This Trailblazer weekend outing provided the opportunity to hike on a private Southwestern wilderness ranch and game preserve.

Ed Wagner’s Rincon Ranch encompasses 32.5 square miles of unspoiled juniper-pinion wilderness, ranging in elevation from 6000' to 7500'.

From a topology standpoint, the ranch offers excellent hiking, whether through the junipers atop the flat mesas or following a watercourse through winding arroyos which range from sanding bottoms to sculptural water-carved caliche. Around every bend is the possibility of animal sightings, unusual geological formations, and evidence of previous cultures.

Our mission for the weekend is to (1) explore and identify terrain suitable for hiking trails, (2) mark GPS waypoints for any interesting features, (3) use colored markers or rock cairns to mark the trail, (4) take a lot of photos, and (5) have fun!

The six hour drive wound through the beautiful mountainous regions of Arizona, up onto the windy Mogollon Rim toward Show Low, near the White Mountains. Past Springerville, the terrain changed to long rolling grass-covered high chaparral and grazing lands covering broad volcanic mounds, with vast views north toward the Painted Desert.

Arriving at the Rincon Lodge, introductions were made to ranch owner Ed Wagner, who gave the 11 hikers their room assignments and a quick tour of the facilities before sunset.

Wendy snapped photos around the lodge taking advantage of the late afternoon shadows and rich golden light.

Group members pitched in to help prepare dinner: spaghetti with meat (elk) sauce, along with tasty side dishes and homemade lemon chess pie. After dishes were cleared away, a rousing game of Sequence ensued at the long dining table. Before retiring, hikers studied the topo map and conferred with Ed to plan the next day’s hike. Others spent some time on the deck behind the lodge, gazing up at the blanket of stars overhead and sucking in the cool night air.

As the group became more strung out and easily hidden by thick stands of junipers, “whooping” was instituted to prevent hikers from being left behind.

This may be the reason we saw no elk or deer!

We ate our lunches seated along the top of the slope, or went outside to watch the sunset. while admiring the long vistas westward out the end of Perry Canyon toward the St. Johns, AZ.

Over lunch, it was unanimously decided that this scenic side canyon shall henceforth be named Trailblazer Canyon.

After marking a trail along the high ridgeline and across the broad top, Ed and Gary split off to return to the lodge, coming out near the trailhead. The remaining hikers descended back into shady Trailblazer Canyon, winding our way down slope to the streambed.

The reverie created by the shady glen, the gentle wind, the fragrant ponderosa pines, and the soft bed of pine needles along the creek banks were too captivating to ignore, so snack time was declared and the group stretched out for both a physical and a spiritual recharge.

Winding our way up to the head of the ravine, we marked the trail’s intersection with Windfarm Road. Across the road at the cliff edge, a group photo was snapped with the White Mountains in the far distance. Directly down slope, about a half mile distant, Kay pointed out a group of black-topped hoodoo formations estimated to be 20'-25' tall. Too tired to explore them at the time, their location was noted for a possible spur trail in the future and the hikers headed back to the lodge.

Friday night dinner consisted of homemade soups, cornbread and salad: Debbie prepared a fragrant Moroccan lentil vegetable soup and Dennis & Yolanda heated a crockpot full of split pea & ham soup. Gary provided a dessert of tapioca pudding and strawberries. While Braveheart played on the big screen TV, others gathered for games of “Apples to Apples“ and “Balderdash”, having some great laughs along the way. Bedtime came early as most of us were exhausted.

The columns of stone were reminiscent of the dramatic scenery used for car commercials! Turning across the broad mesa, the trail was laid through the juniper-pinion forest to an unusual geological formation along the opposite side of the mesa, along Provenger Canyon. A 20' thick layer of limestone caliche had been shaped by wind and rains over the centuries to form domes and sloping hollows, resembling a skateboard park. Plenty of natural seating provided a perfect setting for a mid-morning snack. Looking up toward the head of Zuni Canyon, we could see the lodge roof at the saddle of the ridge some 4 miles away.

Next the group headed directly for the assault up Porter’s Knob, which proved to be not just one high flat-topped knob, but rather a high thin ridge (200' in length) with several wider areas. Porter’s Knob was used for centuries by Indians for spotting game, due to the 360-degree view of the two major canyon systems and the broad plains beyond.

