February 20, 2021 - Chiricahua National Monument to Scottsdale, Arizona

The Bonita Canyon campground at Chiricahua was our home base for the last couple days. With the one way roads through the campground we had to do several turns to get into our campsite. No worries – we backed out down the road to exit! There is conflicting information about how long your RV can be – some places said 29 feet, others 24. We squeaked in, but definitely would not have fit into many of the other sites. There were several people tent camping and the campground was full.

This morning we took the Silver Spur Faraway Trail from our campsite to the Faraway Ranch. This was a leisurely walk through meadows and forests of the Bonita Canyon. We enjoyed reading all of the signs along the trail about the CCC and their work in Chiricahua.

Now for your history lesson! In the 1930s, in an effort to help solve the economic problems of the Great Depression, President Franklin D. Roosevelt created several federal agencies. One of them was the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). In 1934, a CCC camp was established here to build roads, trails and other improvements in Chiricahua. Their pay was $30 a month, room, board, and clothing. Many of the men learned a trade, or even how to read and write! During the first summer, they built a barracks, mess hall, infirmary, storage buildings and workshops. After the CCC camp shut down in 1940, many of the buildings were torn down. The surviving building became the main lodge of the Silver Spur Guest Ranch. This fireplace is one of the two remaining that stood on the site.

These are some of the CCC men who worked in Chiricahua. On a side note, my dad was in the CCC in Nebraska after his high school graduation when there were no jobs, before he joined the Navy during WWII.

Even with signs, Tobey and I weren’t very good at identifying the trees.

I thought this was an Alligator Juniper. What do you think?

As we came out of the forest we entered the meadow with beautiful cliffs in the distance.

Arriving at the Stafford Cabin we found plenty of information signs to read. The 110-year-old homestead cabin and surrounding land became part of Chiricahua National Monument in 1968. The Stafford Cabin was a homestead claim during the Apache resistance and evolved in its last decades as a guest cottage at a modestly popular dude ranch. The cabin was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.

Not much further down the trail we came to the Faraway Ranch. In 1886 Neil Erickson and Emma Sophia Peterson, both young Swedish immigrants, married and set out for Bonita Canyon to homestead. The Erickson Homestead, established in 1887, soon became the Erickson Ranch as they gradually took over the smaller homesteads in the canyon. In 1903, Neil became a park ranger and had to relocate. They turned the management of the ranch over to their oldest child, Lillian. Lillian married Ed Riggs, and together they managed the Faraway Ranch. During its heyday of the 1920s and 30s, Faraway was a guest ranch.

After reaching the Faraway parking lot, we turned around and headed back to the campground.

As we got deeper into the forest, we heard shuffling in the trees and were lucky enough to spot a band of coati. They are members of the raccoon family and have a long snout. They are most active during the morning – lucky for us! Unfortunately, they blend well into the colors of the fallen logs and brush so no pictures. We saw about ten of them scampering along!

Not much further, we heard a strange noise, like someone sneezing on the hill. Pretty soon we found the source – deer! There were six or seven whitetail on the hill and one of them definitely had a cold – or allergies!

We saw several Mexican Jays and some Acorn Woodpeckers, as well as robins as we got back to the RV. The Silver Spur Meadow trail was 2.5 miles round trip.

We finished packing up and headed back to Scottsdale stopping in Wilcox for lunch. It was a great trip and if you get a chance to visit southern Arizona – take it!

February 19, 2021 - Chiricahua National Monument, Arizona

Today was a challenging day, but OH, SO WORTH IT! We chose the Echo Canyon – Heart of the Rocks Trail for our hike. The trail guide said it was easier than leaving from the visitor’s center so we drove up to the trailhead Echo Canyon parking lot. On the way Tobey and I both thought this rock formation looked like Scooby Doo!

Wearing coats, hats, and gloves we started off from the parking lot Trail and were soon shedding layers as the day warmed.

The Echo Canyon Loop Trail was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1936-37. It was engineered by Ed Riggs and is still considered a masterpiece of trail design. With so many choices at the trailhead, we opted to follow the Ed Riggs Trail to Hunt Canyon, Big Balanced Rock Trail, then on to the Heart of the Rock before returning on the same route.

We dropped into the canyon and were soon marveling at all of the different rock formations as well as views of Arizona cypress and Douglas firs.

We thought this looked a little like ET.

This formation looked like an ice cream cone. I hope it was dipped in chocolate!




As the rocks weather and erode, the joints widen and cavities form along the weak zones. Unusual columns, “totem poles,” and balanced rocks result from the continuing erosion.

About an hour into the hike, I was still smiling!

There are several “balanced” rocks along the trail and Tobey tried tipping one over. No luck!

I thought this looked like a crazy chicken face looking at us as we passed by.

We had beautiful views of Hunt Canyon.


This is Mushroom Rock along the Hunt Canyon.
Just past the junction to Inspiration Point the trail name changes to Big Balanced Rock Trail. We had a great view of Big Balanced Rock. The rock is 22 feet in diameter, 25 feet tall, and weighs an estimated 1000 tons!
Before we knew it, we had arrived at the Heart of the Rock Loop. We had been hiking for about three hours so we decided to stop for lunch before doing the loop and heading back. Okay, is this a person or an animal? What are your thoughts?? I think it kind of looks like a person thinking.

Fortified with lunch, we continued on. The trail guides recommend you do the loop in a clockwise direction for best views and easiest walking. SO …. this is the beginning of the trail! I wondered how bad it would be going the opposite direction if this was easiest!

