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.
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