May 5 - Echo Canyon

HIKE IN ECHO CANYON
Join the Muleteam this Saturday for a hike on a top scenic trail in the Chiricahua Mountains. It's an easy 4.3 miles total with a loop through amazing closeup rock formations and including the viewpoint at Massai Point. Bring water and lunch, but no dogs. Back late afternoon. Meet May 5 at 9am by the Old Bisbee courthouse fountain to carpool (almost 2 hours each way). Free, but gas donation is appreciated. For more details contact Molly at 432-3902 or eeo.source@gmail.com.

____________


BACKTRACK - Wildcat Canyon
16 ? hikers assembled at the courthouse. 15 hikers made it up to Todd Bogatay's road where there must have been a party going on as there were no parking spaces left (a bus crosswise blocking 4 spaces).15 hikers made it down to the bottom of the road. one hiker informed the leader that he was unable to go so slow and would finish the hike ahead of the group and walk home leaving 14 hikers in wildcat canyon. The group stayed relatively compacted and 14 hikers finished the hike. The trail was in terrible condition in places with fallen trees blocking the usual path. The place where we usually leave the canyon had undergone a catastrophe judging by the condition of the torn up dirt and rocks(almost as if a cow had tried to climb up there). There was lots of vegetation overgrowth. The leader regrets that he did not check out the trail and prune away the bushes and tree limbs. Hopefully, by the time for the hike to roll around again next year, everything will be fixed and a new route blazed to replace the torn up portion. Everyone got lots of exercise some of which was very different from the usual hike. Thanks for hiking with me. -Stephen

360 photo - https://rebrand.ly/WildcatCanyon


CALENDAR
Last hike moved to May 12 again...
May 12 - Last hike & potluck at a Mule Mtn. ranch with Barbara


Thanks for hiking with me,
Larry

____________


Muleteam archive photos - muleteam.shutterfly.com
Muleteam & Bisbee gifts - cafepress.com/bisbeegear

Apr 28 - Wildcat Canyon

EXPLORE WILDCAT CANYON 
Join the Muleteam this Saturday for the one of the most beautiful and interesting hikes in the Mule Mountains. The hike begins with an easy 2 mile downhill on a dirt road on Juniper flats to Goat Ranch in Dixie Canyon. It then proceeds up Wildcat canyon with large boulders and ponds. There are a several places where it's necessary to climb over rocks. This hike is for the adventurous !! We'll pass a mine on the way up to the lunch spot by the large swimming pond. The total hike is 4.6 miles (or 6 miles without shuttle) with an elevation gain of 1400'. Bring water and lunch. Back mid-afternoon. Meet April 28 at 9am by the Old Bisbee courthouse fountain to carpool. Free. For more details contact Steve at 432-7770 or sss@theriver.com.

____________


BACKTRACK - Camp-hike reports from Brad & Dave

Silver Peak hike
The difficult dayhike to Silver Peak during the Cave Creek (Herb Martyr) campout started out from the trailhead at about 8:10 AM, being the only hike to materialize despite the leader's efforts to find hikers more interested in a more moderate hike, moving at a more relaxed pace to the same destination on the same day. There were six hikers and no dogs on the hike, five of whom moved at a much faster pace than the leader who managed to stay in intermittent contact by moving at a steady but slow pace and taking very infrequent and short rest breaks of his own. (There were five dogs at the campout and about 12 campers overall.)

The trail was found to be in excellent shape as expected, utilizing numerous switchbacks to keep erosion low despite the high elevation gain to distance ratio. The fastest hikers arrived at the top a little before noon-- indicating an average elapse of about four hours from start-- with the leader arriving a little over 20 minutes later. The excellent weather and views from the old lookout foundations were remarkable and memorable, though they were not enjoyed for as long a time as was merited. All but the leader began their descent soon after 12:30, with the leader remaining for about another half hour to enjoy the views and savor his lunch.

