The Chiricahuas.
I've seen friends post from this "sky island" finding birds, snakes and amazing views, so this was high on my list to explore. The Chiricahua Mountains are just east of Tucson and reaching an elevation nearing 10,000ft, a place where four ecosystems meet: the Rocky Mountains, and Mexico's Sierra Madres, Sonoran and Chihuahuan Deserts. For this reason an abundant diversity of plants and wildlife can be found here, including Mexican species you may not find elsewhere in the US. We began our visit at the Chiricahua National Monument Visitor Center where we were greeted by bold Mexican Jays.
We decided along with our Israeli friends to hike to the Heart of Rocks Loop, arriving via the Lower Rhyolite Canyon Trail, a 7 mile round-trip. Pretty ambitious for our first big hike in a long while.
We had hardly been walking for 10 minutes when we heard a rattle... A Banded Rock Rattlesnake was just off trail a few feet from us. No worries, it was just telling us he was there as he tried to escape all the scary people! Asher found 2 others during the hike but was unable to identify them.
Pretty soon the trail left the forest and we hiked along the side of the mountain, soon we could see the rock pinnacles standing tall above the canyon.
Once we reached the Heart of Rocks Loop, the kids found some fabulous rocks to climb. The group enjoyed a few snacks and posed for some family photos.
Everyone else was ready to head back, but I was determined to complete the Heart of Rocks Loop, so I continued on alone...in the wrong direction! After about half a mile, I came across a couple, the only other people on the trail, who for some reason told me I was not on the loop trail. I don't know how this conversation got to this, because I had just stopped to take a photo of a lizard, I know it was a God thing! I returned back to my family and then found the actual beginning of the loop trail. I learned a lesson- always double check my GPS location with my phone! It was a beautiful detour, but now I needed to move even faster.
The views were wonderful and the rock-formations quite interesting. Some have names like "Kissing Rocks", "Big Balanced Rock", and "Punch and Judy", all pictured below.
This place reminds me of Bryce Canyon and its many hoodoos.
The loop took me about 40 minutes to complete and then we began our long hike back together towards the Visitor Center.
We decided to spend the night on the mountain in our rooftop tent. See the next post for more.
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