Tuesday, January 11, 2011

IT JUST FELT LIKE A CHIRICAHUA MOUNTAIN KIND OF DAY

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ALL PHOTOS ARE FROM OUR CHIRICAHUA MOUNTAIN HIKE TODAY…..A FEW MORE PHOTOS TOMORROW

We never have been folks to spend much time on planning things.  Each day is new & a lot of times ideas for the day are not hatched until our morning walk.  We tend to avoid structure & schedules & prefer to wing it on how we are feeling at the moment.  This morning just kinda felt like a Chiricahua Mountain hike so without further ado we piled ourselves into the Jeep & off to the CHIRICAHUA NATIONAL MONUMENT we went.

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After Ramsey Canyon’s leg burner on Sunday we figured we better not push our luck so picked a trail this morning that was rated as easy.  The Rhyolite Trail begins at the Visitor Center & gradually ascends up along the north side of the Rhyolite Canyon.  We didn’t realize it when we started out…..but this was going to be a bit of a problem later. 

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TRAIL ALMOST HAS A TROPICAL FEEL TO IT STARTING OUT

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Right from the parking lot the trail begins rising so it is a gradual up hill hike.  Nothing like the Hamburg trail at Ramsey but we knew we were heading higher alright. 

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A FEW SKIFFS BEGIN TO APPEAR

Path was bare, dry & easy walking as we meandered through a thick forest of Ponderosa Pine, Douglas Fir, Manzanita, Juniper & many other kinds of trees we couldn’t identify.  Agave’s, Prickly Pear Cactus, Sotol & Hedge Hog Cactus are along the trail as well.  The surrounding green forest forms a canopy overhead while White Tail deer were so close we had to whisper back & forth so as not to disturb them.

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It is a beautiful forest & as the trail continued it’s ascent we came across our first few skiffs of snow.  Being on the north facing side of the Canyon we were in shadow while a short half mile across to the Canyon’s south facing side, sunlight  beamed onto towering rock columns.  No snow over there but we soon came upon long stretches of hard packed snow & ice on our side of the Canyon.

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STILL A FEW SNOW FREE SPOTS ON THE TRAIL

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TRAIL DROPS RIGHT OFF ON THE SIDE

Our trail destination was the Echo Canyon trailhead where three trails converge.   Sarah Deming, Rhyolite, & Echo Canyon trails meet at three small stone sign standards.  We had slightly over a mile to hike in order to reach that point but the trail underfoot was very slippery.  We could tell a horse & rider had preceded us at some point but we never did encounter another person on the trail & there were no boot prints in the snow or soft mud.   We also knew heading up the trail was going to be much easier than coming back down but we pushed on anyway.  Beautiful scenery as the trees thinned out a bit & we could see the majesty of the tall rock columns clinging to the cliff face across the canyon.

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ACROSS THE CANYON

Kelly has difficulty on slippery surfaces & of course we left a perfectly good ski pole walking stick in the Jeep.  Todays hike on the slippery trail was a good example of where a couple ski poles would have been very helpful for her, especially on the way down.

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SLIPPERY WALKING

We did eventually reach the trailhead & didn’t waste any time in turning around to begin the treacherous walk back down the icy trail.  We took our time, had a few minor spin outs & about half an hour later we had descended low enough to get ourselves some good old solid dirt under our boots.  We both commented on how our legs were sore from trying to keep from slipping & sliding on the ice & snow.

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OUR TRAIL HEAD DESTINATION

It was at the low end of the trail near the Visitor’s center where we saw  all the deer.  They did not seem too bothered by our presence at all but we walked slowly & quietly by them.  Only sound that broke the serenity of the quiet forest was the sound of my digital camera clicking away.

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WE TIPPY TOED BY THESE GUYS

We had begun our hike at 11:50 & were back in the parking lot about 2.  And, as always, it was great to get back & flop our tired legs into the Jeep.  An hour later & we were back home with another super great day under our belts.  Ya just gotta love the great American Southwest.

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IT FELT LIKE A FINE APRIL SPRING DAY

Kelly came across a solo ladies blog this morning that caught my attention.  I like her post entitled, TO READERS.  Liked her philosophy & approach to life.  And, especially appreciate when writer’s write with some depth of thought & feeling.

