Perched above Turkey Creek, it was fitting that I was called from my slumber by a wild turkey grazing. I quietly opened up my tent and got a clip of the gobbler. I thought it was a fortuitous omen, as I was headed to a Spring Turkey hunt in Texas.
Any time you wake up after a night-time insert, you always have to stop and savor how beautiful your surroundings are once the sun comes up.
My mapwork from the previous day led me to this spot in order to take a topographical mountain ridge run on an old pack trail from my location at Peak 9308, past Fly’s Peak, Booger Spring, Cima Creek, past several saddles and leading to Chiricahua Peak.
It was a great run that offered sweeping views from the corner of the state, an unexpected treat. When I reached the summit, I thought that it’d be nice to get a little more elevated… enjoy the view. I then set back out to retrace the old pack trail back to 9308, and make my ultimate descent. If you notice on my GPS mapping here, I actually overshot the exit for 9308 on the return leg, cutting off towards the Bootlegger Saddle.
Going with the proven method of investigating interesting spots on maps, I discovered William Ascarza’s book on the Chiricahua Mountains, noting this exact spot, near old 9308 was a notorious loot cache and smuggling area for bandits and bootleggers all the way up through the twenties, reminding us that the ‘Wild West’ wasn’t so long ago. With Arizona imposing a prohibition on alcohol in 1915, these very trails I’d been on were used to smuggle in illegal sauce from Rodeo, New Mexico down to San Simon… which, in some small manner of coincidence, was exactly the route I’d be taking myself.
One thing is certain, the illuminated views descending mid-day were incredible. You will notice remnants of what I believe to be the 2011 Horseshoe Two Fire, beginning near Portal burning 223,000 acres. As always, life has continued to find a way. In the wake of the fire, Nothern Arizona University and the Southwest Fire Science Consortium continue to monitor the recovery, and have even unearthed previously undiscovered archaeological sites.
Of note, the pine near my campsite, Turkey Creek is being replaced with oak and chaparral, which is suspected to be due to a winter drought that followed the blaze. I always wanted to know what paradise looked like… fortunately for me, today was the day I’d get to see for myself. Just as you’d imagine paradise, I crossed a babbling creek, and was greeted by the wildlife.
…And just like that, I was gone, careful to not spend too much time in Paradise. On my way, I was ushered across another crossing by a cow, headed to San Simon. Looking over the ridgeline and seeing the back side of the Dos Cabezas and the range I’d just explored, I decided to stop and reflect on closing the chapter in the Chiricahua mountains, a truly special place.
