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| Hiking | 2.50 Miles |
700 AEG |
| | Hiking | 2.50 Miles | 2 Hrs | | 1.25 mph |
| 700 ft AEG | | | | |
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| no partners | | Chihuahua Hill via 114 Steps
I woke at 6am up with the intent up strolling around old town Bisbee. Next thing I know, I'm hiking up a mountain. Must be my natural calling. It was those darn steps, all 114 of them, that led me out of the city and up towards Chihuahua Hill.
I was innocently walking down OK St, minding my own business and enjoying the eclectic artwork that adorned the streets and walls of Bisbee. Cyclists dressed in their tights, a lady walking her old dog, a janitor cleaning the sidewalks in front of St Elmo Bar were the only people I saw this early morning. I roamed the streets, the alleyways and hidden narrow walkways carrying my Canon and a sack of lenses. The streets of Bisbee are quiet at this time of day and I enjoyed my directionless wander through the pre-dawn solitude.
Then came those steps. A glance to my right was all it took. I saw the lady I had seen earlier, walking her dog. She was far away near the top of the steps, but easily seen in her bright orange shirt. I watched her and her dog disappear to the left and decided to follow.
A mild case of OCD kicked in and I started counting the steps. 1, 2, 3, 4.......113, 114. I was at the top of the steps. Heart beating a little faster than when I started. The lady in orange and her dog were gone, and I was standing in familiar terriroty; a dirt trail on the side of the mountain. After a couple hundred feet and a few switchbacks I now realized that I was no longer strolling through Bisbee. I was hiking. Never planned on it. This was going to be a non-hiking weekend touring Southern Arizona, tasting wines, perusing over-priced art and artifacts, dining in historic buildings and drinking with friends "old west" style.
The trail towards Chihuahua Hill runs along a thin ridge lined with red rock and scree that looks unnatural, blown to bits, I assume, by years of mining these hills. Stay on the trail and you are fine. Step off trail onto the scree covered slopes and you may find yourself on your rear end. I stayed on the trail, constantly looking over my shoulder at Bisbee which was slowly starting to reveal itself from behind the shadows of the hills.
As you near the top of the hill, the trail intersects with a much larger path that resembles a single lane dirt road. I made a right turn at the road and headed towards the summit. Views of the Lavender Pit, mining operations, Mexico and the Town of Bisbee are the prize at the top. The landscape up top is dirt, jagged red rock and short bushy trees that somewhat interfere with your views. There is also a large area of white paint covering a 6 foot by 12 foot slab of earth. My unscientific hypothesis is that this was left over paint from the painting of the "B" just below the summit. Why waste energy lugging excess paint down the hill? Just pour the rest out up top. I don't know, maybe someone just dropped a full 5 gallon bucket up there.
I snapped a few shots of Bisbee which had almost completely risen out of the shadows before returning back down the way I came. My stomach soon reminded me that I wasn't supposed to be going this far on my morning "stroll." A bottle of water would have also been a welcome addition to my belt pack. I made it back down the trail to the 114 steps that turned my morning stroll into an impromptu hike. Just to be sure, I counted them again. 1, 2, 3, 4.........113, and yep, 114. |
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| This is my gym. I have to travel down a bumpy road to get there. There are no treadmillls, no machines, and no personal trainers. I walk..I run..I breathe the fresh air. I can go any time I want, as much as I want and there is no membership fee. |
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