Hiking with Friends

There were 2 different hikes with members of the Portal Rodeo Hiking club this week.  One group headed down to Pine Gulch in the Rucker Canyon area while a second group hiked Silver Peak.  Five hikers along with 2 visitors from Canada chose the Silver Peak trail and met at the trail head at 8:30 AM on a warm overcast morning in the canyon.  As the group approached the first gate along the trail Susan found a number of horses and mules grazing along the trail side.  Several were branded with "US" suggesting they were Forest Service animals or other government workers.  These friendly animals came up for petting and any spare food.

The group moved on after photographing the animals stopping next at the turn off after the second gate to debate the merits of heading off trail to see Bill Willy's cave but several had the summit in mind so the group continued up the trail.  At the halfway point overlook under the pine 4 hikers decided to head back while 3 continued on to the summit.  The summit group made the top of Silver Peak while the rest wandered down the hill.  Chiricahua Sky Island Rodeo and myself encountered the horses and mules again but this time they followed us down the trail again looking for food and affection.  A nice ending for another hike in the Chiricahua Mountains.  The Silver Peak trail map may be found at this link or in the sidebar.

Susan many places at once petting every horse and mule.

Coming down the trail accompanied by 4 footed friends.

Contemplation at the halfway overlook.

Silver Creek and the North Slope of Silver Peak, Elephant Spotting.

A large turnout for the Portal Rodeo Hiking Club visit to the north slope of Silver Peak to find the elephants.  Twenty two hikers and assorted dogs made the easy 2 mile hike from the camping area along FS 42B, between Portal and Paradise, up Silver Creek then up a ridge line to view the elephants.  Although not a species native to the Chiricahua Mountains, these elephants are rather the result of weathering granite.  At least 2 elephants are visible in the large granite outcrop on the north slope of Silver Peak.  The first one is visible while approaching the overlook and is a rear 3/4's view of an elephant moving away from the viewer.  While the second on is best viewed from the lookout.  The elephant's face is turned toward the viewer with the body continuing along the right.  While the biodiversity in the Chiricahua Mountains is high this was an unexpected find to come across elephants in this sky island.  The map for this hike may be found at the following link or on the hiking page.  For a view of hikers riding one of the elephants, see this photograph.

Chiricahua Mountains Elephant

Another elephant 

The view from Silver Peak, Chiricahua Mountains, Arizona

Below is a  panorama composed of 13 images taken from atop the cistern at the old fire lookout station on Silver Peak. Hosted at Microsoft's Photosynth this 360 degree panorama encompasses the complete view from atop Silver Peak.  The panorama is centered on members of the Portal Rodeo Hiking Club enjoying lunch northwest of the cistern. Several of the peaks and other points of interest visible from Silver Peak are also highlighted.




Requires Microsoft's Silverlight to view the interactive panorama.  Clicking on the box icon (on the right below the image) will open the panorama full size.  "Escape" will return to the post.

Mimetoliths on the Silver Peak Trail, Chiricahua Mountains

Mimetoliths are described as topographic or natural features that resemble something else, generally humans or animals.  The Old Man of the Mountain is a classic example of a mimetolith, first recorded in 1805 in New Hampshire.  Unfortunately this geological feature succumbed to the forces of nature and collapsed in 2003, but humans are adept at finding meaning in natural objects and many other examples of human faces in stone are known from around the world.  Recognition of mimetoliths is related to pattern recognition in the human brain and this activity is associated with activation of the prefrontal cortex.

Perhaps the best known mimetolith in the Chiricahua Mountains is the Head of Cochise.  Cochise Head is in the northern part of the Chiricahua Mountains and the feature is best viewed from the west side of the mountain range.   But there are other stone faces in the Chiricahua Mountains, less well known.  The Silver Peak trail, trail 280, which starts in Cave Creek Canyon on the east side of the Chiricahua Mountains has a very nice example of a double mimetolith.  This mimetolith is about two thirds of the way up the trail and is easily spotted on the north east flank of Silver Peak when coming down the trail from the summit.  A large stone profile becomes visible on the hike down and it is possible to discern a large nose, eye and eyebrow.  Upon closer examination of the nose, a second profile is becomes visible.  This smaller profile appears similar to a bearded man in profile.  These examples of stone profiles were formed  in the rhyolitic volcanic ash deposits that comprises much of the Chiricahua Mountains.

Large mimetolith on trail 280, Silver Peak.

A smaller mimetolith, a bearded man completely in shadow, is visible at the top of the nose of the larger stone profile.

See the map of the Silver Peak hike in the sidebar or here.

Addendum

The November 1951 issue of Desert Magazine article on Buried Treasure in the Chiricahua Mountains includes a period photograph of this mimetolith on page 11.

Portal Rodeo Hiking Club - November 12, 2010

This weeks hike, in honor of the Gypsy Carpenters, was up Silver Peak in the Chiricahua Mountains.  Started at 8:00 AM with 2 others from the Portal Rodeo Hiking Club while the main party started at 9:00 AM from the Silver Peak trail head, trail 280, just beyond the Forest Service visitors center in Cave Creek Canyon.  It was a cool morning in the canyon and on some of the north facing slopes there were small patches of light frost on the ground.  We took a break at the overlook about 1000' from the top and regrouped for the final push to the summit.  The hike involves 3000' of elevation change along the advertised 4 1/2 mile trail and was in good shape.  At the top we ate lunch on the old fire lookout station foundation and Chiricahua Sky Island, Rodeo went hunting for benchmarks to record.  Then back down the mountain.  Below is a screen shot from Google Earth of the trail route and the interactive map is in the sidebar or here. 

Screen shot of Silver Peak trail, trail 280. Click on photograph to enlarge image.

Lunch on the old foundation of the old fire station lookout.