BACK ROAD ADVENTURE

back road adventure An Eagle Welcomes Drivers to Price Canyon Along the Dirt Road to Erickson Peak

Above us, a golden eagle soared silently in the cloudless late afternoon sky. Intent on seeking its evening meal amidst the oak grasslands at the base of the Chiricahua Mountains, the raptor paid us no attention as photographer Marty Cordano and I headed back to the city after a day of wilderness freedom in the southeastern corner of the state. By day's end, we understood why the rocky 12-mile route through Price Canyon to the trailhead about 3 miles from 7,893-foot Erickson Peak ranks as a "locals' favorite."

After bolstering ourselves for the day's adventure with a hearty breakfast at the historic Copper Queen Hotel in downtown Bisbee, we headed east on State Route 80 toward the Chiricahua Mountains. Approximately 57 miles from Bisbee, the mountain dominates the eastern horizon as the highway parallels the U.S.-Mexico border near Douglas. At the border town, the old transcontinental route turns diagonally north and skirts the southeastern side of the Chiricahuas before it crosses into New Mexico. Thirty-two miles past Douglas, a sign marks the left turn onto the 11-mile Price Canyon Road (Forest Service Road 317), a well-graded dirt track. Almost immediately we felt as if we had dropped into an episode of "Wild Kingdom."

Cordano began scanning the road, the surrounding grass-lands and the sky for signs of wildlife. Driving and making mental notes of the Chiri-cahuas' granite escarpment and the lush golden grass and oak woodland foothills, I was quickly brought back to attention when Cordano yelled, "Stop! I think you just ran over a huge rattlesnake." Not sure if this was a bad thing, I quickly braked and reversed the truck slowly.

I had not come near to running over it, although Cordano was soon closer to the 4-footlong Western diamondback than any sensible person would ever want to be. Remaining in the vehicle, I felt like Marlin Perkins waiting on the sidelines and watching his adventurous sidekick pick up the rattle-end of the snake and shoo it to-ward safety off the road. Not too keen on Cordano's kindness, the snake coiled, hissed and rattled. Equally awed by the sight of the coon-tailed rattlesnake and my buddy's bravery, I knew our back road trip had taken a turn to the wild side. I tried to match Cordano's ability to spot everything that flitted or flapped, squirmed or scampered. Suddenly something flew past the corner of my eye. "Did you see that, Stuart?" he asked. "That was a loggerhead shrike, also known as the butcher bird because it impales its prey on barbed wire fences or cactus thorns and eats them later," he ex-plained. "See it, over there, on the fence post?" I didn't, but quickly pulled over and noted the sighting on my pad. At least I wouldn't miss a quote. About 4 miles from the former national highway, we turned off at a half-empty stock Tank that judging by the many tracks around it pro-vided sustenance to range cat-tle and many wild animals. Like Thoreau we walked soft-ly around the muddy perim-eter of the algae-laden pond, with Cordano pointing out the tracks of creatures that had come to drink earlier that morning: a coyote, javelina, raccoon, deer and wasp. Dove tracks criss-crossing the mud like miniature peace symbols seemed appropriate for the earlier temporary truce at the tranquil watering hole.

Back in the truck, we eased our way north into Price Canyon. About 7.5 miles from the highway, we crossed a cattle guard and the road changed from graded dirt to a rough semi-graded forest road. Twotenths of a mile later, we took the left fork and followed the signs to Price Canyon. (The right fork leads to Price Canyon Ranch, where guests at the dude ranch can work with real cowboys and explore the Chiricahuas.) As the forest route circled around Price Canyon Ranch, the canyon narrowed,

The changing elevations along this back road produce a variety of life zones. The Arizona madrone grows in madrean evergreen woodland habitat, a biotic community marked by mild winters and wet, warm summers. (LEFT) An Emory oak stands alone in a meadow at the base of the Chiricahuas, where Cochise and Geronimo once roamed.

grasslands fading to groves of Emory oaks and hillsides of bright yellow broom snakeweed - also known as turpentine weed, Cordano pointed out. With the lichen-covered face of Erickson Peak looming to the northwest, we drove slowly on the rough road toward our destination, just 3 miles away. Soon the oak groves turned to a grassy forest of junipers, oaks, yuccas, piñons, cypresses, manzanitas, and Apache and Chihuahuan pines. A mile after pausing to open and close the range gate, we reached the end of Price Canyon Road at a shady primitive campground and the trailhead to Erickson Peak and the Chiricahua Wilderness. As we hiked into the forest up the well-signed Price Canyon Trail, Cordano pointed out giant Apache pines, a variety of oaks and a long-leafed evergreen tree I had never seen before called Arizona madrone. He pointed through the canopy of one giant madrone to the coatimundi claw marks on its trunk. We didn't see any coatis, but the forest trail was alive with Steller's jays, Apache red squirrels and sunning collared lizards. My imagination working overtime, we hiked farther Up the trail. Forget about reaching Erickson Peak, I thought, wondering if we would see any large mammals: deer, javelinas or maybe even a bear. For about a mile, Cordano identified spots where a bear may have scraped or dug for insects, rubbed against a tree or left its scat. With the sun dropping behind the mountains, we turned back down the trail. The top of Erickson Peak would have to wait for another time. As Cordano and I walked through the filtered light of the forest, I promised myself I would return with my son for our own wild adventure. I'll take him to Price Canyon and deep into the Chiricahuas. We will scan the road for snakes, search the canopies of madrone trees for coatimundis and follow the signs of bear all the way to the top of Erickson Peak. And, maybe, if we are lucky, we'll see a golden eagle soar high above its rocky home and hear its welcome cry.

TIPS FOR TRAVELERS

Travel Advisory: Carry a current Coronado National Forest map and three topographic maps: Apache, Swede Peak and Chiricahua Peak.

Warning: Back road travel can be hazardous if you are not prepared for the unexpected. Whether traveling in the desert or high country, be aware of weather and road conditions. Make sure you and your vehicle are in top shape. Carry plenty of water. Don't travel alone, and let someone at home know where you're going and when you plan to return. Odometer readings in the story may vary by vehicle.

Additional Information: Coronado National Forest, Douglas Ranger District office, (520) 364-3468.