Eight Trailblazers are ready to go off trail. [photo by Bill]

Chris, Debbie, Tamar, Chip, Dick, Pat, Bill, Ron .

Six hikers joined Bill and Chip on the Woodpecker Mine loop hike. We packed into two jeeps. After 4.5 miles of a bumpy jeep ride, we arrived at the hike start point. At the hanging bra intersection we headed to the “sugar shack”. We don’t know why…but that’s what people call it. The area had multiple concrete slab foundations. A bushwhack short cut put us on the road to Reymert ore processing site. After the group picture and other photos we headed off trail to the Woodpecker Mine. Longhorn cattle greeted us on our way. We found two open pits. After lunch we stopped for one more group photo before the climb up to the ridge line. We encountered Jumping Cholla-lots of Jumping Cholla. Lots of victims. Newcomer Pat was our hero. She performed multiple “Chollaautomies” with her trusty hemostat.

Make sure you take the bra turn [photo by Bill]

At 3:30 we arrived at the jeeps. We enjoyed libations and toasted to our victory. One hiker quipped, the hike should be renamed “Cholla route from hell”

On the sugar road [photo by Chris]

We traveled 7.8 mi and had an EC of 1700ft. It took us 6.5hrs.

Look in the sugar shack [photo by Bill]

Old mine buildings [photo by Bill]

Some long horn cattle [photo by Bill]

Cow checking out the Trailblazers [photo by Bill]

Cross country hikers [photo by Bill]

Trail junk art [photo by Bill]

Cholla forest [photo by Ron]

Chollaautomies by Pat [photo by Bill]

Return to the jeeps [photo by Ron]