am. It was 66F and clear.

This is a pretty section of the Arizona Trail as it gradually ascends along a saguaro-studded ridgeline in Paso Quemodo canyon.  I wanted to see blooming saguaros on this hike, and I saw plenty of them, first in the morning shade and then as we got the full sun on our hike back.

Steve and I stayed in the back with our dogs.  Another dog-walker, Lily, brought her little pitmix foster dog Topaz along.  This was the dog's first hike and she did very well.  All three dogs got along very well.  We kept them on leashes as Heddi warned us that there will be no "butt-sniffing" from the dogs of other people! 

We were only 1.4 miles into the hike when Heddi stopped to point out a side trail should either Steve or I need to turn around.  She showed us three more side trails later on, much to our annoyance.  "I may be slow" said Steve, "but I'm not dying!"  After our break at the La Sevilla picnic area, he spoke to Heddi privately and she stopped being condescending.  She also explained to me why she was so concerned about Steve needing to turn around, as she told me she has had recent bad experiences with hikers bring guests on her MeetUp hikes and these guests complain, come unprepared, or are a total nuisance. 

There are many unsigned trails in this area.  Without Heddi guiding us, I would not have known where to go, or how to loop back.  From the La Sevilla picnic area we returned via the old park road, then cut off via a small drainage that led behind an airhole to the Colossal Cave and the old ranch house before coming out at the corral and historical part.

We came across a crested saguaro here, one of at least two in the park that I know of. We were now in the last half-mile and now in full sunshine.  Heddi planned this hike very well, intending to finish this before the heat of the day.

We got back to our cars just before 9am.  It was already in the 80s and I was feeling the heat.  Everyone departed.  Steve and I stopped by a taco shop in Vail, Fito's, where we had an early lunch of chicken tacos and enchiladas, eating our meal in the cramped Honda with two dogs looking on.

Last day of school

Oh my, what a year it's been.  I'm so glad it's over.  Despite the pandemic, this has been my best year yet.  I think I actually made an impact on some of these young people, especially those who thought they didn't amount to much. 

One young gal told me her ranch stories of helping her Tio mend abandoned and abused animals on his 100-acre ranch in Hereford.  Her Tio died of a massive heart attack just last Saturday.  Another young woman told me she suffers from low self esteem because her mother is forcing her on birth control and that is causing her to gain 40 pounds.  She says she isn't even sexually active. A third woman says her plan is to graduate from high school and be the first person in her family to do so.  I prodded her along to get assignments turned in. She made it with a high D.  I had future soccer players, engineers and military personnel in my classrooms.  And not one of them gave me any trouble. 

Hopefully this fall we will be back to a normal classroom schedule without wearing masks.  I must admit wearing a mask wasn't always bad, as masks hide those bits of spinach souffle that always ended up stuck between my teeth. I love eating spinach souffle for lunch, but I always get self conscious knowing there may be little green bits around my teeth.

Now that school is over, I can devote more time to leash training the pups, do more hiking, and get the house better organized. I need to find these puppies a new home before I head out to Indiana. They are all eligible for their rabies vaccine next weekend.

It's going to be a busy summer. My son Eric is leaving the Air Force at the end of June and moving to Tempe, AZ, where he will attend Arizona State University for the next two years and major in English. Just like his dad did. I have more weekend trips to the Phoenix area in my future.

My road trip this year is tentatively slated for July, when I drive back to Indiana.  I will stop in north central Arkansas again and hike the southern Ozarks on my way north 

This is Memorial Day weekend and I started it with walking Zeke and Sweetie, then Hansel, Gretel and Wolfie, who tagged along between his parents.  More hiking is planned for Saturday and Monday.

Life is good. I just wish it'd rain!

Full moon hike along Clark Springs Trail

This is a short hike (for me) that I've done many times.  Before Nina even created the Sierra Vista Hikers Meetup, I'd take my hiking dogs on this trail for 0.7 miles, then turn off an unmarked social trail for another 0.2 mile to a rocky overlook facing the East.  I'd sit there until the moon rose, and then hike back to the car with the dogs.  Out and back this is a 3.4 mile walk, which can be extended by exploring the ridgeline trail some more.

