Wednesday, March 21, 2018

We slept pretty good except for the few times I woke up because some guys hot water heater across the way sounded like a blast furnace. Carol actually heard it through her earplugs. She got out of the tent at sunup and walked over to the restroom. Then she started making breakfast and coffee. I guess it is time to get up. It is pretty cold out this morning. My thermometer says 29 degrees. The sun has not found its way above the hill across from the campground but it is getting close. The coffee helps warm us, well actually I have hot chocolate. We have breakfast burritos a la Carol, fresh off the grill. After breakfast, we start to get our packs ready for today’s hike. The sun starts to hit us with its welcome warm rays.

First Rock Columns

We get in the car for a short 5-mile drive to the trail head. We are starting at Echo canyon and will be doing a long loop that connects several trails. It is a beautiful morning and we are on the trail by 0840 because of Carols get up and go early rise. We start on a short connector trail towards Massai Point and then join the Ed Riggs trail. It is mostly downhill and easy walking through forest as we start to catch our first glimpses of the column like rock formations that abound here.

CNC Mushroom Rock

A mile or so in and we arrive at a junction with the Mushroom Rock trail which we turn onto. We are seeing many mushroom rocks as we hike along. About a half mile further and there is a sign that points to mushroom rock. The sign at the junction said rock not rocks so apparently the ones we saw were just imitation mushroom rocks. This however is the real mushroom rock and so it deserves a picture. As we move on we start to gain back the elevation we had lost. We come to another trail junction where we take the Balanced Rock Trail. We steadily climb to a ridge where we get some views of the Chiricahua Mountains. Unlike the large forested area, we have climbed out of the trees are more shrub like on this ridge.

The Real Balanced Rock

We come to a balanced rock and take some pictures. We are also getting some nice views of more rock columns. Further on it seems we were fooled again as the real balanced rock has a sign by it. The sign tells us the balanced rock is 25 feet high, weighs 1000 tons and has a diameter of 22 feet. In short, it is a BIG balanced rock, and if you don’t believe me, the sign says exactly that. We hit another trail junction and take a right to the Heart of Rocks Loop Trail. This trail climbs and meanders through the heart of the rock formations in this area. Our early start has paid off as we have not yet seen another person on our hike.

Duck on a Rock

The loop does not disappoint as we scramble about among the rocks. There are signs that describe what some have seen in the rock formations. Names such as Thors Hammer, Punch and Judy, Kissing Rocks, Duck on a Rock, the Pharaoh, and Camels Head are just a few that we pass. Many of the signs were put up by the CCC when they built these trail in the monument.

Army of Rocks

We also get some expansive views of the area which looks like an army of rock soldiers filling the valley. About three quarters of the way through, we find a nice perch to sit and have an early lunch. This day has been great so far. After lunch, we finish the loop, and join the Sarah Deming Trail. This trail climbs along a ridge until we start a descent out of the rocks. We end up in a forest of tall trees as we continue our descent. Then we take a U turn and start to climb again to a ridge which looks across the to the area we had just been. The views are amazing.

Rhyolite Canyon

1.6 Miles from the Heart of Rocks, we hit another junction and turn onto the Upper Rhyolite Canyon trail. We were wondering how we were going to get to the other side of the Canyon and now we know. Descend all the way down to a creek bed and then climb up the other side. We reach the dry creek bed which is full of large white boulders. Then we start up the other side of the canyon. As we climb, we get views looking back at both the Rhyolite Canyon and Sarah Deming trails we have walked.

CNC Cool Slots

We reach our last junction of the day and take the Echo Canyon Trail. We have a little over 1.5 miles to go and decide to take a snack break just above the trail with views down Lower Rhyolite Canyon. The Echo Canyon Trail is part of a smaller 3-mile loop and we are starting to see people on this popular segment. We have about 500 feet of climbing in this section and as we progress, we get back into some awesome rock formations. We slow down as around every bend there is another amazing area to witness. We hike through mini slot canyons with rock spires rising well above us. The jumble of rocks in this area is incredible. I also have been enjoying the green lichen clinging to the rocks, that at times almost seems to be glowing in the sunlight. As we near the top we come across some arched tunnels making a grotto of sorts in the rocks.

Rock Tunnels

This short 1.6-mile section is definitely worth the hike and due to its awesomeness, prevented the usual last mile, I just want to be done now, slog. It was a great end to a wonderful hike. We covered 8.6 miles and it took us just over 5 hours. Our walking pace was 2.2 miles per hour, not bad with all the uphill and scenery to slow us down. We reached a high point in elevation of 7015 feet and had over 1700 feet of elevation gain along the way. Due to our early start, we end up back in camp at 2:00 PM after stopping at the Visitor Center and getting our pin for hiking more than 5 miles in the park. It is nice to be able to just sit and relax in the beautiful campground. Happy hour is at 3:30 with Bruce and Kim, so when the time comes, we carry our chairs, and cooler to their site. We have a couple of beers along with great conversation with our new friends. Carol and Kim cook us a pasta dinner in the Lance trailer and I think Carol is now hooked on wanting a trailer of our own. After dinner, we head to the small amphitheater in the campground, where they give a talk on the Chiricahua Apaches and the history of the area. Carol and I had already absorbed a lot of this at Fort Bowie, so it was not that interesting to us. After the talk, we say our goodnight to Bruce and Kim, stop at the restrooms, and walk back in the dark to our camp site. Time for bed under a beautiful starry night sky.

CNC in Chiricahua