Cochise Stronghold

HIKE COCHISE STRONGHOLD
Join the Muleteam this Saturday to hike from the east side of the Dragoons toward the west and then back again. This is a beautiful area with great hillside rock formations, a deep valley and a pond midway. It's a clear, moderate trail about 6 miles total with some uphill. Bring water and lunch. Back late afternoon. Meet Feb 4 at 9am by the Old Bisbee courthouse fountain to carpool (about 90 minutes each way). Free, but gas donation is appreciated. For more details contact Doug at 432-0307 or reiniger@wyoming.com.

We’ll meet at the campground near the restrooms for those who start elsewhere. There is an $8 day-use fee for parking at the campground/picnic area, waived if you display a Coronado National Forest or Interagency pass (America the Beautiful, Golden Age, etc.)

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BACKTRACK - Mt Ballard

An inquisitive group of 12 hikers and one dog ascended upward to Mount Ballard.  Among the many breathless questions were, "Is that Mount Ballard? Are we there yet?"  Finally, when Ballard was in view we realized we were already on it!  At the summit, 7,370' give or take a few ', the hikers were rewarded with rest, food, beautiful views, and an I Kings 18:37 verse.  As we began our descent downward, two hardy souls decided to venture to Fissure peak. The trail was not as evident as the trail to Ballard, which was recently cleared and pruned back. The two hikers gained a tad bit more elevation, 7,380'. And to prove that they were standing on the highest point in the Mule Mountains, they signed the register located in the rock pile.  As the hikers descended they met up with a couple late arrival Muleteam hikers.  - Carol

That's my shadow while taking the photo.  - Larry

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SIDETRACK - Photos

Current season Muleteam photos are now at Photos 2022-23. You are very welcome to add your hike photos, but please just choose some of the ones you like best.

Before March 25 save your favorite photos from muleteam.shutterfly.com. This photo page has had a total of 17,314 views since it was created.

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FLASHBACK

This was taken during the first hiking season 2000-01 before the Muleteam had a name. 

From top left: Charles Marie was the main hike leader - forgotten her name - Walking Bob (Rowe) also knew the local trails - Yvonne Grimm was new to the area and started the hiking group with notices in the Bisbee Observer newspaper - Walking Mary (Adams) with her feet in the air died in 2019, age 78 - Harry Wolters was an early regular hiker - and Larry Milam chose the spot in Brown Canyon to take the photo (scanned from a print).   - Larry

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REMAINING SEASON 2022-2023

FEBRUARY
11 - ?
18 - Laura's Loop & City Trail in the Mule Mtns with Laura
25 - Guindani Canyon in the Whetstone Mountains with Monica

MARCH
4 - Fairbank and riverside picnic with Doug
11 - Mural Hill in the Mule Mtns with Larry
18 - Joe's Canyon in the Huachucas with Brad
25 - ?

APRIL
1 - Council Rocks in the Dragoons with Carol
7-8 - Chiricahua overnight at Turkey Creek with Carol
15 - Parker Canyon Lake and wine tasting with Doug
22 - Wood Canyon Plus with Lindsay Susan and Deb
29 - Hike and Carr House presentation with Mike Foster

MAY
6 - Palominas San Pedro hike and farewell picnic with Ken

Mt Ballard

 MULETEAM ASCENDS MOUNT BALLARD
Join the Muleteam this Saturday to hike to the highest point in the Mule Mountains, west of the 'divide' with unusual views over long distances. This is a natural path with several steep sections-- about 3.4 miles total. Side trip to Fissure Pk. possible. Bring water and lunch and optional hiking stick for the downhill return. Back early afternoon. Meet Jan 28 at 9am by the Old Bisbee courthouse fountain to carpool. Free. For more details contact Carol at chandlercarolpsk@gmail.com or 413-667-8760.

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BACKTRACK - Warren Area

Seventeen hikers and one dog had perfect weather – sunny and cool – for the hike from Galena to Gold Gulch racetrack. We were especially fortunate this year to have local naturalist Doug Danforth guide us through LaVerne Williams Park. He showed us many of the things that he had written about in his December 1 Observer article about the park, reproduced below. There was even one plant, a verbena, flowering in January! From there we continued on to Gold Gulch, with the longest stretch being along the old railroad trackbed in Warren. On the way back several intrepid explorers left the racetrack by an alternate route and made better time than the leader!  - Elizabeth

Doug’s Flickr album of photos he took at LaVerne Williams Park last fall is at park photos. And this is what he wrote in the Observer:

I have spent a few days visiting LaVerne Williams Linear Park getting to know this little piece of Chihuahua Desert. I was surprised by the diversity of plant life there. Even though early November is not the best time to look for wildflowers, there were many plants still blooming. Consequently, there were a few lingering butterflies and other insects visiting them. The limestone bedrock areas held many little niches for cacti and wildflowers. It was a veritable rock garden of interesting plants. One wildflower new to me was Parry’s Sage. This foot tall member of the mint family produces tiny bright blue flowers in a woolly inflorescence. It was quite popular with passing small butterflies which eagerly sipped nectar from the small receptacles. Also tucked into the limestone bedrock were Fairy-Duster plants with their last few remaining pink powder puff blossoms. Along the path were occasional spotlights of the bright pink flowers of Gooding’s Vervain. 

