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| Hiking | 9.80 Miles |
1,600 AEG |
| | Hiking | 9.80 Miles | 5 Hrs 45 Mns | | 1.70 mph |
| 1,600 ft AEG | | | | |
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[ show ]
| partners | | Wendy and my schedules finally came into sync and we were able to plan a hike for this past Thursday. We had been trying to decide where we were going to hike, when I remembered that this loop was her favorite. I had not been to the Chiricahuas in over a decade, and this was before I was a hiker. Also, I was going to be going to the Chiricahuas the next week for an anniversary camping trip with my husband, but I knew he wasn't going to be in the mood for a ten-mile hike. If I got the hike with over with now, I wouldn't have to bug him to hike on our relaxing camping trip. After absolutely no arm-twisting Wendy agreed to hike this loop.  I was excited because I knew it was going to be a new hike that I would fall in love with. We had a nice drive in, there were interesting weather patterns and clouds and everything was so much greener on I-10 than it had been just two weeks before. After turning off of I-10, there were fantastic low clouds arcing over the ridgeline in the Dos Cabezas Mtns. We got to the Monument visitor center and were the only two passengers for the 8:30 am hiker's shuttle.
We started hiking a little before 9 am under overcast skies. I was a little disappointed, thinking the light wouldn't be good for pictures, but at the same time I knew that this would be a hike that I would come back to again and again. Right from the start, the scenery was incredible as we descended into Echo Canyon with a stop at the Grottoes on the way to Wall Street. Not only were the formations spectacular, they were tinged with fluorescent yellow and green lichens that made them all the more attractive. There was plenty of water in the creek from the recent monsoon rains, and we visited a small but beautiful waterfall.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44Eg5lezdzI
We turned onto the Hailstone Trail (named for its volcanic, half-inch diameter "hailstone" rocks embedded into the trail) and the views opened up a bit as we traversed high above Rhyolite creek. Then we used the Mushroom Rock Tr. to climb up to the ridge. The climb was shaded and gradual and there were plenty of places to stop and admire the tall canopy of trees. By this time the skies had cleared overhead, although when we got to the top of the ridge, we realized that we were in a blue-sky "hole" with storms brewing on all the Sky Islands around us. We took the side trip out to Inspiration Point, which could be a destination in and of itself.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPtE75Pvteg
Back at the junction, we took the Big Balanced Rock Tr. and had lunch at a wonderful spot with hoodoos towering over an expansive view. It was amazing that in the last week of July the temperatures were comfortable enough not to have to cower under the shade for lunch. We passed Big Balanced Rock and took the Heart of Rocks Loop to see all the named formations. The trail in the loop wove in and out of natural paths with painted "footprints" to guide the way to viewpoints to see Pinnacle Balanced Rock, Punch and Judy, Duck on a Rock, and others with fanciful names. My favorite was one that looked like a woman in a Nefertiti-like headdress. Wendy and I speculated how long the person who laid out the trails in the monument had to explore before coming up with the final route. Incredible. It was all over too soon as we got back to the junction.
The skies darkened and we felt the first drops of rain. We both turned to each other with a look of excitement- we'd been hoping to get rained on all day, and what better time than gentle rain with no thunder at the end of a hike. Wendy said that the Sarah Deming Trail was usually a hot slog, but with the rain and cloud cover, it was a delight! I loved the contouring trail high above Sarah Deming Canyon- it made for great views of the different layers of rock formations as well as the valley below. We saw the snake-like movement of a gracile-limbed Arizona Alligator Lizard, but he didn't want to pose for a headshot.
As we headed downhill, I realized a corresponding sinking feeling in my gut. This amazing loop was almost over! The trail construction stayed impressive all the way until the lower trailhead, lined with attractive gray mossy rocks. This was an almost-perfect hike. Great weather, great scenery, great company, and we only saw two other people all day. My only problem with this loop was that it was over too quickly!!! Although on this hike, Wendy and I timed it perfectly and the giant downpour only started once we got back to my Jeep. |
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Wildflowers Observation Isolated
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