Cochise Stronghold

Delightful though our daily routine is, a rut is still a rut, and we decided at breakfast that it would be fun to do something different today. There's plenty of sun, but a cold front blew in yesterday, so a hike would be a fun activity. Dan made our lunch and packed binoculars and cameras, while I did the outside morning chores.

Initially we picked the Barfoot Lookout in the Chiricahuas, but once on the road and driving by the Cochise Stronghold we decided to take the hike to the viewpoint there. It is a lot less driving, and it had been a year since we had made that trip. We had been on horseback then. It is odd that you tend to ignore the beautiful places that are close to home, like 3 miles away.


The Stronghold is so named because the well-known Apache chief Cochise used this mountainous area to escape the cavalry in the 1860's. You can look across the Sulphur Springs Valley from the Stronghold to Fort Bowie, 50 miles away, where the cavalry was stationed. When the scouts saw the dust cloud signaling the cavalry was on their way, the Indians had a day to retreat into the mountains. Rumor also has it that Cochise was buried in a secret place in the Stronghold with lots of local speculation as to the whereabouts of his grave.


Today there is a beautiful campground with a number of hiking trails, all of them uphill. Our hike today was a little more than 2 miles long, with an elevation gain of about 1500 feet. We had lunch at one of the viewpoints, with the view of Fort Bowie, way in the distance.


It was a great day, and we decided to spend more time going on these types of excursions. We are all tired now: Emma, having run at least twice the distance, is sacked out. We still have to clean stalls and prepare for a freezing night.