Last spring I spent a weekend camping in the Chiricahuas. I never got around to doing anything with the photos, probably because I was busy producing a virtual choir, but I'm trying to catch up on my archive and wanted to share these. The Chiricahuas are beautiful. My photos really don't do them justice, but I hope you enjoy them.
The defining feature of the Chiricahuas are these columns of rhyolite. The rocks were formed about 27 million years ago in a volcanic eruption. Erosion of the softer rocks has left these striking pillars.
The peak in the background is known as Cochise head, named after a chief of a local group of Apache. Although European settlers in the 19th century pushed the Chiricahua Apache off their ancestral lands, today's Chiricahua Apache still live in the area, including the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation to the north of the Chiricahuas, as well as further east (in part due to their forcible displacement after the "Apache Wars").
On one of our hikes, I noticed a large number of rocks on the side of the path with beautiful crystalline structures.
These two fireplaces stand beside the Silver Spur Meadow trail. I liked how the rest of the structure had basically disappeared, but these still stood, surrounded by the vegetation.
There were also many lovely animals, only some of whom I got photos of. Mexican jays (Aphelocoma wollweberi) are such a gorgeous blue, and much larger than their eastern relatives.
This cute little bird is a spotted towhee (Pipilo maculatus). They tend to hop along the ground, through the leaf litter, looking for food. They have a rather distinctive little dance that they do to move leaves aside and uncover unwary insects.
A love acorn woodpeckers (Melanerpes formicivorus), but I also think they look a little clown like.
The white-tailed deer around here are a desert-adapted subspecies: Coue's white tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus couesi). There were several of them meandering along and across the path as we walked.
It was a lovely trip away from things, and one of the highlights of last year. We had a dog with us, so we didn't do some of the trails that go deeper into the park and the pillars, which just gives me extra incentive to go back sometime! Whether you want to hike and camp, or just drive the scenic canyon drive and see the the striking geology from the roadside, I definitely recommend visiting the Chiricahuas if you're in the area.
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