Today was our hiking club’s annual Christmas Hike and Potluck. We met at the San Pedro-Fairbank camping area at 9am to start a four-mile loop from the restored village to the Grand Stamp Mill. An optional eight-mile loop was offered for those more adventurous, leading to Contenion City and back.The high winds that blew last night were calm by 7:30am. We had a gorgeous hike with clear skies and little breeze.
We had a nice showing: Steve and Steve2 were there, Brenda, Chilita, and her cousin Darren from Indiana, Robin, Cliff and Carol, Rod and Casi and Kevin and I. Mike was there with his dog Minki and I showed up with Tone. Both Tone and Mike were my guests. Sammy was our lone dog.
Tone had never been here before and explored all the nooks and crannies of this neat little historical site. The BLM had done massive restorations to the village ruins in 2007. The Fairbank school is now a visitor’s center manned by volunteers of the Friends of the San Pedro River.
We started at the Fairbank School building at the parking area, then .6 mile to the cemetery, where from the hilltop we could see the Whetstones and other surrounding peaks. There was very little greenery left; the mesquites were dry and the cottonwoods along the river were almost nude of any yellow leaves. A lot of catclaw poked us as we meandered along the trails.
It had been three years since I had been here. Nothing much has changed. Dried pigweed lined the wide trails. In the summer this exposed hike would have been a scorcher. Artifacts lined the mill and town sites.
We came across the Grand Stamp Mill at the 1.6 mile mark. From here we walked over to the cliffs overlooking the river, then decided to walk further north along the river on an unmarked trail.
“We need to be back at noon for the picnic” said Brenda. That’s when I knew I’d be late, as I wanted Tone to see Contention City (now nothing but ruins) and the old Spanish presidio Santa Cruz de Terrenate. (How serious the picnic time truly was I discovered only later.)
Sammy was a real sport today. I have never given him the credit he deserves for being a gentleman hiker. He didn’t sniff peoples’ crotches, he didn’t chase any cows (he lacked backup from Sara and Sadie!) and he was right by my side the entire time. He got along well with Minki and Chilita as well.
We made it to Contention City at 10:45am and had an early lunch. I didn’t bring anything to eat since there was food back at the picnic area. Rod stayed for a little bit before heading back at 11:15. Mike and Tone watched some of the last of the cottonwood leaves twirl to the ground.
We walked along the river going back to Fairbank, which meant that eventually I got my boots wet as I had no choice but to step into foot-deep water. The water wasn’t as cold as I thought it would be…or maybe my feet were just so hot from the walking.
Here the rest of us walked further on along the river to the abandoned presidio Santa Cruz de Terrenate, the most northern presidio in New Spain which is nothing more than a foundation and a few crumbling adobe walls remaining. The Bureau of Land Management has renovated the site with new historical signs that better describe what the presidio once looked between 1776 and 1779 when battles were fought here against the raiding Apaches. (The many Apache raids were the reason this presidio was abandoned. A grave marker for 42 soldiers, including those of three presidio commanders, remains of those bloody days). Tone took copious notes of GPS locations, names of places.
We met an archaeology team digging through an old Sobaipuri Indian dump site. Deni, the leader of the team, was at first not very hospitable toward us (she gets a lot of hikers, she said, that come right up to her and want answers to all the prehistory), but when we learned that both she and Mike knew others in the Friends of the San Pedro River group, she opened up and began talking passionately about the prehistory of the Indians here. According to her there are many unmarked Indian sites along the river.
I am glad we met but it was already passed 1pm when we got to the site. I left at 1:32 hoping I could make it to the picnic at 2pm. I walked as fast as I could without stopping, taking the river loop back that seemed to be a tad longer than the more direct trail along the historical sites. I got back to the picnic area at 2:20pm when most of the people had left: Steve2 was gone, Bill was gone, Cliff, Carol and Robin were gone and all the food had already been packed away. There was no time for me to socialize with everyone else. Kevin left me a cold slice of chicken which I gulped down in sheer hunger. It was my fault that most of the hikers had left by the time I had arrived, and my fault that I didn’t get to socialize with Bill whose trip to Antarctica I wanted to hear.
Kevin and I were the last ones to leave the parking lot at 2:46pm. I looked behind to see if Tone or Mike would make it, but they never showed up.
I hiked close to eight miles today.
I also took my wet boots and socks off. I rode back in the truck while Kevin drove. I had barefeet until I got home and wrapped in warm clothes. It took me several hours to get warm again, as the wind outside became stronger and stronger.
It is now just past 9pm and the winds outside are howling! The house’s fan was blown off the roof and several rain barrels have been knocked over. Rain is still forecasted for tomorrow, which means I most likely will not make it to Tucson this Sunday.
http://www.svherald.com/articles/2008/12/13/news/breaking_news/doc49441ffe5ad8f967255568.txt
It is now just past 9pm and the winds outside are howling! The house’s fan was blown off the roof and several rain barrels have been knocked over. Rain is still forecasted for tomorrow, which means I most likely will not make it to Tucson this Sunday.
http://www.svherald.com/articles/2008/12/13/news/breaking_news/doc49441ffe5ad8f967255568.txt
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