Portal, AZ - Rodeo, NM

One hiker thought we should call today’s walk an urban hike but there were no stop lights, cross walks, tall buildings or sound and air pollution. I don’t even think that “suburban” applied. Rural, maybe, but certainly not wilderness. Four hikers started walking Carol's house and quickly decided they didn’t want wet feet so Peter got his car and drove us across the Cave Creek crossing at Creek Road. It is SO nice to have a running creek right now. As of yesterday, South, Middle and North Forks were all running. The amount of rain received has varied greatly from one location to the next but everyone has gotten at least a little something. From the Creek Road crossing we walked along the very private trail that leads to Cave Creek Ranch. While on that trail you would not even guess that Portal houses are nearby. 

Eventually we ended up at up at Cave Creek Ranch and checked out the Chiricahua Leopard Frog pond that was hopping with frogs. Our local frogs are the recipient of a $1,000,000 grant (!!!) for a genetics study based at the Southwestern Research Station. At the ranch we had to cross Cave Creek again, but this time there was a very functional, but prone to swaying, hanging bridge.

The next part of our hike was on the paved road from Cave Creek Ranch to our 101 year old Visitor Information Center. Nearby is  the 1930’s Civilian Conservation House. The Civilian Conservation Core was one of the programs that Franklin Roosevelt started to help ease the country out of the Great Depression. And Portal had its very own camp. Young, unmarried men between 18 and 25 were recruited to camps all over the country and taught various skills. They were paid $30 a month, with $25 of that sent home to their families. They were the lucky ones after all, with shelter, food and meaningful work. Did you know that Eleanor Roosevelt started the She, She, She for woman?

When I was a high school volunteer at the Southwestern Research Station, during the summer of 1964, we had to visit the telephone operator based in the CCC building to make a long distance call. The research station had already been in operation for nine years at that point and long distance calls could not be made without a drive to Portal. There were local phone lines and they were party lines.

After a water break at the VIC we walked the one mile Nature Trail to Sunny Flat where the rhyolite cliffs loom overhead.

Along the way we could see the remains of an old explosives storage area used by the CCC for blasting during road construction. From Sunny Flat we walked a short distance on the road to the junction of 42 and the South Fork Road. Here there are some very primitive examples of rock art under rock overhangs. At the base of these overhangs are many antlion pits. The larval antlions wait under the dirt at the bottom of the pits until an ant falls in. Then they spring into action, grabbing the ant with their pincers, pulling it under the dirt and sucking out fluids. The adult antlion looks a little like a dragonfly. 

At this junction you are also able to see the Mule’s Ears, which have become a bit hidden over the decades.

We next walked out to Vista Point where the 360 degree views are always stunning. From here we followed an old fire trail down to the Stewart and Idlewilde Campgrounds, walking though both. This trail has a good view of Cathedral Rock.

A short walk on the road then brought us back to our cars. One hiker went home for lunch and the three others ate at a picnic table in front of the VIC. It was truly a walk in our backyard.

For next week, September 24, meet at the Silver Peak Trailhead at 8:00 a.m. AZ, 9:00 a.m. NM. Participants will decide where to go. Don’t forget water, lunch, a hat, sunscreen and appropriate clothing. It is finally starting to get a bit cooler.

Happy trials!

Report and photos by Carol