Earthwatch Day 7

This morning I was teamed up with John and Jared to do some more plots. We drove up to Rustler Park in the Coronado National Forest of the Chiracahua Mountains. The views below were stunning as we zigzagged our way up to 8,000 ft in elevation. Angela Smilanich, Postdoc Associate at Wesleyan University, led us to the plotting sites after a short hike further up the mountain. (More about Angela’s research later.) Though the low oxygen level was a challenge, it was a beautiful walk through the stands of Douglas-fir and Ponderosa pine, interspersed with wildflower meadows where the sunlight could reach. The smell was fresh, clean and “piney”, and we all wished we could keep on hiking. But we had to get to work – oh what an environment to work in!

After lunch, we had the afternoon off. Five of us decided to hike a

trail that headed up to Silver Peak, a mountain that we drove by every day on the way to the Research Station. It was a four-

mile hike with a change in elevation from ~5,000 ft to 8,000 ft. By the time we got started, we knew we would not have time to reach the top, but we planned to go as far as possible.

We didn’t get too far on the road to the trailhead before we had to stop. I spotted a bush on the side of the road that was covered with clumps of these giant beetles. But when we got a closer look, we noticed a slew of different kinds of insects! We must have stayed there 20 minutes, observing in awe and taking pictures. There had to be 15 different kinds of critters that were visible, probably more that were too tiny to see. It was just another example of nature’s diversity and interwoven relationships. The best part was that no one was in a rush; we all shared the desire to stop and take it all in. I couldn’t fit all of the pictures here, but there were different kinds of beetles, grasshoppers, and even a few walking sticks. Just amazing!

Just a bit further down the road, Prof Lee passed by in the car and told us to hop in. He had seen a bobcat up the road (near the trailhead), and thought it might still be there. But by the time we got there, it was headed into the woods. Jenny ran after it, and saw a glimpse of its ears and profile before it vanished. Rats, I missed it.

Finally, we got to the trailhead (later than expected) and started up the trail. Some of the clouds overhead were ominous, but it never did rain on us. It was pretty hot despite the lack of full sun, and climbing uphill drew the usual sweat. Of course we had learned to drink frequently from our Camelback waterpaks. The views of the valley below were superb. We got to just below the peak, and wished we could go further, but we had to turn around to get back in time for dinner.

After dinner we got a ride to the Portal store, the closest (and tiniest) little store around. After buying a few snacks and souvenirs, we headed back to Cave Creek Ranch to relax at the cabins together. Outside one of the cabin doors we noticed a very interesting critter on the ground! It looked like a scorpion, but we found out later it was a harmless “Vinegaroon”.