Portal, AZ - Rodeo, NM

Eight hikers left the junction of the Trans Mountain Road (42) and Onion Saddle to walk the Shaw Peak Trail to Jhus-Horsefall Saddle. The first mile of the trail is UP, sometimes quite UP, but mostly it isn’t bad. The Shaw Peak Trail itself was very visible and there were no logs down, which is always an amazing statement. But the tread is in need of work. Sometimes the trail is awfully narrow and sometimes it is collapsing over the edge. It is pretty rocky too. We took it nice and slow and we were fine. 

The trail is sometimes in shaded forest, and sometimes with no cover, mostly due to the Horseshoe II Fire 15 years ago. You can see Cochise’s Head in a photo below. We enjoy our views of that rock formation from all over the Chiricahuas.

It was a perfect day for hiking, comfortably warm but not hot. We had an actual spring this year and were all enjoying it. Flowers weren’t very abundant but there was the usual assortment of lupine, Indian paintbrush, fleabane and more.

At the Jhus-Horsefall Saddle we found all the signs down, but at they were at least readable and pointing in the correct directions! This trail has a lot of Gambel Oak, which everyone can recognize as an oak, even if they are from the East. These oaks live at 5,000 – 8,000 feet on dry slopes, often forming clonal thickets. The tree was named in honor of William Gambel, an explorer and naturalist who explored the west in the early 1800’s. Gambel must have been a brilliant soul, because not only is this native oak named for him but so are several birds, including the Mountain Chickadee, Poecile gambeli. And he was on this earth for only 26 years! These trees become colorful in the fall and lose all their leaves for the winter, a different strategy than the one found for our live oaks.

As we descended the Horsefall Trail we found that the work the Sumner trail crew did on it last year made for very pleasant walking. Again, there were no downed trees and the tread was really good. We didn’t t have to watch so carefully where each foot was placed, always a plus.

At Iron Spring we all found comfortable places for lunch. We noted that there was more water there than usual. The spring box was full and clear and there was some water in the nearby creek.

The re-routing of the trail after Iron Spring was also excellent. We used to zig-zag though a soggy bottom but the new trail simply bypasses it. Why didn’t we think of that? And the bottom wasn’t soggy today either. Walking now towards the Pinery Canyon Trail and Pinery Canyon, the trail was okay. It all needs clipping here and there and this tread was a bit rougher, but again, it is a very obvious trail that gets you to where you are going. We all enjoy this hike very much, and were satisfyingly tired after 5 1/2 miles.

Next week we are going to the Chiricahua National Monument — really. We will meet at the Silver peak Trailhead at 8:00 a.m. AZ, 9 a.m. NM, to carpool over the mountain. It will be along day with the drive, so bring everything you need. If you are going to meet us at the Monument, please let us know. (Two people already have.) We should arrive at the visitor center parking lot around 9:30 a.m. AZ.

Happy trails!

Report by Carol

Photos by Carol and Elaine