In spite of the large size of the boulders, there were always ways to circumvent around the largest obstacles. Within 20 minutes, the hikers were at the foot of the cliffs.

We decided not to descend into the deep trench (10'-15') in the valley floor, for fear we would not be able to climb the soft walls to get out again.

Instead we paralleled the streambed on the Poopalooza Trail, which was actually a cow path (hence the name) that skirted along the foothills of the cliffs. From this angle, the irregular blocky sandstone shapes with their deep fractures resembled all sorts of animals and even the state of Minnesota (at least to Bill)!

The sides of the canyon narrowed as we approached the formation called “Ed’s Swimming Pool“. Where the vertical limestone-sandstone walls reached about 16', the wind or water over time had carved it a filigree of small cavities, some large enough for birds or lizards. One hole looked quite deep, but no one was brave enough (or foolish enough) to stick their hand in to find out. Along the base of this wall is a damp section crusted white with accumulated salt, attractive to all sorts of wildlife.

In the farthest corner of the box canyon, flash floods over time had carved a narrow chimney in the caliche some 12 feet high, dropping into a major stone bowl, estimated anywhere from several feet deep to at least eight feet deep, depending on whom you asked. The hikers dubbed this “Ed’s Hot Tub”, although the brown muddy water did not look at all inviting.

After time-out for a snack, half of the group hiked a half mile back up the road to where the truck was parked, then we all headed back to the lodge. Inside, we were greeted by the fragrant aroma of elk stew, which had been slow-cooking since 9 a.m. While some hikers caught a siesta on the couches in the great room, others whipped up casseroles and salads in the large country kitchen. After polishing off berry pies + whipped cream, group members climbed aboard the Mexican Train (dominoes). Meanwhile, Mike had set up the projector up in the rec room for a photo show. During intermissions, Debbie instructed us in the Arizona Two-Step and also Electric Slide dance steps.

Those who napped or spent the day relaxing at the lodge stayed up to play more games or watch a movie; the rest of us fell asleep the moment our heads hit the pillow.

On Sunday, Kay fired up the griddle for multi-grain pancakes, bacon, fresh fruit and more of Carlton’s fine coffee. Shortly after breakfast, one car (Dennis, Yolanda and Wendy) headed back to Phoenix, while another car (Mike, Gary, Bill and Linda) set out to see the Very Large Array of radio telescopes, east of Pie Town, New Mexico.

While Carlton elected to relax at the lodge, Ed dropped off Debbie, Wendy and Kay at the Swimming Pool, for one last hike. The hike up this upper section of Zuni Canyon is Kay’s favorite, full of interesting features. We hadn’t gone more than a 100 yards when we heard a strange whooping sound. It was Ed, yelling for us to stop – Wendy’s vehicle had a trick lock on it and he couldn’t get it started!

Resuming our hike, we stopped to admire the petroglyphs on the sandstone face then skirted around the standing water of the spring – a favorite watering hole, judging by the number of elk prints in the mud.

Several times we scrambled over or around school bus-sized boulders blocking the way upstream. We explored a sculptural “sluice“ section, then nimbly (and bravely) jumped from bank to bank, over the gaping “bottomless“ drop.

Twice we chose to take the right fork at junctions in the streambed and were rewarded by finding some unusual rock formations. After a quick salute to Butt Rock, we followed the winding track in search of the golden eagle nest. Less than 5 minutes later, a majestic eagle swooped down from its high perch in a nearby ponderosa pine and soared overhead, obviously checking us out.

We watched as it rode the thermals before disappearing out of sight down Zuni Canyon. A large fallen tree trunk some 50' further upstream provided a grandstand view of the nest. As we leisurely munched our PB&J sandwiches, we saw the eagle one more time.

When we reached the head of the Zuni ravine, we faced a massive jumble of boulders blocking the way. Fortunately, the slope on the left, behind some scrub vegetation, provided stair steps that zigzagged easily up to the mesa top. Soon we intersected with the Rincon Scenic Highway (ranch road) and hiked the mile up to where we’d left Ed’s pick-up truck. Back at the lodge, we lunched on leftover soups, bid farewell to our terrific host Ed, and reluctantly began the drive back to Phoenix.

Photos in this trip report were graciously submitted by Dennis Jones, Wendy Rennert, Carlton Colbert, and Kay Lyons.