The Organ Eye-Organ Mountains Wilderness

The Peña Blanca Wilderness Study Area, I would guess, is the least visited of the Organ Mountains three WSA's.  The only trails are the unofficial ones in Achenbach and Ladera Canyons. Private property along Ladera Canyon Road and Peña Blanca Loop blocks access from maintained roads. Two unmaintained roads, one on the southern boundary and one on  the eastern leave a lot to be desired.  All these reasons, plus the fact that it lacks a "destination" feature combine to keep it's nearly 5,000 acres very wild. Why it is still just a study area, I'm not really sure.
  I've known about the Organ Eye for several years and finally took the plunge to find it on the second day of my spring break. The eastern boudary road into the trailhead  starts just past the Sierra Vista trailhead on the county road. It was my first adventure of several that day. Let's just say it's not great and if you don't have high clearance and the option of four wheel drive, find someone who does.
 I haven't been out to this area in several years, and had forgotten how scenic the southern Organs are. Massive ribs of pock-marked volcanic tuff, immense rusty red towers and jagged formations that puncture the soft curves of the hillsides, though not comparable to the world class Needles a few miles to the north,make the ridgeline south of Achenbach impressive as a desert range on its own.

 I started out from the trailhead  situated between the foothills of the ridge and a small detached mountain. There was a trail patted down in the grass and still curled poppies. It followed and crossed the arroyo and then headed up a ridge between the main canyon on the south and smaller  side branch. The the trail disappeared. For reasons( other than the lack trail, which the readers of this blog  know doesn't deter me in slightest) that don't reflect well on your author, I  ended up going back downhill. I  decided subsequently  to climb a steep hillside on the south, thinking there was natural arch there to be seen. Nothing doing, but nice views, although none of the Organ Eye. I then angled my way down  and began up the main canyon, which I thought of dubbing " Fool's Canyon" because only a fool would want to go up it through the spanish dagger, catclaw, whitethorn, mesquite and octotillo without even a trace of trail.There was an odd sort of dwarf forest of soapberry trees just beginning to leaf out which brought some sweetness to the unrelenting thorniness of the vegetation.

 I spotted a very small arch and climbed up,around and then behind it to get a look. I thought there was a larger arch beneath, but no dice. Now I continued up the hillside and got my first look of what I thought was the Organ Eye, looking from that vantage point like the entrance to large cave.


 It was getting hot already and I still had 500 feet of elevation gain to go, but I decided to give it shot. I sidehilled on  deer trails, in and out of gullies, careful not lose any significant elevation as made my way toward the dry cascade just below the "cave." Eventually I was directly across from the massive fin of rock and the Organ Eye, at its base, was visible for the first time. I edged my way slowly across the bedrock of the waterfall and a ledge and then I was in the Eye, grateful for the first shade of the day.


 The Organ Eye is the largest arch formation I know of in the Organ Mountains Desert Peaks National Monument.  It is not well known, and from the lack of graffiti, trash and evidence of campfires it seems to have very few visitors. I was happy to be there and took many photos to commemorate the occasion.


I decided to go out the northern entrance and then down the steep slope. When walking down rough, treacherous terrain like this, it's best to forget taking anything resembling a straight route. Any direction that allows a few free steps that aren't uphill works. Just keep moving  generally where you want to go and  don't be afraid to find a better option.
 I went over a low saddle and found  a couple of cairns and soon was back on my original path from several hours before. The poppies were open now and it made me smile to see them after so many years absent.

Las Uvas Mountains Wilderness - Chivatos Canyon and Plateau, Organ Mountains- Desert Peaks National Monument

                                         

This was a nice hike for an early spring morning. The grasses were greening up, the wildflowers were beginning to bloom and the junipers  looked bright and full. The destination of this hike is the plateau country of Uvas Mountains Wilderness Study Area and this walk has the distinct advantage of the use of  a  very old, little used road to get up there. Although it is cherry-stemmed out of the WSA,  this road to Chivatos Tank and beyond, is getting more than bit wild itself. I was glad I parked just off of off the through road ( I'm never sure what to call it in these middle regions, either the Barksdale or the Corralitos Rd, E006 or D012), and elected to walk to Chivatos Tank. I'm not saying it can't be driven, but I enjoyed exploring the canyon itself, examining different sections on the way in and on the way back.
 The walk to the tank was pleasant with early season butterflies flitting  about and bird songs welcoming me. Although there was several bedrock areas, and a narrow slot-like pot hole stretch that held water in several places, I didn't see any grinding mortars, or petroglyphs.  I did find a vintage Pepsi can and other vintage trash.

The cliffs exposed the oxidized tuff and basalt caprock resting on layers of  pale conglomerate and volcanic ash.
 The tank was without water, a surprise given all the rain we've had this winter. Past the tank my trail/ road zig-zagged up the hillside. I rested under a juniper when it finally leveled off and I wondered if I will ever find another surviving piñon tree in the Uvas. Continuing on I hit the highpoint of the hike which is a shade over 6100 feet. Google Earth greatly enhances the continued viability of the route as a vehicle road . Grass and weeds are taking hold in the gravel tracks of the main northward branch.Two side roads that begin close to one another, on the plateau, one heading east and one heading west up onto  adjoining mesas are almost invisible at their starts in the high growth of last years grass and wildflower skeletons. They might be fun to explore on a second visit.
 Looking down  I saw  several nice pieces of the ubiquitous Uvas agate, including one glob that had  the nice pinkish-orange tint that is more prized than the more common shades of blue, gray and white.

 Where the road ended, there was still a little bit of rocky mesa left where I first descended and then walked up a little hill to the "land's end" point where there were views of lower peaks of the Uvas, the arroyos leading to the river and to the village of Hatch.

 Beyond, there was the Black Range of the Gila, the Caballo Mountains, the San Andres chain on the east and far to the north, the buttress of Victorio Peak of the San Mateo range.

 On my return walk, the sun emerged from the cloud cover that had mercifully kept the heat down. In spite of the rising temperatures, I couldn't resist the urge to explore the little box section of Chivatos Canyon just downstream from where I had parked. Although there were deep natural pools of water and this area is very close to places with petroglyphs, once again I found no rock art or grinding mortars.

 I walked backed out and to the car. I had been out about 4 hours and covered between 6 and 7 miles. The elevation gain was a little less than 1,000 feet

Rough and Ready Hills- Organ Mountains Desert Peaks National Monument

We did a little three mile loop hike in the Rough and Ready Hills on Sunday. Got most of it in before the wind started to really blow. Seamus chased a few jackrabbits. Nessie got excited over a few cows. We found a nice little picnic spot in the cliffs beneath a juniper. The contact between the rhyolite layer and  the underlying basalt flow is evident here in several places. There were some nice views to the north and northeast once we  reached the saddle at the top of the arroyo we were following. Not much else to report. It was just an easy going, early spring hike. I thought, even though the scenery wasn't spectacular, that places like this should be set aside, if just to preserve a few quiet places on our earth.