Gila National Forest - Noonday Canyon, Spring hike

Noonday Canyon's seeps and springs were all flowing, as were several of its tiny feeder streams, which made the main creek a dashing little delight. It wasn't as colorful as the hike I did  here in October a couple of years ago, but the sound of all the little falls easily made up for that.

 Temperatures were cool this past Sunday, only 55 degrees at the trailhead ( elevation 6700 feet) when we started close to the noon hour. It probably never got above 65. The wind picked up a little on our return, but otherwise it was another perfect April day in the Gila.
Leaves on the cottonwoods were barely arriving. Oaks appeared to still to be in winter mode, although close inspection revealed the buds had begun to swell. The shade of the pines and junipers was enough though.


Down in the narrow box below the Rabb Canyon confluence   was a beautiful place to be, and not coincidentally  a place where livestock don't seem  to congregate in large numbers as in other areas in this over-utilized allotment.  Last years growth of  bear grass lined the stream  in between tiny cascades, while rock formations and cliffs carved out of the slate textured volcanic rock towered above.



Close to 3 miles in, and about a 1/3 of mile from the Forest boundary, where a huge pillow of pale orange rock forces the stream to take a sharp turn, we turned around.

  A few unusual occurrences on this particular trip:First there were other footprints in  the sand, a quite rare experience in  most of the places we go. Second, we saw a bicyclist on the " trail". Over twenty years ago we met some bicyclists who nearly ran us off  the Sawyers Peak trail, I believe this recent sighting is only the second time in the Gila I've seen one( on a trail that is, they are frequently on the highways). He was quite polite, although I heard him saying ( he seemed to be talking on the phone) he was "amazed at all the people out here this weekend." I don't know if I was amazed. I mean seeing any people at all in the Gila, except on the most "popular" trails is unusual.  We did see two more people after this however,  although they had the look of folks who wouldn't be straying too far from their truck, which we encountered just before the road crosses the stream a bit further on.  So  five people, plus perhaps a couple more ( by the look of the footprints ) from that morning or the day before. Not exactly a collapse of social distancing protocol but a definitely  getting crowded by Gila standards.
 Now back at Railroad Canyon as we drove home, it was different story. As it's only one of three still open official trails along NM 152 corridor, it was drawing them in this Sunday (4/19/20). With all the campgrounds closed with locked gates, we saw close to a dozen cars parked in places too narrow to park in along the twisting highway, known for its many blind curves. A half a  dozen folks and their dogs crossed in front of us, returning to vehicles, while another half-dozen sat on tailgates and drank beers. I'm not sure why there were so many people out there. There wouldn't be normally. I guess when there's nothing else to do, people take to the forest as a last resort.
 NOTE: I don't think I like bikes on hiking trails, or worse on really rustic trails ( like Noonday Canyon) that aren't even trails just wildlife or livestock paths that kind of come and go. Bicycle riders are quite common on weekends over in the Lincoln. They are usually quite polite and deferential to hikers, but I hope the trails that are usable by bikes in the Gila don't  become popular destinations for them. These places, like Noonday and Rabb Canyon, have been like de-facto add ons to the Aldo Leopold Wilderness( where bicycles are not allowed).   I was hoping they would stay that way as they are  so much more accessible, with most of the hikes just to enter the Aldo running over 6 miles round-trip.