My hike was scheduled for 6pm yesterday, even though tonight is the official full Blood Moon.  I chose yesterday because the moon's rise was better for photographs, as it rose at 6:49pm with sunset at 7:19pm. Tonight's full moon rises at 7:59pm.

We were a group of eight.  Celeste and her dog Halo brought friends Nancy and Tony.  Karen B brought her husband and their dachshund Rudy.  SteveD brought his mellow dog Morgan, SteveT brought goofy Golden Trace and I brought my mellowman Zeke.  All the dogs were well-behaved.  We chatted for a bit and enjoyed the faint moon rise.  There was not much breeze tonight, but the trail can get windy.  I never brought a jacket since the temperatures were 90F-78F for the duration.

This short hike is only two hours long.  We got to the overlook with ten minutes to spare, but the haze and a fire burning on the south side of the border created added smoke which diffused the drama.  The colors of sunset then didn't come into play until we were on our walk back, at 7:30pm.  It never got too dark to need flashlights until that last half mile on Carr Canyon Road. 

I hadn't made any post-hike plans, but Steve did join me for some post-hike beers at  High Heat Sports Bar afterward.  This used to be Famous Sam's 20 years ago, but the franchise closed eight years ago and then became briefly Rookies before that relocated to the south side.  I had a chicken Caesars salad which filled me up for a late dinner

We sat at the bar along with all the other clientele.  We got there around 8:30pm and the bar seating filled up fast.  Luckily it never got too loud. I can't handle loud music anymore.

I was back home at 10:30pm and then took Gretel on a quick mile around the hood, enjoying the full moon high above.  There was no breeze by then; just quiet night sky.  Not even the neighborhood dogs were barking.

The full lunar eclipse then began after 4am.  My alarm goes off at 4:15am every school day, so I got up at 4:30am to catch the fading dark moon set over the saddle between Miller and Carr Peaks before I went back inside to shower, then walk Hansel and Gretel and little Sahne for a mile, then Zeke and Sweetie for another 1.5 miles before heading to school where I added over 5.3 miles walking the track while my students played soccer and frisbee with the classmates in PE class.  This was my last day with this group of students, and I get to repeat the schedule again tomorrow one last time for the school year.

And what a school year this was!

Leash training the pups

The heat is on and I don't like hiking in the heat, when sunny skies and southerly winds add to the agony.  I opted to stay local this weekend.  I had no hikes planned other than the routine dog walks around the neighborhood.

I got up for a sunrise walk early, taking Hansel solo around the long rectangular route around the 'hood. He pulled the entire time, so as soon as we got back to our street, I exchanged him with Sahne, who so far is the best on-leash pup.  Perhaps that's from her earlier explorations off leash walking with her parents.  She shows no fear.

I put her in the training harness, the same red harness I used on her parents last year.  She's still too big for it and knows she can weasel out of it with a few acrobatic maneuvers, but today she did well once she got around the block and knew we were in for the experiment.  I praised her whenever she followed me on the left, jumping to the other side only a few times, but mostly looking up to me for approval.

And then she barked at a yard dog!  The pups are almost at that age when they discover their vocal cords.  Her parents were five months old when they became vocal.  I only hope she stays calm and doesn't get neurotic like Gretchen is already becoming.

After the walk around the block I switched to Sheba.  Sheba is also a good walker, but she seemed more annoyed at the leash attached to her, buckling up a few times for a dramatic effect but generally catching on half-way down the block.  Zeke walked off leash just so he could get some walking in.  I stopped walking after Sheba, as I had to get my recyclables ready for Tucson.

I took Hansel and Gretel along, but in the end they didn't benefit from much walking.  I got to Tucson by 3pm and it was 90F.  That's too hot even for me.  I found a shady spot at Costco and did my usual dog food run and was back at the car 35 minutes later.  (The store wasn't that busy, either).  I should have left for Tucson at 3pm instead of 1pm so that I could enjoy part of  The Loop at sunset, but that would have made for a long day and I was already tired from the morning walk.

