Service in the Sky, Chiricahua Mountains, Arizona

If you’re 18 to 35, you may be able to go on this trip for $300 off the listed price, thanks to the Sharon Churchwell Fund. To sign up and get your discount, please call 415-977-5522. No application is necessary. For a full list of Sharon Churchwell trips and other opportunities for young travelers, visit our trips for young participants page.  

The Trip

Service outings are a great way to be introduced to outdoor living, develop close camaraderie among diverse groups, and be rewarded for your efforts with the satisfaction of a job well done and the sense of “giving back” to the outdoors community.

We will be in the Chiricahua Mountains, a name shared with the Chiricahua Apache occupied in this region until the 1870s. The Chiricahua Apache called themselves the Chukunen, Tsoka-ne-nde, or Chokonende, and the Mountainside People. The range is the largest and most biologically diverse of the isolated sierras locally known as “sky islands." The Chiricahua Wilderness, located in the southeast corner of Arizona, was created by Congress in 1964 and now totals 87,700 acres. It is part of Coronado National Forest (CNF). This sky island’s highest point is Chiricahua Peak at 9,797 feet. The Wilderness adjoins the Chiricahua National Monument, which has some of the most spectacular geology in the southwestern United States.

The 1.8-million-acre Coronado National Forest covers 12 of the 57 noncontiguous mountain ranges known as sky islands that form an archipelago in the sea of desert and grassland spreading across the American Southwest. The land under CNF administration is some of the most ecologically rich in the nation, forests of ponderosa pine, spruce, fir, and aspen typical of the Rockies and Sierra Madre slope upward from pincushions of Sonora and Chihuahua Desert saguaros and scrub. The Coronado NF is also inhabited by many radically diverse species.

Unlike most of the other 154 national forests, CNF was not a big source of merchantable timber when Teddy Roosevelt declared it a national forest in July 1908. The Coronado’s mountains were then and are still vital as a watershed, contributing to southeast Arizona’s groundwater supply. Wildlife preservation, cattle grazing, and recreation have been the CNF’s traditional uses.

Southeastern Arizona is a birding “hot spot” and is the southernmost range for many North American species and the northernmost range for many Central/South American bird species. Our service trip will be during the spring migration when Central/South American birds will be heading northward for the summer. You also can potentially view a variety of wildlife, including black bear, mountain lions, white-tail and mule deer, coatis, snakes, and amphibians.

The Apache groups of the region are pre-dated by pre-historic hunters and gatherers from 11,000 B.C. In 1687, the Spaniard, Father Eusebio Kino, began working with the O’odham (Pima) to the south and west of the Apache groups, eventually establishing missions in what is northern Sonora, Mexico, and southern Arizona. Mexico gained independence from Spain in 1821. In 1848, U.S. gained most of the northern Mexican territory. The boot heel region of New Mexico and southern Arizona was acquired by the Gadsden Purchase in 1854. As the various European settlers attempted to occupy the Apache territory, the Apache became highly resilient and opportunistic raiders. Apache resolve meant the economic ventures of outsiders failed while the Apache remained present and unsubdued. Sadly, the conflict turned vengeful and bloody. In 1886, the last of the Chiricahua Apache surrendered. Their leader, Geronimo, died a natural death in Oklahoma at age 90. Other notable Apache leaders were Cochise and Mangas Colorado.

Of note is Fort Huachuca, established during the Apache wars. In 1913, it was occupied by the 10th U.S. Cavalry, Afro-American “Buffalo Soldiers,” a moniker earned during the Indian Wars, for the character of their hair or their respected determination in battle. The third Afro-American to graduate from West Point, Major Charles Young arrived with the 10^th Calvary in 1916 from distinguished service establishing Sequoia and General Grant National Parks. Young served in the 1916 Punitive Expedition against Pancho Villa with such success he was promoted to Colonel and given command of Fort Huachuca until mid-1917. Fort Huachuca continued as a Buffalo Soldier border guard and training facility through WWII.

We will be camping and working on lands of the Chiricahua and Mountain Apache who lived in southwestern New Mexico, southeastern Arizona, and northern Mexico until they were removed from their homelands and held as Prisoners of War by the United States from 1886–1914. Today, formal Apache lands are concentrated on reservations to the north in Arizona, the east in New Mexico and the Chiricahua Apache reservation in Oklahoma. Apache families live throughout Arizona and New Mexico working to re-establish sovereignty on their ancestral lands. The proximity of the region to the Mexican-American border is an integral reality of local life. It influences traditions of foods, holidays, art, and music. There is an issue of passage across the border with an effect on the landowners, residents, and wildlife adjacent to the border.

The Project

Working on Chiricahua Apache lands, we will maintain trails utilizing only hand tools, since this is a wilderness area where no power tools are permitted.

Our work schedule will include four workdays and a free day to explore the area. It is likely that we will work on trails within three miles of our camp or a trailhead, but we can count on substantial hiking every day.

We will work in a mixed conifer forest -- primarily ponderosa pine and Douglas fir -- but we will also see white fir, aspen, and the southernmost stand of Engelmann spruce in North America. At lower elevations, there is a great variety of oak species, Chiricahua and pinion pine, and juniper.

Due to severe weather and some devastating fires, there is an enormous amount of deadfall in this area. Much of our work will be clearing brush and cutting logs with two-person crosscut saws to remove them from the trail. Some of these logs may be over 30 inches thick! Other tasks include repairs to tread and signs. Tools we will use include crosscut saws, coronas (a small pruning saw), Pulaskis, McLeods, loppers, and hand axes. The work will be both physically demanding and rewarding. There will be a suitable job(s) for everyone, and everyone can work at his or her own pace. The Forest Service will provide all necessary tools and safety equipment except for work gloves and eye protection -- which you must bring. The trip leader has provided a link for the safe use of crosscut saws and trail tools in the references.

