Council Rocks, Dragoon mountains

I always enjoy hiking around the Dragoons in the cooler seasons.  The rock formations alone are mesmerizing.

Hiking here was SteveT's idea; he wanted to hike a fairly level hike and I came up with this hike. This is my 5th or 6th time walking this route.  I took Fritz.

We started the hike at the Slavin Gulch trailhead. One can park directly at Council Rocks, but this way we can make a hike out of the visit. I soon discovered however, that the trail past the saddle is heavily overgrown.  I couldn't find the trail past the saddle.  We ended up following the foot path to the dirt road, then walking part of the dirt road until we came up to the first campground, and walked the rest of the trail from there.  So, either I've forgotten that the route goes partly on the road, or I missed the faint turn-off entirely.  It's still a nice walk in the high desert, with interesting rock formations to admire.

It was a lovely walk nonetheless, walking past hoodoos, stepping on the tall, dead grass. looking at snow-capped peaks in the distance.  Skies were clear and starting temperatures were in the upper 40s.

Fritz and I kept our distance from Trace, as that dog loves on everyone, but Fritz doesn't want any other dog near me.  It took Trace a few attempts to realize he's better staying away from me.  What I do like about Fritz is that he never strays far.  He takes his job as my protector very seriously.  He cautiously watched several equestrians stroll along the dirt road in the distance while we took a rest break by a large boulder.

Water was running in the drainages and water was also in any rock depression.  Our hike was out and back.  I avoided the wash on the return hike to prevent possible wet shoes.

I was hungry after this hike. We both looked forward to a stop at Tombstone Brewing.  It's been a while since stopping by and I wanted to find out from an employee when the Tombstone-West location in Sierra Vista location will open up. Its opening was initially planned for last October!  Now it looks more like this coming April.

I was very impressed with the Czech pilsner and Wild West Wheat ale.  Tombstone Brewing has perfected its craft since its opening five years ago.  It seems to have its loyal local following.  Some of the customers look like they stepped out of the 1880s.  They look rugged but are friendly.

We topped the evening off with a quick meal at Ringo's on the other end of Tombstone.