December 5 -- A Spectacular Sunrise, And A Short Hike to A Cave

All it takes are some clouds to make a memorable predawn and sunrise here; the same as everywhere else, I guess. but the landscape is what makes it really unique -- very few houses and, if it's still dark enough during pre-dawn, it looks like there are no houses at all because there are no street or house light -- Ijust hills and mountains. At 6:15 or so went outside, whistled (I'm sure it scares for than attracts them, but what the hey), filled the trays and refilled the water feature. There was no ice to break as it didn't get below freezing last night. (And it's supposed to reach 75 here by Wednesday -- then a 20-degree drop.) While we're on the subject of backyard birds, I think I mentioned the doves I have there -- Mourning and Eurasian-collared. The other day while inside I heard a thump -- and later found a dead Mourning Dove on the back deck. (Contrary to the cartoons, dead birds' eyes don't change to X's when they kick it.)  It was intact, but I still threw it into the mesquite. One dove gone, another 9 to go...Just kidding, for you dove lovers out there. Back to the predawn -- just memorable --

And about 20 minutes later pink to the south and False Portal Peak -- 

It was about this time, as I was standing on the side porch with my 2 cameras and cup of coffee, that I heard an unearthly noise seemingly coming from all directions further down in the valley. Coyotes, of course, greeting another day. It was the first time I'd heard it since moving to Portal. I ran inside to get my voice recorder so I could get the howls -- but of course by the time I got back out, the howling had subsided. But it was just the most eerie sound I'd heard, yelping spanning the entire vocal range from high to low. "Hmm...I think this is going to be a memorable day in more ways than one..."

And it was. The clouds continued their spectacular display after sunrise, mare's tails whipped up by the upper-level winds -- 

Wow! A true artist's palette, though perhaps a crazy one. I had to run errands today before I did my hike. I went to Trash Corner on the other side of Foothills from Faranuf where, for $2 a bag, you can drop off your trash with Tom the Cochise County sanitation guy; there are no big trash containers here, so Tom comes with his trash truck on Wednesdays and Saturdays. And like our post office, it's a place for talking with other Portalites. And I was to meet someone there -- Winston, the owner, along with his wife Jackie, of the George Walker House, a small hotel in a historic building, in Paradise, about 5 miles on a dirt road from Portal. You think Portal is small; Paradise has a year-round population of perhaps 3. I'll have to devote a post on it one of these days...Winston dropped off Jackies's cameras with me as I am going to take them to the Canon service center in Irvine for servicing when I'm back in So Cal. We chatted with Tom about Toyotas; Tom had a relative who had 400,000 miles on his; that bodes well for Tundra Dos. After Trash Corner, it was to the post office to pick up my new "infrared" floor heater. The floor plan of Faranuf is such that the living room opens to the kitchen, as there is no door between the two. So you can't trap the heat in just one room. But the new heater is rated to heat up to 1000 square feet; we'll see. But it's next to me right now and keeping things a "toasty" 68 degrees -- at least near me, and that's all that matters. So after picking up the heater at the post office, it was off in the direction of my hike -- but first I had to drop the volunteer/employee information booklet to the Cave Creek Canyon Visitor Info Center. While parking in the VIC lot I noticed the fall colors on the aspen and ash trees were still hanging on -- 

More muted -- but still there. 

And the magnificent clouds were still there, too, adding another dimension to the landscape -- 

I dropped off the volunteer/employee handbook (listing morning duties, how to operate the emergency radio, etc.) and as we went outside I mentioned that I was going on the hike to Crystal Cave. "Crystal Cave? Great short hike, with a view of Winn Falls. Do you have a key to the cave?" You'll see what he's referring to... The Crystal Cave trail is unmarked. I was using the best guide, certainly online, for the Chiricahua hiking trails -- it's here . It's practically step by step, and tells you what you see on the way, the steep parts of the hike so you're mentally and physically prepared, etc. The unmarked trailhead goes around a rock wall, and you walk through a dry creek bed of Crystal Creek. You cross to the other side of the creek bed where you come across a blank sign; there is no indication of what it once said. (I'm paraphrasing the trail info found on the Chiricahua Mountains Hiking Trails website, along with adding my own experiences along the trail.) The trail goes through a flat area dotted with oak trees, then crosses the creek again -- and becomes VERY steep for a short section. It's climbing as there is a dry fall a little further up the creek, which you can't get over as there's too much of a drop. You end up above the west side of the creek, and walk through a grassy are once again dotted with oak trees and the occasional yucca and cactus, a reminder that the desert isn't too far away -- 

The trail then descends back down to Crystal Creek. I'm looking for the trail on the other side, can't find it going up the creek bed -- then go back down the creek and see the sign mentioned in the trail description , "Crystal Cave Closed" -- 

Well, I already knew that, but it wasn't my intention to go inside... the trail ascends up the hill and the views open up -- 

Once again -- magnificent. This is MY kind of hiking country, and my kind of mountain range... The trail ends at the entrance to Crystal Cave -- 

Another sign is in front of it, and again is blank. Another mystery... Here's a very brief history of Crystal Cave, once again paraphrasing from the trail website. The cave was discovered in 1869 by people harvesting bat guano. When the cave was explored, many passages were found, including one leading deep underground to a river. (Shades of the Underworld.) The reason why there is a locked door to it (the key can be borrowed from the Forest Service for a $100 deposit fee) because many people stole the crystal formations from the cave over the years, and the gate was installed to allow bats to come through but the public from not entering without the key. As the gate is locked (and I don't I'd want to go in alway; I have claustrophobia issues where caves are concerned) I poke my camera through one of the holes in the gate and take photos of the inside, using my flash -- 

Down into the Stygian depths on the right.. And some graffiti to the left -- 

Old? New? Who knows... Here's a closeup of the entrance -- 

Again, the holes are to let the bats through... I head over to the left, past the yucca and oak tree -- and a magnificent (sorry I use that word so often, but it's true) vista opens up in front of you -- 

That's Spencer Peak in the middle -- and just to the right of that is Winn Falls, where I'd hiked to its overlook a few weeks ago. You can't see it in this photo, taken with my landscape lens, so I took out my 100-400 for a closer look -- 

And still closer -- 

Awesome. And the falls are -- frozen. They're in a cleft in the granite wall that gets very little if any sun this time of the year, so if the weather is cold enough, it freezes. 

Spencer Peak through the oak tree

Lichen on the rocks above the cave's gate

I had a few Clif bars, marveled for one last time at the 180-degree views, then headed back down, with more views along the way -- 

I go back down to the first creek crossing. It's here that there's the dry fall that stops you from going down the creek bed to the trail, climbing back up the small hill along the other side of the creek to avoid the dry fall. But going back this way isn't too bad, but my right knee is a bit painful whenever I put pressure on it. But I make it back to the trailhead, easy peasy -- 

The Crystal Cave trail is only .33 mile  and, except for a few steep but short sections, is a great little hike that combines scenery with some history. And a look at a cave -- just a look is enough for me, mind you...