Portal, AZ - Rodeo, NM

Today was a celebration of the return of the Crest Trail. After the 1994 Rattlesnake Fire and the 2011 Horseshoe II Fire, most of the Crest Trail simply had no forest left, no trees. Today, 15 years after Horseshoe II there are extended sections of fairly tall aspens that allow for a much cooler hike again. Conifers are trying to make a comeback but they are fewer in numbers and more slow growing. The aspens grow quickly because their extensive root systems underground give them a real advantage. The aspen and raspberries come up first after a fire.

Below you can see the contrast between walking through a dense aspen/fern forest and the open Crest trail. Both have beauties of their own but having a canopy is definitely cooler. There was LOTS of vegetation up there, with sections of the trail being quite overgrown. Rustler Park had 10 inches of rain in July. The numbers for August are not yet in but clearly there was additional rain up there.

The core of the Crest Trail spans for 14 miles along the rugged spine of the Chiricahuas. Some short extensions result in a total of almost 20 miles of trail. Much of the trail is in wilderness, which is always a special experience, and almost all of it is at least 9000 - 9500’ in elevation. And no, we did not walk all of this on our Thursday hike. Nine hikers drove the VERY rough road to from Rustler to Long Park. And the Trans Mountain Road (42) is not a whole lot better right now.

Note that the wilderness sign has been chewed by bears.

Our goal was to reach Anita Park, a six mile round trip. Over the decades Anita Park was a favorite camping spot for backpackers because of a reliable spring and a beautiful little park. It did burn during Horsehoe II, although not badly, and we wanted to see how it has fared over the years. Just as we reached the turnoff to Anita Park, a lightening bolt, followed by a thunderous clap, convinced four of us to turn around. The other five decided that they could possibly shelter near the park and could still get to see it. It worked out. There were a few raindrops, and a few more lightening bolts, but the five got to eat their lunches in a small aspen grove that is adjacent to Anita Park, and was somewhat sheltered from the vagaries of the weather system. It never developed into much at our elevation. We did have some hail as we walked out, but it was nothing like the violent hail storm in Portal earlier in the week. Most of the storm system was over the western slopes of the Chiricahuas, well below the Crest Trail.

Below you can see that Anita Park has begun to fill in with trees, as all natural parks do. This stunning red rhyolite rock is along the short 1/8 mile Anita Park Trail.

Here you see Round Park and the nearby rainstorm. The badly burned forest around Round Park has begun to fill in.

The usual flowers (plus some special ones) were present and here are some of them: Sneezeweed, Fleabane and Columbine.

We all enjoyed this hike very much. We like our backyard.

Next week, on September 3, we will hike in Price Canyon, meeting at the Rodeo Post Office at 8:00 a.m. AZ, 9:00 a.m. NM. We hope to do a little scouting for John Sumner’s group that is coming in October. Because of the long drive, and a desire to get a least as far in as the Shrine, this might be a long day. Note that you can turn around at anytime, or take a nap under a tree. Sounds good to me. Bring the usual: hat, sunscreen, lots of water, lunch, rain gear, etc. It may be hot but the canyon is shaded with water.

Happy trails!

Report and photos by Carol