Portal, AZ - Rodeo, NM

Four hikers had a pleasant morning walking from Barfoot Park to the Ida Peak Saddle and back. Although we didn’t cover a lot of ground our trail was filled with camaraderie, laughter, solving the world’s problems and relaxation. Quite a bit of relaxation.

Our walk was almost entirely at 8000’ with a bit of up and down. Half the walk was in glorious, mature forest and the other half was along exposed areas, still beautiful, resulting from the 2011 Horseshoe II Fire, one of the ongoing stories of our lives.

We walked only a short distance on the Ida Peak Trail when we came across this mystery trail work. We have no idea who did it but for the short distance it covered, it looked pretty good. The tread was improved and the trail edge was supported by embedded logs.

On this day I decided to focus on patterns and textures. A few of my images follow. First you see the bark textures of two different forest trees, Ponderosa Pine and Douglas Fir.

There are many pine cones in the forest and dead logs are vital because they provide habitat for small creatures like ants, termites and beetles. They also help retain moisture and put nutrients back into the soil as they decay.

The yucca below has smooth fronds, not serrated ones like agaves, and it can produce flowering stalks repeatedly. Agaves die after producing a single stalk. Flowers are always pleasing shapes and here you see a native thistle.

And finally, I was interested in the patterns that the dead logs on the forest floor formed when I realized that I was not alone. The day was perfect and we all had  very fine time.

Next week, on Thursday, September 17, we’ll meet at the Silver Peak Trailhead and decide where to hike. The forecast for the days leading up to that day is pretty interesting and we really need to see how much rain we get — or don’t get — in order to decide on what roads to drive, what elevation to choose, etc. Come prepared for anything with the usual lunch, hat, sunscreen and rain gear. Whatever we do, it will be fun.

Happy trails!

Report by Carol

Photos by Carol and Elly