So I made the best of it, stopping by the Colossal Cave Mountain Park, only to learn that the park's gate closes at 4pm and here it was 4:45pm.  I so wanted to see a few blooming saguaros!  I had to make do with the saguaros along the road, traipsing through prickly brush to get close to one with a low arm full of blooms.  

On Sunday I did more leash training after the sunrise walk with Sweetie and Zeke, this time focusing on Gretchen, Fritzi and Wolfie in that order.  Gretchen was a complete failure, pancaking as soon as I got her outside on the driveway with the leash on.  Being outside AND on a leash was too much for her.  She wanted nothing to do with either experience and sat down and whined.  When I pulled her on the leash, she cried as if she was being tortured.  Needless to say, I didn't work with her much.  She is just like Gretel was at that age: immature and whiny.  She will need longer to learn to relax.

Fritzi was easier to walk on leash.  He, like Sheba and Sahne, had already been outside walking freely after his parents during a walk so being on a leash was just one new learning lesson.  He sat down a lot looking up at me for approval, but we did get a block in before switching to Wolfie.

Wolfie didn't last long on leash, though.  I got around the corner to walk north on Sunnyvale Road when he met Robin's two GSDs, Sally and Buster.  Both bolted out of their doggy door and barked at Wolfie.  Wolfie panicked and wanted to run back home, so I just walked back to the house with him.  I'll continue to work with Gretchen and Wolfie with the leash from here on.   

I got all the leash training done by 7:15am.  There was still time to meet up with Susan, who wanted to walk around Brown Canyon.  This time I took just Gretel, who is much more relaxed and focused when Hansel isn't around her.  We managed four more miles on trails and game trails, through dead and dying oaks, and getting back to our cars by 9:40am as the heat began to climb. 

Sahne's first introduction to the San Pedro River

It was another cool and overcast morning, creating a dramatic sunrise.  The northern sky looked like it was brining rain, but we didn't get any of that.  It all stayed in Sierra Vista, as a few drops fell on my way to work.

The dramatic clouds, however, lingered all day.  It was a day I knew I had to take advantage of once I got home, packing all the hiking dogs and even took Sahne with me, the most adventurous of the five pups.  She likes to run with the big dogs, and I caught her running down the street with Hansel and Gretel, ears flapping in the wind, right before I loaded up the Honda with dogs.

I had Sahne on a narrow leash ideal for small dogs as we got out of the car.  She stayed with me as we walked the short section from the B&B to the water, but once we got to the water, she wanted to run with the others.  She loves the water!

But she didn't stop there.  She managed to stay close to her parents who ran up and down the river's banks, through the tall dead grasses, and came back to me when I called the others.  Granted, this is risky when there are so many other dogs, and she still isn't fully vaccinated for another two weeks.  I couldn't help but share her enjoyment being out in the big world.  

I only walked 1.6 miles though, turning around at the northeastern edge of the field where the birding trail meets up with the river trail.  It was then that we heard three gun shots.  "That sounds like a .22" I told Susan, and I was right.  "Stop the shooting, there's people here!" I yelled, and Bob came out of the woods.  He had shot and killed a coyote he was tracking, in an area we had just walked through.

"Too many coyotes this year" he explained, looking a bit annoyed that we had all our dogs with us again.  His three Goldens were quietly by his side and walked along with us back to our cars.  I put the dogs in the Honda with the windows down and joined Susan and Bob for a bit more talk.

Thus ended a lovely week, three of them with overcast skies and a chance of rain.  Warmer temperatures are expected back early next week.  

A walk down the river

 I walked a total of 11.25 miles yesterday, four miles before school with all the dogs, then another 7.25 (!!!) at the high school, only because one class wanted to walk the track since they had turned in all their assignments.  Six of the 11 students did walk the track and took the time to sit in the grass and socialize.  The other five sat in the shade of the bleachers and busied on their phone.