Four hikers tore back down the trail at breathtaking speed, arriving back at about 3 PM according to reports, with two hikers accompanying an elderly gentleman of about 80 years old who arrived alone during our lunch and preferred a slower, safer pace on the way down. The entire group was back at the trailhead a little after 4 PM for a total elapsed time of about 8 hours -- about 3 hours short of when darkness descended and PROVING that the hike was doable during daylight by Muleteamers who would have enjoyed the opportunity to enjoy a less time-driven outing while savoring a goal not often reached. - Brad 
_____________

The Bobcat
We all arrived Friday afternoon. After a nice quizine of hot dogs and burgers, we settled around the campfire for a little chit chat, and reiterate the business opportunities discussed earlier involving an inflatable apparatus and red lights. Something totally foreign to me. Jan, Ken, Larry, Carol, and Doug retired to their respective domains. Mind you that Carol & Larry decided for some reason that is their own pitched their tent quite a distance away from the rest of the group. 

Shortly after they all retired, the rest of us were all sitting around the campfire enjoying our tasty beverages. Little Guy was laying down behind John and myself and beyond that about 40 feet was Jan's tent, which was not visible in the dark. A few minutes later, we heard what sounded like dogs fighting, then loud yelping from Little Guy. I turned around and shined my light towards Jan's tent and where the yelping came from. I saw something running into the the bushes as Little Guy was yelping. We ran over to Little Guy to see what happened. We couldn't see any marks of blood on Little Guy. We were perplexed as to what had transpired. Nobody has any idea what fought with Little Guy. I thought maybe another dog, others said coyote. I recall saying it was canine. I was mistaken.

We decided to make sure all the food was put away. Shortly after I was at one of the tables sorting out foodstuff. Jan was beside me and I believe Barbara was opposite of us at the table. I heard Jan say something like "It's a Bobcat!" then I heard a low deep growl. I turned around and the in front of us was a Bobcat! It stood about 2 feet from us. I had several thoughts. One was that it looked like a housecat only much bigger. Also I thought, I could just kick it if need be. But ultimately I decided to just study it. I looked at it's tail, the gray pattern, his ears (which were not as pointed as I expected), Then we locked eyes. Meantime it growled a couple of more times the ran off towards the parking lot. Immediately afterwards I looked at Jan expecting her to be freaked out, but to my surprise, said "Wasn't it gorgeous! (or something like that) I need a beer!" and someone else said they needed one too. 

Meanwhile, Sheila was in the car and was barking like crazy while the cat was growling underneath the car, as Paul went to go tell Larry and Carol what was going on. Shortly after, the commotion was over. Paul came back, (Note: Paul had this nuclear powered flashlight that harnessed the power of the sun.) and said he saw the cat looking at him thru the trees on his was back. Paul and I decided to to tell Sandy & Ken about our encounter just in case they were to take Champ out only to become dinner for the cat. As we were informing them, we could hear Larry & Carol yelling in a distance. We walked over to the embankment of the wash joined by John, and later Sandy. On the other side some distance away, maybe 200ft. We saw Larry & Carol's tent the flashlight inside moving back and forth, Paul shined his sun beam over and could see the cat circling back & trying to get in while the both of them screaming for us to go there and rescue them. We mustered all our courage and bravely declined. 

We did eventually go there as the cat left and helped them get some stuff and leave to stay in their car. On the way back we saw it following us in the trees to the parking lot. I went back to the campsite. The ladies were arming themselves with pepper spray. I realized I had one in my backpack in the car. As I was in my truck retrieving the pepper spray, I heard a car horn and Larry or Carol's car going back and forth, while Brad was over there yelling something. The cat departed the parking lot feeling dejected and unwanted, we discussed what we were going to do the rest of the night and where we should sleep, while in a distance I could hear yelling, to which I assumed was the cat wanting to find a friend at another camp. Apparently, the cat did find a friend for the night, or decided he had enough fun rattling everyone for the night, or went home depressed thinking that no one loves him. The rest of the night was quiet and uneventful. 