Birdlife was varied, although most birds stayed hidden in the inaccessible denser vegetation below School Terrace Road. A Curve-billed Thrasher gave its whistled “whit-whit” call from a hidden perch and a Ladder-backed Woodpecker could be heard giving its rattle call from a distant Agave stalk. One interesting sighting was a Cactus Wren stealing nesting material from a Verdin’s nest even while the Verdin was attempting to refurbish its nest with a feather it had collected. Both these birds build covered dome-like nests. The Cactus Wren builds its football-sized nest among the branches of a thorny plant, most often a cactus. The much smaller Verdin tucks its fist-sized nest in the thorny branches of a mesquite or Acacia. 

Besides being a treat for the eyes, the park can be an olfactory experience as well. Cane Beard Grass seed heads when crushed smell like blueberries.  The leaves of Kidneywood when rubbed smell like tangerines and the foliage of Lemon Beebush smells of lemons. Project Wildlife-Bisbee has received recognition of LaVerne Williams Linear Park as a  National Wildlife Federation “Wildlife Habitat”.

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SIDETRACK - Photo Changes

Before the page disappears save your favorite photos from muleteam.shutterfly.com.

Current season Muleteam photos are now at Photos 2022-23.

SIDETRACK - Thanks and (hopefully) Last Call

I want to thank everyone for chipping in and volunteering to lead so many of the Muleteam hikes this season. The 2022-2023 season has 28 hikes in six-and-a-half months. We are about half-way, and there are only two dates that have not been spoken-for. That is incredibly impressive, and shows what a great, committed term we are. 

So, let's go out strong. February 11 and March 25 are open. How about volunteers from those of you who have not led or committed to a hike so far? Please, either go through the long list of hikes we’ve taken in the past or - better yet - volunteer to lead a hike that you love. 

Email (reiniger@wyoming.com) or call (520-432-0307) me (Doug) and agree to lead a hike on February 11 or March 25. 

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REMAINING SEASON 2022-2023

FEBRUARY
4 - Cochise Stronghold in the Dragoons with Doug
11 - ?
18 - Laura's Loop & City Trail in the Mule Mtns with Laura
25 - Guindani Canyon in the Whetstone Mountains with Monica

MARCH
4 - Fairbank and riverside picnic with Doug
11 - Mural Hill in the Mule Mtns with Larry
18 - Joe's Canyon in the Huachucas with Brad
25 - ?

APRIL
1 - Council Rocks in the Dragoons with Carol
7-8 - Chiricahua overnight at Turkey Creek with Carol
15 - Parker Canyon Lake and wine tasting with Doug
22 - Wood Canyon Plus with Lindsay Susan and Deb
29 - Hike and Carr House presentation with Mike Foster

MAY
6 - Palominas San Pedro hike and farewell picnic with Ken

Warren Area

HIKE FROM GALENA TO GOLD GULCH RACETRACK
Join the Muleteam this Saturday for a hike in Warren and surrounding areas. We will start in Galena where we will take in LaVerne Williams Park and its native-vegetation trail. Footpaths and an old railroad trackbed will take us through Warren and south to Gold Gulch Road. There we will check out an old motor racetrack before heading back the way we came. The hike is about 6 miles total, flat and easy but with little shade. Bring water and lunch/snack, back early afternoon. Dogs ok with leash. Meet January 21 at 9 a.m. by the Old Bisbee courthouse fountain to carpool. Free. For more information contact Elizabeth Bernstein, ebernstein2001@yahoo.com.

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BACKTRACK - Little Boquillas

The warm before the storm! It was a beautiful sunny day and 14 of us (and one dog) hiked along the San Pedro trail before branching off to the old cars. After a couple photo ops we went to the river and enjoyed lunch in the sun. A few brave souls waded into the cold river water. It was a total of seven miles, but somehow the walk back felt a lot longer. Isn't that always the case. Some hikers checked out the Little Boquillas Ranch along the trail. Beautiful day, good company, and another Muleteam hike for the books. -Sandy

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SIDETRACK - Photo Changes

Muleteam Photos to Disappear

Sometime in March our shutterfly page muleteam.shutterfly.com with 23 years of Muleteam photos will disappear forever! It's uncertain if the whole collection will be saved, so you may want to download favorite photos. Photos are grouped by year, and a printable 20th anniversary book is available. Viewing is better on a computer screen larger than a phone.