By the time I got out of school and drove home, virga clouds were forming.  It looked like it was going to rain!

I was determined not to walk so much today, cutting my sunrise walk back down to two miles, and walking another 2.3 miles during my lunch break.  So when Susan asked me if I wanted to walk the river at 4:30pm, I said yes, knowing it would be at a gentle pace.  Minnie stayed home this time.

We started shortly after 4pm to a cloudy sky with a breeze.  It actually felt refreshing, having diffused heat and a cool breeze in the shade.  But we didn't walk a full two miles.

On our way back to our cars, we spotted a lone man in camo attire walking north.  "That's an illegal" said Susan, but I wasn't so sure, as the man didn't seem too concerned about evading us.  Then he yelled "Border Patrol!" to let us know he was a good guy.  My dogs took off running toward him to sniff him out. They didn't bark or get defensive and the man seemed cool with five dogs coming toward him. 

We approached the man, who identified himself as EricT, with his USBP badge attached to his belt.  "I'm dressed like a migrant" Eric explained, mimicking the many migrants now coming across the border and using the river as a guide.  I've never seen a USBP agent dressed as he was, but he was friendly enough.  He told us that since marijuana was legalized in Arizona, the drug trafficking has slowed, but the regular migrant traffic has picked up.

Later that evening I read on a US Border Patrol Tucson Sector page that 124 migrants had turned themselves in to USBP agents in San Miguel, a small town north of Benson along the San Pedro River.  A lot of Mexicans live there and the town has the feel of a Little Mexico.  Spanish is the main language head in town; even the signage is in Spanish. Of the 124 migrants, 105 were unaccompanied children. 

Despite the cool breeze and cloud cover, we never did get any rain.  It was all a tease

A walk to the beaver dam

 I did not hike with the guys today.  I didn't sleep well and knew I'd be too tired to drive far.  Instead, I walked Hansel and Gretel at sunrise and then took all four hiking dogs at 7:30am to hike with Susan along the river.  Our destination was the old beaver dam.

A Border Patrol truck stopped briefly to tell us that they had spotted five illegals a block south on Boundary Road an hour earlier, all dressed in camo gear, and walking north along the river.  The illegals were able to get away from the agents. "They hate dogs" said the agent, assuring us we should be fine with five dogs off leash. We thanked the agent for alerting us, but neither we nor the dogs noticed anything odd. I guess their camo gear worked!

The river water is low.  Logs tossed across the river to make easy foot bridges are now collecting leaves and other organic debris, creating little pools of water.

What we did notice is a well-trodden social trail right next to the western bank of the river that wasn't here a few months ago.  We took that trail back, making for a shadier and more direct path back to our cars.  This was a two-hour walk and four miles, and the heat was definitely rising by the time we got back to our cars.

Later in the afternoon we heard about another fire that broke out, this one near the Amerind Museum in Dragoon, the place I walked a 10km walk last month.  That fire burned 269 acres.

https://www.abc15.com/news/wildfires/crews-battling-amerind-fire-burning-east-of-tucson

Our first fire of the season

https://www.myheraldreview.com/news/bisbee/inferno-in-zacatecas-canyon-in-bisbee-prompts-evacuations-officials-say/article_ee20d0bc-b453-11eb-b0ff-cb749686bef5.html

The Zacatecas Canyon fire broke out yesterday late afternoon, burning 10-30 acres.  The canyon is 20 miles due east of us. I couldn't see any smoke plume while out walking the dogs, but this morning I definitely got a whiff of burning wood.  We had no breeze this morning, either, and the horizon toward the east did look hazy.  Susan didn't see any plume, either, but also reported smelling the fire.

It seems to have been contained overnight as there has been no updates of growth to that fire. 

We are desperate for rain.  The sky had clouded over when I left the high school to start the weekend, and virga clouds were north of town.  We never got any precipitation though.  No rain is forecasted for the next ten days.