We anticipated another visit from our feline friend the following night, but the cat didn't show. Guess he knew where he was not welcome. As for the Muleteam, just another boring ho-hum campout. -Dave

P.S. The picture is one I got online. It is exactly what I saw.



CALENDAR - Can anyone lead a hike may 12?
May 5 - Echo Canyon in the Chiricahuas with Molly
May 12 - ???
May 19 - Last hike & potluck at a Mule Mtn. ranch with Barbara


Thanks for hiking with me,
Larry

____________


Muleteam archive photos - muleteam.shutterfly.com
Muleteam & Bisbee gifts - cafepress.com/bisbeegear

The group photo includes a few afternoon visitors from Bisbee. More photos at muleteam.shutterfly.com.

Apr 20-22 - Camp-Hike

CAMP AT CAVE CREEK - Fri-Sun, April 20-22
Annual spring campout at Herb Martyr campground by Cave Creek in the Chiricahuas. Tables & toilets..sometimes a fee. Friday night communal dinner and campfire.

Non campers are welcome to join us for a hike (just let Brad know you’re coming), and please arrange your own transportation to the campground (allow for a 2 hour drive). There will be two hike options on Saturday...

SILVER PEAK - 7:30am, April 21
This hike leaves 7:30am from Herb Martyr campground in the Cave Creek area of the Chiricahua Mountains near Portal. Cave Creek Canyon has been called the Yosemite of Arizona because of its interesting cliffs and rock formations. This hike is 9.2 miles roundtrip, a challenging but do-able hike. Anyone has the option to stop along the route and wait for the group to return. A fine, well-maintained trail of increasing switchbacks climbs 3,000 feet to the summit. The views from the summit are tremendous, offering unobstructed views of the sweeping Chiricahua Range and Cave Creek Canyon. Bring water, lunch and maybe a walking stick. Dogs are welcome. Back late evening. For more details and to let him know you are coming, contact Brad at bradward.j3@juno.com or 432-2476 before April 19. After April 19 you may be able to contact through a camper with a cellphone, unless there is no service at the campground.

UPPER BASIN TRAIL - 9am, April 21
This hike starts at our Herb Martyr campsite and follows the main creek for about a mile before starting a climb up to an intersection with the Snowshed Trail and return the same way, for a total RT distance of 5.6 miles. At the intersection the elevation is high enough to offer long views back down the expanse of all of Cave Creek Canyon. Bring water, lunch and maybe a walking stick. Dogs are welcome. Back late afternoon.

DIRECTIONS TO CAMPSITE
Our campsite is reached by driving along Hwy 80 through Douglas, then continuing on to the Arizona-New Mexico state line along a long (about 50 miles) and very sparsely inhabited stretch of the highway. If you want to avoid driving through the center of Douglas, there is a left turn you can take at what I remember to be the first traffic signal onto a main road. There may be a sign indicating the left turn as a Hwy 80 Bypass. After that left turn, there is only one more left turn at a stop sign, when the Hwy 80 Business Route comes out of town to join the Bypass. From then on Douglas is left behind quickly.
If you want to eat out before arriving at the campsite, Douglas is the most reliable place. There is a good selection of places to eat by driving down Pan American Avenue and turning right to WalMart, then back out the same way. For those NOT just coming out for the day, there are two places you might eat at closer to camping-- a small grocery store and diner in Rodeo, which closes mid-afternoon, and the Portal Lodge which is also not to be relied upon to stay open very late.
After crossing into New Mexico, the highway turns into New Mexico Highway 80. Drive another two miles to the little town of Rodeo, then another three miles to the turn off to Portal-- a left turn which quickly takes you back into Arizona. From the turn-off, the little rustic resort village of Portal is about another seven to eight miles. Just beyond Portal is a right turn-off to Paradise (dirt road), but continue straight on the paved road. About a mile beyond the Paradise turn-off is the US Forest Service Cave Creek Visitor Center on the right. During regular business hours, it may be have opened for the season, but not on weekends. The USFS is strict about observing minimal operating hours, especially now when budgets are tighter than ever. Just a short distance beyond the Visitor Center-- also on right-- is the trailhead to Silver Peak.
If you continue on to our campground, you will just have to backtrack to the trailhead. If time is short, you may want to just wait for us to come to you. Even if one of two hiking parties appears to have already left the trailhead, there may be another one-- a faster one--to come along later.
From the Visitor Center to the site of our campout, continue on for three miles past three seasonal campgrounds while still on pavement. They may or may not be open. Just after passing the Southwestern Research Station Operated by the American Museum of Natural History in New York, make a left turn off of the main road which continues on to Onion Saddle. By this time the surfaces of all roads have turned to dirt. After making the left turn, continue on for another two miles of dirt road, to our campout at the Herb Martyr Recreation Site. -Brad

