Slavin Gulch

Today we hiked the Slavin Gulch Trail in the Dragoon Mountains, just east of Tombstone. 7.3 miles and almost 2,000 feet of elevation gain. Beautiful 70 degrees and little wind. The literal highpoint of our hike: a 400-foot scramble up an old zinc mine's rock detritus beside the rotting boards of the once-robust gravel shoot, and then a perilous traversing of an equally dubious timber to then a slide down the talus slope to the bottom. Exhilarating.  The Dragoons never fail to amaze with their surreal rock formations.

My friend Ira and I climbing the steep remains of an ore shoot.

A rock sentry, no doubt placed there by the very hand of God when the earth was created 6,000 years ago.

 

View looking back from the top of the mine.

Highway to Hell

Ok. I'm kinda new at this. I thought, it's 71 degrees today. I'll start out wearing shorts and I can always zip on pant legs when I need them. So, I headed out with my small lumbar pack, forgetting that my pant legs were in my larger pack. Then, I took an unknown but inviting looking trail that petered out after a half mile leaving me to bushwhack my way back to a trail, any trail. An hour later, and several falls down gravelly slopes of acacia, cacti, and other sharp objects, I hit the Shrine trail and quickly made my way back to town. Of the four miles and 1,000 feet of elevation gain I covered, about a mile of that took about an hour-and-a-half, the remainder of the trip taking the other hour.

The last house on Zacatecas Canyon Road.

The offending trail, aka, Highway to Hell.

I thought I was in for a treat: Great views of the Chiricahuas.

Smiling and wound-free. I think I lost the trail soon after.

Yeah. No trail.

Perimeter Trail

Hiked the Perimeter Trail today in the Huachuca Mountains, from Carr Canyon to Miller Canyon. Super easy out and back of 7.4 miles, with only 1,000 feet of elevation gain. Beautiful weather in the mid-60s, calm winds, and some nice views of the valley below and the surrounding Huachucas. I was accompanied by an energetic dog named Bea, who left her owners behind as she apparently wanted to be the lead dog. [AllTrails Map and Recording: One Way]

Bea, my new best friend.