It turns out that while there were definitely some steep climbs, it was probably easier. The formation below is “Pinnacle Balanced Rock.”

Sometimes it wasn’t easy to see which way the trail went around the rocks. Into the slot … dead end! It was just to the left.

This was called “The Old Maid”. I guess I see a resemblance! Could be an old man.

We also had a great view of the Camel’s Head and Thor’s Hammer.

Another unnamed formation, maybe lizard heads? Maybe not a rock???

This might be a lion cub head. What do you think?

Does this look like a bear to you? Yogi, maybe? 

We could also see Cochise in the distance beyond the rhyolite canyon.

The next named formation was “Punch and Judy,” but I’m not sure if I see it. In front of it, Tobey thought it looked like praying hands.

Duck on a Rock was next up. The duck was trying to catch the moon.

We soon spotted the Kissing Rocks.

We rounded the bend and started back up the trail. One last look back and Tobey decided this formation on the left reminded him of a character from The Simpsons TV show!

 

Six hours later, we were back to the parking lot where we took off the boots and put our feet up for a while! It was a long day, but so amazing! We hiked 7-1/2 miles and had about 1500 feet in elevation gain. Not bad!! We only saw 20 other people the entire day.

On the way back to the campground we made one final stop at the Organ Pipe Formation along the Bonita Canyon Drive.

Some of the columns look like there is NOTHING holding them up!

Back at our campsite, we had dinner and settled in for the night and will sleep well! We will see if our legs and feet have anything left in them tomorrow for more hiking!

Feb 18, 2021 - Tombstone to Chiricahau National Monument, Arizona

Well the weather didn’t get as cold overnight as predicted – only 30! We heated our rice bags and popped them at the foot of the bed so we were pretty snug all night. Yes, we are sissy campers.

We had sunny skies as we headed back into Tombstone to walk around the historic district one more time. At 9:30 in the morning it was pretty quiet.

There were some folks going for a stagecoach tour through town.

Tombstone was originally the Cochise County seat. The original courthouse is now a museum since the county seat was move to Bisbee.

Ed Schieffelin came to this area in 1877 searching for silver. Soldiers from Fort Huachuca warned him that the only thing he would find was his tombstone because this area was patrolled by the Apache warrior, Geronimo. Ed did find silver and jokingly named his claim “Tombstone.” Other prospectors soon followed and the town of Tombstone grew to be one of the greatest silver camps in the west.

We were lucky enough to go past the town library and I was able to post yesterday’s blog we before heading east to Chiricahua.

About 75 miles and a couple hours later (after a lunch stop!) we arrived at Chiricahua National Monument. This area is called a “sky island” because it is an isolated mountain range rising above the surrounding grassland sea. The Chiricahua Apache called the pinnacles “standing up rocks,” and you will see why later. 

Our first stop was the visitor’s center to get a map and hiking guide. The ranger gave us a couple suggestions so we were off to the end of the road and the Massai Point Nature Trail.

The scenic Bonita Canyon Drive is eight miles and wound through oak, cypress, and pine forests. When we got to the top, there was an amazing view over the Rhyolite Canyon and valleys.

The pinnacles originated 27 million years ago when eruptions from the Turkey Creek Volcano spewed ash over 1,200 square miles. The superheated ash particles melted together forming layers of gray rock called rhyolite. Cooling and subsequent uplifting created the joints and cracks in the rhyolite. Weathering by ice and water erosion enlarged the cracks. The weaker materials were washed away, leaving the spires, balanced rocks, and other shapes. Some of the formations are named, others are not.




This rock didn’t have a name, but we thought it looked like a sea turtle popping its head out of the water.

Massai Point Nature Trail was about 1/2 mile long and the elevation was 6,870 feet. It was sunny, but chilly, so we wore our winter jackets and hats.

Cochise, a famous Chiricahua Apache chief, often hid in this area of the Dragoon Mountains. He died in 1874 and was buried in a deep grave within the Stronghold. It is said that is followers ran their horses over his grave to erase any trace of it. To this day, it has not been found.

Harris Mountain was named after a pioneer family who died at the hands of Apaches in 1873. They were part of a westward bound wagon train who attempted to take a short cut through the Chiricahua Mountains and disappeared. Several years later, soldiers from Fort Bowie found one of the the Harris girls in an Apache camp in Mexico! She told them what had happened and led them to the spot at Harris Mountain where the family was killed. They found the remaining bones and buried them. A headboard marks the gravesite.

Looking to the northwest we could see the rock formation which resembles a man resting on his back. It is named Cochise Head.

From Massai Point we headed back to the Echo Canyon turnoff to hike the Sugarloaf Mountain Trail. The 1.8 mile trail climbs 470 feet up the mountain reaching an elevation of 7,310 feet. We passed through a small tunnel cut by men of the Civilian Conservation Corps who built the trail.

 

At the summit we came to the fire lookout station which was also constructed in 1935 by the CCC. It is still used today to monitor fire and lightning activity in the area in the summer. Tobey was searching for fires but, fortunately, didn’t spot any!

We both decided the trail was MUCH easier going down! Yes, that is snow on the ground!

The side of the cliff was so white! We don’t know enough about geology to explain it.

The views were spectacular.

After the hike, we headed back down the mountain to the Bonita Canyon Campground where we will stay for two nights. There were some beautiful rock formations we stopped to see along the way back down the hill.

Tomorrow will be the real challenge. We are hoping to complete the Heart of Rocks trail. Leaving from the campground, it will be over 8 miles. No internet service here so we will post later.