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The Bayfield Bunch welcomes our past few blog supporters, OUR COFFEE CAFE,  Barry & Linda, DEAR MISS MERMAID, Bigie Malc, WHEEL LIFE WITH THE BRIGHTS, Kayjulia, THE GOOD LUCK DUCK & DANYSHULA.  Thanks for dropping by folks & your presence on the blog is much appreciated:)) 

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WE REMEMBERED THE GPS TODAY BUT FORGOT KELLY’S WALKING STICK

OK guys, how many of us have had this conversation with our spouse & why is it that the conversation is repeated over & over every year!!  And ladies, you all know who you are out there.  Check out Jenny’s post at ELEVEN FOOT RV.  And heading south for the winter doesn’t really assure warm weather anymore as the folks at FIVE-JUST ROLLING DOWN THE ROAD have just found out.

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JUST ANOTHER FINE DAY IN THE LIFE & TIMES OF THE BAYFIELD BUNCH

GROANER’S CORNER:((  And here’s one for all you Math heads out there……There were three Indian squaws. One slept on a deer skin, one slept on an elk skin, and the third slept on a hippopotamus skin. All three became pregnant, and the first two each had a baby boy. The one who slept on the hippopotamus skin had twin boys. This goes to prove that the squaw of the hippopotamus is equal to the sons of the squaws of the other two hides.

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EMAIL THE BAYFIELD BUNCH:))
stargeezerguy@gmail.com
Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.

BLOGGER WEBSITE http://thebayfieldbunch.com/
OUR PHOTO ALBUMS http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/
The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now...... AL.

16 comments:

  1. Another great hike glad you made it up and back safely. I love the pictures of the rock formations.

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  2. Looked like a perfect hike to me. Not too far, but good exercise and lots of great scenery. Nice shots of the deer.

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  3. a slippery slope of a hike..but a good one all the same..you got some great shots today!..as per usual!..who would have thought that snow would have been a problem in Arizona..but we are starting to realize that mother nature will do what she darn well pleases!..snowing here as a I type away!..the weather girl was right!!

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  4. what a beautiful day, even if there was snow - we loved the pictures of the deer.

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  5. just love the southwest and all the hikes it offers...

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  6. When we get free of rallies and boards and chapter assignments -- we are going to take off in the hinterlands to try to be FREE! You are giving us a great example, and we love following your adventures.

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  7. Pictures were great especially the one with the moon in it. Looks like it was a fun hike even with all the snow and how nice to run into wildlife. Always an added bonus!
    Have fun & Travel Safe
    Donna

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  8. Yep, Michael runs around on steep trails like a goat and I slip and slid--I sympathize with Kelly!

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  9. You put a lot of spirit in your blog.
    Good reading!

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  10. I soooo understand Kelly's fear of falling in snow...I won't walk at all here when it snows...I chose to run around the house and up and down steps for my walk. Love the pictures...especially those rock towers....fabulous!

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  11. I can't wait to do that hike, Al. I would imagine the snow will be gone by the time I get there in late February. Thanks also for all the links to new bloggers. I love how you do that for everyone. Lots of folks find RV blogs thanks to you. Whaddaguy!!

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  12. Al,

    You really scored today with the deer pictures. That is not just ANY deer that you saw that is a Coues Whitetail. Coues (properly pronounced "cows", but almost everyone pronounces it "coos") is a small subspecies of white-tailed deer found in Arizona, New Mexico and Mexico. This deer has developed such a reputation for being able to vanish from view in the smallest amount of cover that it is frequently referred to as the "Grey Ghost". Famous big-game hunter Jack O'Connor proclaimed the Coues deer to be "the most difficult of all deer to kill" due to its extreme wariness and the inhospitable habitat this deer can live in.

    Well done son!

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  13. Nice, catching the moon in just the right spot!

    Having taught math for many years, I appreciated the theorum this morning. :)

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  14. Hi, thanks for following my blog. Not much RVing stuf to say yet.
    Counting down the days until I can visit some of the places I have seen on the RVing blogs.
    Teri

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  15. Whew! You wore us out with your long hike! Glad it was you doing the exertion and us getting to enjoy the fruits of your labors with the photos!

    Thanks for the GPS coordinates for the ranch... my book should be here any day now.

    ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
    Karen and Steve
    (Our Blog) RVing: Small House... BIG Backyard
    http://kareninthewoods-kareninthewoods.blogspot.com/

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  16. Whew! You wore us out with your long hike! Glad it was you doing the exertion and us getting to enjoy the fruits of your labors with the photos!

    Thanks for the GPS coordinates for the ranch... my book should be here any day now.

    ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
    Karen and Steve
    (Our Blog) RVing: Small House... BIG Backyard
    http://kareninthewoods-kareninthewoods.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete