Hiking the Old Hills

On Tuesday, two days after my arrival in Tucson, I joined my hiking group to walk the Arizona Trail, north from the Madera Canyon Road in the foothills of the Santa Rita Mountains in Santa Cruz County.
It was sunny but in the 40’s with a good wind blowing from the east. I was hoping for the best in my ability to keep up with the group. This part of the trail is at about 5000+ feet. I did have to stop on the long upgrades to get my breath.
The country at that altitude is grassland, forest service land leased for cattle grazing to local ranchers. The grass was kneehigh, yellow in its dried winter dress. There are Juniper, Cedar and Live Oak Trees growing on the slopes and in the draws of the rolling land. There has been a three year drought. About 20 percent of the Oak trees have died, shedding their leaves and taking on an oxford grey appearance. The Arizona Trail is plainly marked with small iron gates through the barbed wire fences. Some of the markers are numbered and I memorized one number as we passed. 4072 it said. Under foot the trail was rough with loose small rocks scattered about.
It was soon evident that this trail serves other purposes. It is a highway for illegal migrants from Mexico. My companions remarked on the footprints that preceded us. “Worn tennis shoes, almost smooth.” Both sides of the trail were littered with empty water bottled, tin cans and here and there a discarded back pack. I tried to ascertain if the bottles and cans were fresh. They weren’t. The cans were beginning to rust and the bottles had settled into their places in the grass and had a film of dust on them.
We continued along, winding below the tops of the hillocks, trying to avoid the wind at the summits. There was a lot of discussion about the possible location of a new open pit mine that a Canadian Company is seeking to exploit for the Copper deposit.
“Are those the mine buildings?” Said Elka, pointing off to the northwest.
So far they have been delayed with the need to get forestland access and probably some acreage to use for necessary expansion of the deeded land containing the mineral claim. Arizona never gave mineral rights to individual property owners. So it is possible for a Mine to claim the minerals under your property and go ahead and dig for them. The Forest Service land is a different proposition, necessitating permission from the Department of the Interior to disturb and alter the land. Herein lies the hope of the population of the Sonoita Valley to
“Save the Santa Ritas”.
I felt pretty pessimistic, knowing the history of the Forest Service’s failure to protect public lands from economic exploitation. Also the price of Copper is very high now. I thought ‘It will be decided in Washington. We will want something from Canada and this wee precious corner of the earth will be given up in a trade of interests.’
Up ahead I saw a large rusted tank lying on its side, the open bottom facing the trail. I walked into it. There was a layer of sand and stones on the bottom about four or five inches deep in the center. Tossed in the back was a mixed pile of cloths, a blanket, a piece of blue tarp. The entrance was surrounded by empty water bottles, energy drink bottles. Nearby there was an old water well and some newer poles for an electric line, probably to supply the mine buildings in the distance.
“An immigrant bed and breakfast.” Said Faith.
I was beginning to wonder what we would do if someone said,
“We’ve got company.”
I thought about my cell phone resting in my left pocket, “I’ll dial 911 and give them the number of the nearest Arizona Trail marker, 4072.”
On the return I picked up a discarded red Jansport backpack and we filled it with bottles and cans in about one half mile. Molly said that on her last ride with Della they filled two black trash bags with litter and she carried them back on her mule.
“They were rattling and banging on either side of the saddle and she didn’t mind.”
The horses would have none of it. The only problem she had was when they came across a burro standing near a fence and her mule didn’t want to leave him.
“I went back and forth along that fence. Finally we went on.”