One good piece of news: Governor Ducey has followed CDC guidelines and loosened mask wearing in public. Many stores in town are no longer making wearing them a requirement to enter.  The CDC expects life will resume to normal by July, although I'm still seeing covid numbers in some US states stagnate (Florida, Texas, Pennsylvania). At least 513 US adults have received at least one covid vaccine, almost half the population. 

Aunt Susan the puppy sitter

I slept soundly overnight.

Susan had volunteered her time and home to have the three female puppies, Gretchen, Sahne and Sheba, stay with her Friday night through Sunday morning to give Kevin a break from the brood.  Wolfie and Fritzi stayed with him.

I knew I'd be too tired to pick them up Saturday night, so Susan agreed she would have them over a second night, and that I'd come by in the morning to pick the puppies up.  At 7:30am I was on my way to her house.  I ended up bringing the four older hiking dogs as well.  They probably thought they were going down to the river.

I'm not normally over at anyone's home that early, but today we sat on her patio and watched the morning sun between the trees.  Her flowers were beginning to glow in the sunlight. She showed me where the pups frolicked in her garden, flattening out some of the decorative grasses and pooping in shaded corners.  She seemed genuinely happy to have had them over, but did say the puppies had trouble overnight holding their bladders in; someone pooped three times on her carpets.

Her dog Allie seemed to enjoy the company, chasing the pups and playing with Sahne.  Only Gretchen seemed off, said Susan, whom she found a few times whimpering in her home for help.  Gretchen was the only pup that didn't figure out the doggy door.  "I feel sorry for her" added Susan.

Perhaps Gretchen is a special needs dog, much like Gretel was in her first year.  Perhaps she is just immature and will grow into a calmer dog, much like her mother. Susan admitted that she would watch the puppies again during the day, but not overnight since the puppies get up so early to frolic and play.  They are conditioned to Kevin and me getting up every day between midnight and 4am.

We walked around her property a few times with the puppies.  They all enjoyed the romp. I was at her place for 90 minutes before driving back home with a car full of dog.  I agreed that I could meet with her later in the day and walk the dogs along the river.

How many dogs fit into a 2014 Honda CR-V?  Seven!

I didn't do much else the rest of the day but the usual gardening stuff.  My trees, even my palo verde trees, have many dead branches that need trimming.

Susan and I met up again at 4:30pm by the Casa de San Pedro B&B.  I brought Minnie, Zeke, Sweetie and Hansel and Gretel and walked north slowly to our 1.3-mile turn-around point.  The river is losing water fast, with what is left turning algaeic, but it's cool enough for the dogs and there are still a few deep parts for Minnie to swim in.  As long as Minnie can still walk, I will take the time to bring her here.  This is her paradise.

Today's total mileage was just over four miles.

Cochise Head, Chiricahua National Forest

This is a hike that JimA led with the Huachuca Hiking club.  This was a dog-free hike. We were ten people who met in town and convoyed 90 miles to the trailhead.   The only SV hiker who joined me was Chuck from Tucson, who met everyone at the visitor's center.  RodC drove from Benson and met us at the Visitor's Center. We then carpooled in three cars and parked at the off-road parking area off the paved road.  There was plenty of room at the parking area for all our cars, though.

"Isabel's is closed in Willcox" said Rod to me, referring to our favorite Mexican restaurant in town.  He had driven through Willcox from his home and noted that the restaurant was no longer there. The hiking group has eaten there several times and has always served great food and good portions.

"Adolfo's is a fast-food diner in town I stop in" added Ryan.  So at least we had an alternative place picked for our post-hike meal. 

The parking area is 5.6 miles up the road from the park entrance booth on the left. The group broke off into two groups:  SteveS, RodC and JohnS hiked to Indian Cave and took off. We didn't see them again until we all got caught up at the base of Cochise Head. Everyone one else: Jim, RyanD, Roland, DougB and BillC with Chuck and me were in the larger group heading to the Head.  That group was eager to get going, and left Chuck and me in the dust.  I waited for Chuck to get his gear organized so that he wouldn't be left behind.  He had to stop and dig his hat out of his pack and calibrate his GPS.  That took longer than expected.  By the time he was ready to take off, everyone else was already gone.  And I didn't know the way. Shit.

