Gila National Forest - Trujillo Creek

I've wanted to visit Trujillo Park for a long time. I think it's entirely about the word "park" in the name. Who doesn't want to visit a place called a park? Truthfully though, most places called "park" in the Gila are a little underwhelming. They are certainly not on the scale or the scenic majesty of the many places called "park" in the Rockies of Colorado. Some, like Gatton's Park east of Lake Roberts, are very nice. Some like Magner ( or Manger, or Magnum ) Park in the Black Range don't seem park-like ( in this case meaning large meadow areas punctuated with clusters of pines) at all.  I will probably go have a look at Trujillo Park someday, but as of late, it's really canyon areas that excite me,  so I decided on the box canyon on Trujillo Creek that's directly upstream of the Forest Service/private property boundary instead. I kind of got the best of both worlds as it turned out.

  Over the years, I've really hammered the area along FR 157 (North Percha Road) on the north side of NM 152, camping, hiking and waterfalling. In contrast I've only hiked  on the southeast side of the Black Range  4 or 5 times. The reason for this is partly because the access is limited and complicated by private property. Another is that my wife, not incorrectly, sees this section of the mountains as being "snaky," which keeps us from bringing our canine friends who we want to include in our adventures as much as possible. One thing I realized after doing the Pine Spring Mountain hike a few weeks ago, is, that like FR 157 area, visiting the Tierra Blanca Trujillo,  and Stoner Creeks area has the convenience of not driving over the top of the Black Range. The starting points, even with a few miles on the low maintenance part of FR 522, are arrived at  in just under 2 hours ( provided you don't get behind some serious slow-poke once leaving the pavement).

 I parked at a large dispersed camping area and before I had taken 10 steps what should I spy under a bush, but several plastic bags. Contents: human crap. The way I see it is you have two choices when shitting in the woods ( or desert or wherever outdoors). Just do it in a hole you've dug and cover it over, or if you are using some kind of waterless potty that involves bags- YOU TAKE IT OUT WITH YOU! Otherwise, it's the worst of both worlds. I've picked up people's trash many, many times, but I draw the line at packing out their actual crap. What is wrong with the world? Think people, think.

 I headed up the grassy sides of a gravel and bedrock stream course, found an old road for awhile and then after crossing the ravine a twice, found a good cowpath that took me up to the saddle. I don't really like to see cows in the Black Range, but they sure make good trails. The north facing sides had a lot more piñons and brush, but I eventually found a road at a cattle tank and turned to the east. Ahead of me stretched out acres and acres of bunch grass meadow rimmed on the south side by shiny leafed live oaks, junipers and pines. 

In the distance ( where I was headed) were the  red towers and cliffs on the north side of the box. I walk in beauty. I cut across the pale pastures of hay, rather than following the road, to save a little distance, and because the road eventually turns back to the north well before reaching the box.

 As I got closer, a lone cottonwood with its yellow leaves still attached, gave me a faint hope that I was in for another fall color display. It was not to be, but the box was lovely anyway. Here and there, the stream flowed with the smallest of trickles. Cliffs closed in: first of brown volcanics, and then gray limestones. Towhees flitted in and out of the very limited stream side shrubbery. Elk scat lay in the damp gravel and sand. Purple-black bear scat was encountered several times up on the grassy benches above the creek channel.

Although, definitely in better shape than Stoner Creek, I had to speculate about why this riparian area wasn't looking all that great either. Year round grazing for sure is a culprit, but also perhaps repeated flooding, drought, and just its very narrowness could be accomplices. I stopped at the fence ( which was down, not a good sign)  which defines the boundary between the Gila National Forest and the private property beyond. I drank water. I ate a bar. I had arrived right at my scheduled turn around time, which was good.

 On my way back I toyed with the idea of going over the ridge that separates Trujillo and Tierra Blanca valleys at a different spot, but in the end I stuck pretty close to the route I used going out. A perfect cloudless day, it was definitely too warm for December 5th, but still very pleasant for hiking in a tee-shirt with just an open button-down over it. It would be nice to return here, either in the spring with the creek really flowing, or earlier in the fall to see the cottonwoods in their autumn best.