Scotia Canyon trail

Hiking this rather level section of the Arizona Trail was Ellen's idea.  Susan and Allie joined us with Hansel.  Meetup time was 9am in town.

I had to drive the southern route since I still haven't located my military ID card.  From my house the time and distance is the same as driving through Fort Huachuca: an hour.

Traffic along the border road was busy.  Full-sized SUVs passed me going east; perhaps those were unmarked Border Patrol vehicles.  I didn't see any signs of illegal border crossers from the road, though.  Didn't see any trash they usually leave behind, either. The Wall on this side of the Coronado National Monument had never been erected.

I arrived at Parker Lake at 8:24am, more than 90 minutes early for the hike.  The lake is at a low level but there were plenty of campers at the marina and in dispersed campsites along the way.  There was quite a bit of activity all along my route of travel.

I had not been to Parker Lake in several years.  There have been some changes since my last visit. The lake is now a fee area so I didn't stay long.  

Instead, I parked at the Canelo Hills East trailhead a mile away, joining a couple from Georgia that had used the trailhead to camp for the night.  Their presence at first annoyed me, as I knew they were avoiding camping fees by spreading out in the trailhead, but I did not confront them about it. I had no intention of staying long anyway, as this stop was a mere leg stretcher. I took Hansel and walked the gentle grassy ridge for 0.7 miles toward the lake, and turned around before the grade got too steep.  It was a good way to spend some time waiting.

I could see Parker Lake from this vantage point.  The flora is getting dry again. The trailhead would make a free parking area should I ever opt to lead a hike around the lake this winter and hunt for bald eagles.  Starting from the Canelo Hills East would add at least two miles to the hike, so around 6.5 miles.

I kept my hat and backback in the Honda as this was meant to be a short leg stretcher for Hansel, who was getting restless sitting in the back of the Honda on the bumpy dirt road.  He stayed close by, but was on alert for deer as we saw plenty of them along the drive.  He's going to be a good hiking dog in another year or two, as he's easy-going and fun-loving.  He's the only dog out of the young pack of six I can say that about.

The vista all around me looked dry.  We haven't had rain in a while and none is in the forecast. Flowers and grasses have gone to seed.

Houses are sprinkled on the southeastern side of Parker Lake, but I have to wonder who would want to live here?  Unless these are all vacation rentals.  There is no phone reception and the US-MEX border is just four miles south. The closest town is Sonoita 20 miles to the north on SR83 and the only big store is a Dollar General. 

I picked up two near-empty gallon water jugs left behind for either border crossers or AZT thru-hikers, then drove a mile east to the agreed-upon trailhead.  I was still early: Ellen and Susan said they'd be by 10am.

A large group was down by the trailhead, so I stayed close to the road to keep the dogs from possibly getting aggressive.  ATVers drove by.  It was certainly a warm and windless day for a hike in the canyon.

I meandered around the trailhead waiting for the other two.  I don't remember the last time I was in this canyon, but I do remember hiking this section of the AZT with the hiking club years ago.  It's a pleasant downhill to the lake marina going north.

The gals arrived on time and we were on the trail by 10am.  Allie and Hansel chased each other around, off and on the trail chasing blue jays.  Both dogs seemed so happy having each other for company.

This first mile is an exposed dirt road with little elevation.  It would be hot in the summer, but today was nice.  Hansel even jumped into a cattle trough to cool off.

After the first mile the trail was more of a shaded single track. Here is where it began to resemble more of an oak forest.  Susan said she'd go as far as Allie was able, but we rested at the 2.5-mile along the creek.  Two groups of two AZT thru-hikers walked past us, two women from Massachusetts and two bearded men from Seattle. They both were walking south  and had another 21 miles to go to hit the border with Mexico.

I walked another 0.6-mile to the bend in the trail for some additional mileage while the other two continued to chat.  This was a shaded, scenic section. The junction with Sunnyside Canyon would be another mile from where we had stopped to rest.  This would make a long but pleasant valley hike.

Elevation gain was a mere 386 feet, but I'm sure it's a bit more if we were to do the entire loop of Scotia-Sunnyside canyon.

We were back at our cars at 1:15pm and left shortly afterward.  I was home in 55 minutes.