Luckily Chuck download the map from AllTrails and we followed that, after the initial trail took us in the wrong direction.  We met up with the main group ten minutes after taking off, meeting them on the mining road.  I was glad we found each other quickly, but I did speak my mind about being left behind.  Note to self: get a radio for the next group hike so that getting left behind isn't an issue again.  

I calmed down ten minutes later, but not until after Jim, Doug and Ryan heard me cuss like a soldier. I realized all this could have been prevented had I come prepared with a radio.  The Huachuca Hikers are a fast group that doesn't like waiting for slowpokes.

There was very little I remember of this hike from September 2013 other than the exposed road and the burned area and the steep rock wall on the north side of the Head.  We were on an old mining road ascending to the King of Lead mine and then up a ridge for the first two miles, with views south toward Masai Point and Sugarloaf Mountain.  We could see the paved road (Bonita Canyon Road) meander uphill, around dry forestland of oak, manzanita and agave, and orange rhyolite. The oaks around us were visibly drought-stricken, with many of the leaves turning yellow and dropping off the trees.  The only growth we saw were bright pink penstemons along the road.

The hike began with a slight breeze at this point, cooling us off before the temperatures began to rise.  The mining road ended at the top of the ridge.  The unmarked trail continued north here, along the heavy burn area of the Horseshoe II fire of 2011.

I remember this part from the first time I did Cochise Head with  SteveA, Rod and John.  The charred trees were mostly felled now, creating blow-downs along the way.  The trail was not maintained, allowing the trail to further erode and become overgrown.  Not much if any new growth since the 2011 fire was visible. 

This part of the hike was at times hard to follow as we slowly ascended and then descended northward.  Cochise's Nose came into view first, and then the entire mountainside stood before us.  Just making it to the first view point would make for a nice hike.

Chuck was visibly hurting from the start.  I've hiked with him several times now and never saw him hurting in any way.  He's a strong hiker, but he admitted to me on this hike that he does not bushwhack much and it was the slow bushwhacking that was tiring him out.  He looked flushed and seemed grateful when we all took a waterbreak before the first steep ascent up Cochise Head.

Chuck then decided he was not going to go any farther.  Doug soon joined him, and I decided after another half mile of slow, steep climbing, that I was not going to do well with the heat on my back.  I was already feeling drained of all energy.  At the 3.9 mile mark, I, too, decided to turn around and join up with Doug and Chuck who were both still at the waterbreak spot from earlier. At least I wouldn't be alone for the return hike.

Chuck, Doug and I were now together, following our old track back up the eroded hillside back to the mining road.  We were momentarily lost a few times but made it to the old mining road at 2:03pm, and back to our cars at 2:47pm.  Doug and I stopped briefly at the mine but didn't go in since I had no bright-enough light. Jim, Ryan, Bill and Roland had radioed us saying they made it to the peak and were now on their return.

Chuck brought out some beer.  I took one, although I was now feeling sunkissed and exhausted.  Drinking beer would not be wise and I declined a second beer.  We sat in the shade by the cars chatting.  Time went by fast.  An hour later an exhausted SteveS came to pick up his truck, saying that Rod and John were too tired to make it up the road.  SteveS would pick them up where the mining road joins with the pavement and then drive straight to Sierra Vista.

Ryan, Jim, Bill and Roland finally joined us at 5:07pm.  They were all looking very tired, too.  The heat had gotten the best of us, although the car's temperature said it was 77F when we left the trailhead parking area for a brief stop at the visitor's center restrooms.  At least my car was in the cool shade. 

Bill, Jim and Roland opted to drive back to Sierra Vista without stopping in Willcox.  They were the first to drive off.

