Back on the McCord Trail

The Portal Rodeo Hiking Club headed out for a favorite hike along the McCord Trail.  Not having hiked in awhile a small group decided to check out Cathedral Rock while the majority completed the up and over to finish at Naturalist Journeys.  As with many plans this began to fall apart heading up the trail.  The steep climb from Cave Creek Ranch resulted in a long string of hikers as various skill levels sorted themselves out.  As a straggler (taking photographs) a late arrival at the overlook was guaranteed and as the majority of the group headed to the top of the ridge the small group decided to forgo Cathedral Rock and head back down hill.  While the slight overcast reduced the landscape photographic opportunities something new was seen.  An obsidian outcrop along the trail jumped out as the sunlight reflected off broken pieces of obsidian lying on the ground.  A dark grey with red inclusions and highlights, the outcrop shows no evidence of prehistoric mining activity and is the first outcrop personally seen in the Chiricahua mountains.  Generally obsidian nodules are found along the stream beds where they were tumbled to smooth round nodules.  Further down the trail a side route was taken to explore another trail not previously visited.  After about a quarter of a mile and in a wooded gully a Coues doe was found.  She was bedded down as I came around the corner and got up and watched me watching her.  Carefully getting the camera out the image below was captured.  I moved on and so did she, her bedding area vacant about 15 minutes later when passing by on the way back down the trail.  Although not a long hike, it was nice to see familiar faces of the hiking club and get out to explore a little more of the Sky Islands.

Obsidian outcrop

Coues whitetailed deer in the Chiricahua mountains