Muleteam Photos to Reappear

I have created a Muleteam account on Google Photos and loaded all photos from this season. It seems to be a better site for uploading and viewing photos than shutterfly ever was. Check it out and see what you think: Photos 2022-23   -Larry

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REMAINING SEASON 2022-2023

JANUARY
28 - Mt Ballard in the Mule Mtns with Carol

FEBRUARY
4 - Cochise Stronghold in the Dragoons with Doug
11 - ?
18 - Laura's Loop & City Trail in the Mule Mtns with Laura
25 - Guindani Canyon in the Whetstone Mountains with Monica

MARCH
4 - Fairbank and riverside picnic with Doug
11 - Mural Hill in the Mule Mtns with Larry
18 - Joe's Canyon in the Huachucas with Brad
25 - ?

APRIL
1 - Council Rocks in the Dragoons with Carol
7-8 - Chiricahua overnight at Turkey Creek with Carol
15 - Parker Canyon Lake and wine tasting with Doug
22 - Wood Canyon Plus with Lindsay Susan and Deb
29 - Hike and Carr House presentation with Mike Foster

MAY
6 - Palominas San Pedro hike and farewell picnic with Ken

Little Boquillas

HIKE BEYOND THE LITTLE BOQUILLAS RANCH

Join the Muleteam this Saturday for a hike on the San Pedro Trail south of the Fairbank Schoolhouse. We will pass the Little Boquillas Ranch, then eventually branch off to visit a "relic of the past" (okay, some of you know what it is) and have lunch by the river. On the way back feel free to explore the ranch.  The hike is approximately 7 miles roundtrip on an old dirt road with minor elevation changes. HOWEVER, I've been told that the last part of the hike is overgrown so be prepared! Bring water and lunch. Back mid-afternoon. Meet Jan 14 at 9am by the Old Bisbee Courthouse fountain to carpool. Free. For more information contact Sandy at 520-353-5124 or slajudice@yahoo.com.

If you are planning to meet at the trailhead, meet around 9:45 in the parking lot across the road from the Fairbank Schoolhouse on SR82 (by the corrals). 

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BACKTRACK - Fort Bowie

15 of us had a fine old time on the Fort Bowie hike. We viewed the cemetery, stagecoach stop, other ruins and Apache Springs on the way to the fort. At the fort a Park Service Ranger gave us a tour of what is left of Fort Bowie and gave us some interesting information about its history. After that tour, most Mule Teamers relaxed in chairs on the porch of the Visitor’s Center, but they were persuaded to leave their comfortable spots and proceed back to the trailhead via the high trail that gave us good views of the Fort and the other sites in the area. It was a lengthy drive to get there, but well worth it.  - Molly

More photos are at muleteam.shutterfly.com (see Sidetrack)

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SIDETRACK - Muleteam Photos to Disappear

I was recently informed by Shutterfly: "If you are a user of Shutterfly Share Sites, please be aware that Shutterfly will be discontinuing the Share Sites service in March". I contacted them and confirmed that soon our shutterfly page with 23 years of Muleteam photos will disappear forever! I feel personally betrayed by this company.

I am uncertain how to save and continue this historic collection, so if anyone has a suggestion please let me know at larryjmilam@gmail.com. Meanwhile, anyone interested in viewing what's there and downloading favorite photos go to muleteam.shutterfly.com.

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REMAINING SEASON 2022-2023 - Need more hikes Jan-Feb

JANUARY
21 - Galena to Warren to Gold Gulch with Elizabeth
28

FEBRUARY
4
11
18 - Laura's Loop & City Trail in the Mule Mtns with Laura
25 - Guindani Canyon in the Whetstone Mountains with Monica

MARCH
4 - Fairbank and riverside picnic with Doug
11 - Mural Hill in the Mule Mtns with Larry
18 - Joe's Canyon in the Huachucas with Brad
25

APRIL
1 - Council Rocks in the Dragoons with Carol
7-8 - Chiricahua overnight at Turkey Creek with Carol
15 - Parker Canyon Lake and wine tasting with Doug
22 - Wood Canyon Plus with Lindsay Susan and Deb
29

MAY
6 - Palominas San Pedro hike and farewell picnic with Ken