OPTIONAL LODGING
I remember that when we have camped at Cave Creek, some Muleteamers have stayed at the American Museum of Natural History Southwest Research Station that we pass by two miles away, on our way to the Herb Martyr campsite. Prices of overnight lodging and meals are available at the URL below, as well as hours when open and details about tours of the station for campers who would like a different kind of daytime activity. The station is open to visitors seven days week except Thanksgiving and Christmas, from 10 AM to 5:45 PM. It started in 1955 and opened a Technical Equipment Lab with a lot of different research instruments in 1992. - Brad
https://www.amnh.org/our-research/southwestern-research-station/visitors-tours

____________


BACKTRACK - Slavin Gulch
Eight hikers and 1 dog began the hike at the Slavin Gulch trailhead.  It was a cool, sunny morning, just perfect for hiking.  We hiked up the trail as the Stronghold Granite rose all around us.  Our only disappointment was the lack of flowing water.  Maybe next time.  After hiking a good distance, one human and one dog stopped, ate and returned.  The remaining seven continued through the gulch and up to the bottom of the chute of the Abril Mine.  (After returning I looked it up--the mine was known mostly for producing zinc and copper.)  The return hike began with a bit of excitement when a faint rattle was heard on the trail.  With heightened awareness we continued.  Three points to note:  1)  The hike is really about 7 miles, 2)  Ken's new knee passed the test, and 3)  Brad had a NEW water bottle with him! -Sandy
More photos at muleteam.shutterfly.com. 360 photo link: rebrand.ly/SlavinGulch


SIDETRACK - Plate?
Someone left a plate at our Easter Party: brown with 3 big white flowers in the middle. -Doug


CALENDAR - April 28 is blank so far - A local hike anyone?
April 28 - ?
May 5 - Echo Canyon in the Chiricahuas with Molly
May 12 - Possible last hike & potluck. Any suggestions?


Thanks for hiking with me,
Larry

____________


Muleteam archive photos - muleteam.shutterfly.com
Muleteam & Bisbee gifts - cafepress.com/bisbeegear

Apr 14 - Slavin Gulch

HIKE UP SLAVIN GULCH
Join the Muleteam this Saturday (at the earlier time of 8am) for a hike in the Dragoon Mountains on a rocky path & old mining road with huge boulder formations, along a great sand bottomed creek. The trail is a steady uphill and down the same way for a total of 6 miles. Bring water, lunch and maybe a walking stick. Back late afternoon. Meet April 14 at 8am by the Old Bisbee courthouse fountain to carpool (over an hour each way). Free, but gas donation is appreciated. For more details contact Sandy at 520-353-5124 or slajudice@yahoo.com.

