Twixmas Hikes and Campout
December 28-30, 2024
I've heard it called "Twixmas", "Dead Week" or even "Feral Week". It's those precious few days between Christmas and New Years when we're allowed to take off and tune out. The highlight of this year's Twixmas was a visit from our "chosen son and daughter-out-law", who were in town for a few days to check out a property in the Mimbres. We did our best to convince them to immigrate to New Mexico by dangling a few of our favorite hiking and camping spots.
Skates Canyon
First, a late afternoon foray into Skates Canyon. Several trees have fallen into the slot, creating some interesting hiking challenges. Photo by CLB.
Dennis hands me his poles so he is hands free for the final scramble over the choke stone. Photo by CLB.
We were delighted to find that there was still a bit of water in the slot. That's me straddling the stream. Photo by CLB.
Conquering the logjam.
Lower Gila Box
On days 2-3, we headed over to the Lower Gila Box for a flyover of some of the petroglyph sites. I'm usually the one behind the camera, but for this hike there are actually some photos of me!
Photo by CLB.
Photo by CLB.
We've visited this site several times, but this is the first time I noticed the "alien lady" high on the canyon wall. The image is faded, but the figure appears to be bug-eyed with splayed fingers and perhaps some sort of antennae. I can almost hear her exclaiming, "This is some bull$hit!"
Also new to us was this puzzing image with what looks like a starburst and an animal skeleton.
Photo by CLB.
Dennis admiring the view from our lunch spot.
We continued our exploration, crossing the river numerous times. Curiously, the water was much deeper and colder than it was a few weeks ago, even though it hasn't rained in our area.
A side canyon that is remarkable for its smooth, sculptured white rock walls with a deep green pool at the base.
The four-handed woman, one of my favorites. What woman doesn't need four hands during the holidays?
After a perfect desert campout, we set out to visit the grandaddy of them all.
I've photographed these glyphs many times, so I'll only post a few images here.
I crept along the rockfall, taking time to notice a few that had escaped my attention on previous hikes. This figure with the wavy lines all around the head really caught my eye.
These glyphs are examples of "Trincheras rock art", which features a preponderance of geometric patterns. The Trincheras culture was contemporaneous with the Hohokam, roughly dating from AD 200 to 1150. "Cerros de trincheras" are typically found on conical volcanic hills, where rock retaining walls were used to create multiple terraces that supported habitations and farm plots.
One final shot.