HIKE OF THE MONTH

hike of the month Sugarloaf Mountain's Easy Climb Overlooks a Gallery of Rock Sculptures

The payoff a jungle of rocks seems almost too generous for so short a ramble to the summit of Sugarloaf Mountain. Just below me to the south thrust the fantastic formations Totem Pole, Big Balanced Rock, Punch and Judy of Chiricahua National Monument's Heart of Rocks. I can see the elongated scoop of the Turkey Creek Caldera, an extinct volcano that 25 million years ago belched forth such a volume of hot gases and fiery ash that it accumulated to a depth of some 2,000 feet. Carved by eons of wind and water, this hardened ash now forms the balanced rocks, spires, and minarets of Heart of Rocks.

To the north stands another impressive rockscape, Cochise Head, shaped like the face of a reclining man with a domed forehead, square jaw, prominent nose, and a 100-foot pine for an eyelash. East and west I can see forever, east to the silhouetted peaks and ridges of the Animas Mountains along the Continental Divide in New Mexico, and west, far across Arizona's broad Sulphur Springs Valley to the Dragoon Mountains and beyond.

The day's adventures began in the parking lot at the monument's visitors center where friends joined me for the hike. As we prepared to drive to the Sugarloaf trailhead, a troop of about 20 coatimundis suddenly emerged from the forest to forage in the dry bed of Bonita Creek. Holding their long tails erect, the young coatis ignored us and searched for acorns, lizards, and insects among overturned rocks. But the adults, particularly two large males, hunted on the perimeter of the group, careful to stay between us and their young.

The coatis absorbed our attention for a good half hour before we drove to the trailhead. The trail, one mile long and 500 feet in elevation gain, let us hike at a leisurely pace. After a short distance, we came to a small tunnel carved by Civilian Conservation Corps workers back in the 1930s. Along the way, we found many places to stop and enjoy the monument's wonderful scenery. Manzanita, piñon pine, juniper, and a variety of oaks - attention for a good half hour before we drove to the trailhead. The trail, one mile long and 500 feet in elevation gain, let us hike at a leisurely pace. After a short distance, we came to a small tunnel carved by Civilian Conservation Corps workers back in the 1930s. Along the way, we found many places to stop and enjoy the monument's wonderful scenery. Manzanita, piñon pine, juniper, and a variety of oaks -

including the Toumey oak

WHEN YOU GO

To ask about recreational opportunities at Chiricahua National Monument or hiking Sugarloaf Mountain, contact the Visitors Center at (520) 824-3560. For more information on hiking outside the monument, contact the Coronado National Forest's Douglas Ranger District, (520) 364-3468.

with its small leathery bluishgreen leaves embellished the landscape. More shrublike than other oaks, the evergreen Toumey oak helps to prevent hillside erosion and provides dense shelter for small mammals and birds.

When we reached the summit, we approached the Sugarloaf fire-lookout cabin, also built by CCC workers more than 60 years ago, but it was closed up tight. In summer the fire lookout is occupied, and (LEFT) A coatimundi forages for a meal along the trail to Sugarloaf Mountain.

Hikers should ask permission before entering. Remember, the cabin is someone's home. The fire watcher's seasonal job is to monitor lightning strikes on Sugarloaf and other Chiricahua Mountain peaks. Driving out, invigorated but hardly winded by the easy hike, I encounter a coati male standing in the middle of the road. He saunters off, staring over his shoulder as if to say, "This is my turf, bud. Keep that in mind."