Canyon Explorations in the Organs

In February and March I took 2 more exploratory hikes in the canyons of the west side of the Organs, following social trails in order to find a route into the canyons and then scrambling up the washes from there. In the first hike I thought I’d actually be able to reach the ridge but thick brush made continuing beyond the entrance to bowl more trouble than it was worth; unfortunately said brush also blocked most of my views. I might try this one again when I have more time and can commit a full day. I might also go back and explore more of the mine area and see if I can access any of the canyons to the south too.

The second exploration was a in a relatively wet canyon that had much more yucca and grass, not to mention clusters of prickly pear growing up the canyon sides. The light that day was also particularly warm, making the rock glow a beautiful orange that I wasn’t really able to capture but was beautiful nonetheless. This shorter, easier scramble was also preceeded by a herd of around 15 mule deer tracking up to the ridge near the canyon entrance. It’s unusual to see such a large group of deer together in the Organs and after watching them for a few seconds I took a video that shows their effortless glide up the hill (pardon the interruption two thirds of the way through when Abby thought maybe she didn’t need to listen to me).