____________


BACKTRACK - River Picnic
14 Mules and 3 dogs braved the heat for our annual Riverside Picnic hike. We started on the Presidio side of the river and four people (and two dogs) decided to wait at the picnic site while the rest of us took the well-marked trail parallel to the river and crossed at Contention City. There's really nothing left of the city except some rusty metal and broken glass and the remains of the Stamping Mill along a hillside. The return trail on the other side of the river was also well-marked, though it was hot and we were glad to get to our picnic site and the shade of the cottonwoods. As usual, there was great food and we had a long and relaxing lunch. A bonus was that our return to the parking lot was only about a mile from the river. All-in-all, another excellent hike. -Doug

Photos by me & Guy at muleteam.shutterfly.com. 360 photo links below...
https://rebrand.ly/ContentionMillSite
https://rebrand.ly/Picnic
https://rebrand.ly/ByTheRiver


SIDETRACK - An editing mistake
A correction to my Backtrack last week. When we reached the lunch spot, we were at a winze, not "wine" opening. "A winze is a minor connection between different levels in an underground mine. When worked upwards from a lower level it is usually called a raise; when sunk downward from a higher level it may be called a sump." This a term for a mine opening, explained by John W. If we had wine, we would have toasted Bad Jack.  -Jan


CALENDAR - April 28 anyone? A local hike?
April 20-21-22 - Silver Peak camp-hike in the Chiricahuas with Brad
April 28 - ?
May 5 - Echo Canyon in the Chiricahuas with Molly
May 12 - Possible last hike & potluck. Any suggestions?


Thanks for hiking with me,
Larry

____________


Muleteam archive photos - muleteam.shutterfly.com
Muleteam & Bisbee gifts - cafepress.com/bisbeegear

Apr 7 - River Picnic

CONTENTION CITY PICNIC
Join the Muleteam this Saturday for our 10th Annual Hike & River Picnic. The route is about 4 miles near the river (or maybe wading in it) to the ruins of Contention City and a Spanish fort site from the late 1770's. This may be our easiest and most "civilized" hike of the year with our "gourmet" pot-luck riverside picnic. Bring your favorite dish, wine or beer to share. Dogs love the river and are welcome. Meet April 7 at 9am by the Old Bisbee courthouse fountain to carpool. Free, but gas donations are appreciated. For more details, contact Doug at 432-0307 or reiniger@wyoming.com.

The Contention City/ Riverside Picnic hike on Sat, April 7 is on, but it might get a little confusing, and here's why: We'll meet at the Courthouse at 9:00AM as planned, and all drive to the Fairbank parking lot. HOWEVER, we're not starting the hike there, but instead from a parking area on the other side of the river. We'll stop and re-group at Fairbank because a lot of people are not getting the blog and will presume we will be starting at Fairbank as usual-and I don't want to lose them. Once we're all together at Fairbank (I expect the Bisbee folk will arrive there at about 9:45AM) we will get back on Rte 82, go over the river and go right on In Balance Ranch Road (the first road with a sign on the right) and down In Balance about 1 1/2 miles to the parking lot.  -Doug

____________


BACKTRACK - Hunter Canyon
Fourteen homo sapiens and three canines spent a pleasant day hiking with the “alleged” mine as our goal. The first part of the hike was a jaunt through a wooded creek with small waterfalls where we encountered other hikers and a large group of campers. The second portion was an incline where at one turn with a high fence, we were greeted by a wolf pack choir yelping in distress “You ain’t nothing but a hound dog.” Segment number three, which seemed to go nowhere, we climbed a quarter mile plus? down where we finally found our nirvana, a wine opening to our mine where we had lunch and exchanged Bad Jack stories. After relaxing we headed up in the heat, everyone doing the entire hike back the same way to the parking lot ; approximately a 1400’ elevation gain. One comment ”it could have been worse” teehee -a fun hike and we all had a good frolic through the woods and over the hills. -Jan B.

360 photo - https://rebrand.ly/HunterCanyon



CALENDAR
Should we end the season with the camp-hike?

Apr 14 - Slavin Gulch in the Dragoons with Sandy
April 20-21-22 - Silver Peak camp-hike in the Chiricahuas with Brad
April 28 - ?
May 5 - ?
May 12 - Possible last hike & potluck. Any suggestions?


Thanks for hiking with me,
Larry

____________


Muleteam archive photos - muleteam.shutterfly.com
Muleteam & Bisbee gifts - cafepress.com/bisbeegear