Come take a walk with us. We won't say a word.

 

A Saunter Halfway Down the Easy Trail

 

I wouldn't take a dog on a leash on the Echo Canyon Loop that my neighbor and I hiked two years ago. Even the trail going up from the Visitor Center was no fun when another friend and I tried it with Sarah. But from Faraway Ranch to the Visitor Center an easy trail beckoned, and the other day I tried half of it, beginning at the Visitor Center and walking halfway to Faraway Ranch. Had I not left my phone at home, I could have walked the whole distance and called David to pick me up at the other end, but when I left him at the parking lot I didn't know how long the trail was or how much of it I wanted to explore that day. 

It was so lovely! Chiricahua Monument was busier than we expected on a weekday (spring break?), but the trail was wilderness-quiet and empty. I saw the deer before I had time to get my camera in position -- and then didn't want to alarm them. Just stood and watched. They stood and watched back. Magical moments with time standing still. 

There were, however, signs of not-so-peaceful times: forest fire struck here not all that long ago.

Burned tree

Most trees, though, were flourishing, and many were gigantic, especially along the bed of the creek, dry at present.

Occasional openings in the canopy give way to spectacular mountain views.

There were stretches of lovely, open stretches of savannah, but whether in these parklike areas or along the dry creek, the trees are the stars of the trail.

Though sometimes my eye was attracted to smaller scenes at ground level or only slightly above.

Silver Spur Meadow: evocative name, beautiful place!

Every so often a bench had been placed at the side of the trail, and a couple of interpretive signs gave some history along the way. The "tree army" sign brought my Uncle Paul to mind, as he served in the CCC during World War II while his brothers were in the Army and Navy. Paul, who had lost much of his hearing from measles in childhood, was not considered fit for the military, but he did good work for his country, and I was always impressed by his knowledge of trees.

Were these monumental twin fireplaces part of the old CCC camp? I should have read the sign more thoroughly, but I will go back another time better prepared to linger.

Next photograph may not look like much to you, but to my eye --. Look closely! Evidence of horses!!!

Were my boots made for walkin'? They did quite a bit of it on Thursday. The dust tells the story. 

Maybe I'll start at the Faraway Ranch end next time....

 

High Desert Morning Explorations

 

This old hulk of a car is what we went to see, and it was worth the walk. I knew a friend back home in northern Michigan would be interested in seeing the discovery.

I took some close-up photographs for reference, too. Do you know what you're looking at here?

Now for a couple of other angles --

And not too far away was this: 

But the old car wasn't the only sight to be seen in the vicinity. Someone lived here once but had probably moved out before the roof fell in and the adobe bricks collapsed outward. Since adobe is mud, it easily returns to nature when not maintained.

I'm no expert in adobe construction, but my hiking partner and I were intrigued, when inspecting a section of wall that remains in place, to see that the exterior bricks covered a layer of rocks, with more adobe plastering over the rock for the interior wall. At least, that's how we read what we were looking at. 

But Mother Nature had been doing more than rusting and eroding. Some years back, my friend told me, there was such a spell of deep cold that many barrels cacti were killed when their interior water supplies froze and burst the cacti. This big, old guy, with a chomped-away section on the lower, woodier half and new growth on top, definitely looks like a long-term survivor. Good to see! 

Don't we have fun?

O, Happy Dog Day!

 

Human beings in these Disunited States are still at each other's throats this week, but dogs are better people. 

Buddy was tired from an earlier long walk, Molly yet a bit suspicious of the newcomer, and Peasy his usual little Chicken Little self (running back to mama whenever he got scared), but they managed together pretty well this morning, all three off leashes most of the time. There is nothing like working with -- and just plain being with -- dogs to lift my spirits! Therese (in top photo), of course, is also a good companion on the trail....