I was the last one to use the restroom. I'm glad I didn't dawdle here, because when I got out of the restroom to head back to the Honda, all the other drivers had left the parking lot.   You have got to be kidding me!!!  Luckily I saw Doug's Nissan leave the parking area; he was the last vehicle in the convoy, with BillC and Chuck already gone.  I could have easily missed everyone taking off had I left the restroom just a few seconds later.  I would have just driven home had I not seen them all leave without me, forfeiting a much-needed meal in Willcox.  I had to speed 20 miles above the posted speed limit to catch up to Doug.  At least I knew how to get to downtown Willcox.

I followed Doug's truck as we sped across the dry Willcox playa, 32 miles to town.  Everywhere the ground looked parched.  All of southern Arizona is in a serious drought.

We drove to the location of Isabel's off Maley Street and it was indeed empty inside.  There were no signs saying where the restaurant had moved to.  Had it become a pandemic casualty? The restaurant used to be in the converted lobby of the old  downtown hotel.  We then went with plan B and headed to Adolfo's on Haskell.  Ryan said it was just left (west) at the light, but he took off so fast neither Chuck nor I saw where he was going.  In all that confusion we both then joined up to walk down Haskell trying to find Doug's truck and instead saw them driving back toward us.

"Adolfo's is closed, too!" said Doug, but by then I noted that Chuck and I had parked in front of the new location of Isabel's on Haskell, a much bigger and roomier place than the old hotel.  We sat ourselves, ordered our meals, and for the next hour filled up on chips and tasty Mexican food. 

I like Isabel's new location much better than the smaller location on Maley Street.   I normally order a wet chicken burrito with rice and beans, but tonight I chose a chicken taco, chicken flauta and chicken enchilada platter.  Isabel's offers 12 beers on tap, but I opted for water.  I didn't stop eating until I could no longer eat any more.  Our server was an efficient and well-rounded (in shape) older woman named Sherry, who hustled the entire time we were there.

The sun had long set by the time we left the establishment for our drive back to Tucson and Sierra Vista.  I had to pull over in Whetstone and nap at the Chevron before resuming my drive and coming home at 9:40pm.

A long walk in the hood

https://www.strava.com/activities/5235132237

Today was my designated "easy day" after yesterday's hike.

 started out innocently, taking Sweetie and Zeke on a breezy sunrise walk around the neighborhood.  The light layer of clouds made this a cool and refreshing walk.  I didn't want to stop!  I took the dogs south on the dirt roads of CircleS  Road, then Calle Coyote back north to Sunnyvale road to east on Hereford Road before turning left again on S Rainbow Vista Way, a dirt road  with well-kept trailer homes.  This is a 3.5-mile rectangular walk around quiet homes and lots of backyard dogs. I hadn't been this far north on my dogwalks all year.  There were a lot of beer cans strewn along the road.  I picked up what I could.

I took a quick break once I got back home, stopping to have another cup of coffee and chatting with Kevin before taking Hansel on his own walk, another mile around the 'hood on paved roads.  Little Sahne wanted to come along as well, so she frolicked for one block, meeting Robin and her two GSDs before I let her back into the yard.  Of all the puppies, she's always the one most eager to explore.  I stayed with Hansel for another mile along my routine morning path before resting again.

I didn't feel the morning's heat until around 9am with Hansel as the clouds began to dissipate.  Now it was the breeze that was picking up, allowing me to then change over dogs with Gretel, walking her west on Hereford Road before turning south onl I'll no 0 Janice to Linda Vista, a  rutted dirt road that goes around the brick wall of the Horseshoe Ranch estates.  I don't normally walk here but today called for something different.

I had now walked almost nine miles with five dogs.  This is the longest dog walk I've done!  In the early evening I took Zeke out one last time to finish another loop in the Horseshoe Ranch estates.  It was breezy now for sure.

I managed 11.6 miles.  I contemplated walking a few more miles at night to make it to 14 miles, but opted instead to forfeit that chance.  Surely there'll be another day for PRs. 

 

Huachuca, Joiner and Korn Canyons

Miles: 8.5 miles

Elevation gain: 2663',  7026' maximum elevation

Significance: shade, water, views of western Huachucas

 This was a group hike led by SteveS.  We met at 0630 hours in town at the Pizza Hut Bistro.This early start was much appreciated, as it was a hot day.  Steve, JimA,  RyanD, BillC and DougB were the other hikers.  I brought Zeke and Gretel.  This was Gretel's first group hike; I had no idea how she would act in a large group of men. (She barked at Doug when she first met him, but warmed up slowly to him and the others)

We got started at 7:15, driving 1.5 miles up Huachuca Canyon past the first water gauge and parking just before the Narrows.  The road was rough but my Honda CRV conquered the rocks.  I followed the two Nissan Frontiers ahead of me.  Only once did I hit a rock under my chassis, but I never felt that my car couldn't handle the road.  I must have impressed the men with my driving.

I had Gretel on leash for the first mile.  I trust Zeke so he was next to me off-leash, but Gretel is only 15 months old and still gets easily distracted by deer, squirrels, turkeys and cows, so I kept her close until there was enough space between us hikers as we hiked uphill to the Crest Trail, passing the Narrows where the dogs could saunter through some water.  Shortly after the Narrows the road forks. This time we took the right turn.

I now know what I did wrong last month when I took SteveT and Susan up the Canyon.  I took a left in the fork when I should have stayed right.  Both roads quickly gain in grade and become hard to hike up, but reaching the Crest trail on the Huachuca Trail is a mere 1.5 miles from the fork.

Once we reached the Crest Trail, we continued on a descent into Joiner Canyon, walking through a gate in the  post boundary fence. There was no trail here. Steve wanted to take a social trail down to the drainage and Joiner springs. "I've never taken this trail" Steve admitted. "Oh, so this is an exploratory hike?" I shot back.  I don't mind exploratory hikes, but once again I left all hiking poles at home. 

Joiner Canyon is a narrow canyon that in the rainy season surely explodes with water. It was mostly dry today. We followed the drainage for two miles.   What started out as a dry and cowscat-laden canyon soon morphed into a shaded oak  canyon with clear springs of water for the dogs to romp in.  Luckily we never encountered any cows here, although Gretel did chase after some shortly after we exited Joiner Canyon and walked on FR202.

We were moving slowly, stepping carefully over rocks and rock slabs.  This canyon would be especially scenic with more water in it. The only wildlife we encountered was a very dead and stinky skunk.

We reached FR202 at the 3.5-mile mark.  We walked up the road, now gaining elevation again, and took a lunch break near another drainage before continuing up the road the then turning back north via Korn canyon, a wider and dryer canyon than Joyner but at least the cool breeze was blowing. 

I have never been in Korn canyon, which was the attraction to hiking today.  We passed an abandoned ore processing plant (just two adobe walls and some foundation remain), then an old dam as we slowly hiked back uphill to the Crest Trail.

Doug fell behind briefly when he stopped for water, allowing the dogs to rest for a bit.  We were now at the 6-mile mark and the Crest Trail was still 0.35 miles away, and this was a steep grade up a hillside with loose and brittle rock.  My right knee was hurting again.

This last uphill exhausted me and I gladly rested a bit before resuming.  The dogs were tired, too, most likely from the sun that poked through the exposed sections. It was 12:30 and the heat was getting intense. I, too, was feeling tired and couldn't wait to get back on the Crest Trail for the downhill return hike.

We could see Parker Lake from our section of the Crest Trail.  The lake is visibly drying up in this drought.  We didn't stay long to enjoy the view.  The dogs and I were feeling exhausted by the sun.

Jim separated from the group to hike up another peak while the rest of us went back to our cars.  Doug then stayed behind with Jim.  

Steve, Bill, Ryan and I got back to our cars just before 2pm.  Steve and his group took off and I followed, stopping only to photograph a Scarlet Kingsnake crossing the road. 

I got out of the Honda to get a closer look of the snake, only for the snake to then crawl into my wheel well.  I stayed parked and watched the snake move around under the car.  I didn't want to run over it, but eventually took off when I didn't see the snake under the chassis.  I guess I'll find out later if the snake hitched a ride into town.