There are a number of flood-damaged trails in the Chiricahuas relatively close to where we have base-camped and worked on prior trips. The District Ranger of the Coronado Forest Service has made repairing these trails a priority and has asked for our help. We hope to accommodate the Forest Service's priorities by focusing our work efforts on these locations.

Day 1: Our trip officially starts at 5:00 p.m. at Rustler Park campground in the Chiricahua Mountains for our trip orientation meeting and our first trip meal/dinner.

Day 2: Following breakfast, we will backpack to camp, which is approximately 4.5 miles from the trailhead. The hike in starts at 8,411 feet, peaks at 9,644 feet, and camp is at about 9,050 feet. The hike in with a full pack is moderately strenuous. We will carry our personal gear to the camp; the Forest Service pack horses will carry our food and commissary equipment. We will travel as a group and pace ourselves to ensure everyone’s safety and comfort. We should arrive at our campsite by mid-afternoon. We will set up our individual campsites and help set up the group camp/commissary. After we have established camp, we’ll have an orientation session so you can learn the safe use of the tools we’ll be utilizing for the week.

Days 3-4: We will do trail maintenance work at elevations often above 8,500 feet. Although trail maintenance is physically challenging, there will be a variety of different jobs using different tools, and no one will be pressured to work harder/longer than what they feel comfortable doing. There will be plenty of rest breaks; we’ll likely work/hike about eight hours each workday.

Day 5: This will be our off/free day. You can relax in camp, hike to explore some of the high country on the Chiricahua Mountain ridge, do some birding, or volunteer to do additional trail work. You may hike on your own; we just ask that you do so in groups of three for reasons of safety.

Days 6-7: We'll continue the trail maintenance work we started on days three and four. 

Day 8: After packing up and eating breakfast, we’ll hike out and reach the trailhead by midday. If your travel plans involve flying into/out of Tucson, please make flight reservations for the evening or the next day.

Getting There

Trip members are responsible for getting themselves to and from Rustler Park campground. From the west, it can be reached from U.S. Forest Service roads off Highway 181, near the entrance to Chiricahua National Monument. From the Tucson airport, travel approximately 80 freeway miles to Willcox, and then 31 miles on a paved highway to the Chiricahua National Monument. From that point, travel 15 miles on fair gravel and dirt roads to Rustler Park campground. If traveling from Tucson, allow a minimum of three hours for the trip. From the east, Rustler Park campground can be reached from Portal, Arizona.

Phoenix is approximately 190 freeway miles away and might have more frequent flights at a slightly lower rate than Tucson. El Paso, Texas, is 190 freeway miles to the east. However you choose to arrive, please allow yourself plenty of time to get to our 5:00 p.m. orientation meeting on day one.

The trip leader will send out a trip roster to all participants in the Departure Bulletin to help facilitate travel planning. It's recommended that participants contact each other to set up carpools or make other arrangements to help each other get between the airports and the trailhead.

Please do not make non-refundable travel arrangements until notified to do so by the trip leader.

Accommodations and Food

You will backpack with your personal items, tent, sleeping bag, etc. Pack animals carry our kitchen and commissary. We will all help in rotation to prepare nutritious, high-energy, international backcountry cuisine. Our meals will satisfy both the appetite and conversation after a day's work in the wilderness. Meals are mostly vegetarian friendly. Please let the cook know about any food allergies or preferences.

Trip Difficulty

The backpacking portion of this trip can be considered easy to moderate. But the work portion is strenuous (due to the high volume of deadfall in the area that we will have to remove from the trails). The trip is running years after a major fire. In this area snags continue to fall to the ground after a fire. So there should be a large amount of sawing with two-man and one-man crosscuts and small handsaws to remove the deadfall. 

Our workdays will have only moderate elevation changes, but we will be above 8,500 feet. We can anticipate hiking one to six miles each day along the trail. The work will be physical (primarily sawing) and we can expect to be pleasantly tired at the end of each day. We will be in rugged wilderness terrain. The elevation is high enough that we must be alert to dehydration. Participants must be fit enough to backpack up to 4.5 miles to base camp and perform the trail work. If you are physically fit, you will enjoy the trip more.

Equipment and Clothing

At this time of year, the chances of rain are extremely low. Depending on the year high temperatures range from the 50’s to the 70’s, low temperatures in the 30’s to the 50’s -- with low humidity. There is a daily anabatic wind peaking in the afternoon we may be exposed on our return to camp. A passing front can also present a day or two of winds. The camp itself is sheltered from the winds. The leader can provide weather data from past years.

A backpack, tent, sleeping bag, and personal gear for backcountry living are needed.

The work will require long pants; closed-toed, protective footwear; gloves; and protective eyewear. Water may be scarce during the workday. Water containers with three liters of capacity is recommended.

The trip leader will send a list of recommended gear to all participants.

References

We will provide a detailed topographic map of the area where we will be working. If you wish to have your own maps, look for the U.S.G.S. quadrangles of "Portal Peak" and "Chiricahua Peak." 

• Bezy, John, Field Guide to the Geology of the Chiricahua National Monument. This small book covers many of the geologic basics for the area.

• McMahon, James A., Deserts. Even though we will be above the desert, many birds, flowers, insects, and butterflies can be found, even in the mountains.

• Reisner, Marc, Cadillac Desert. Water is precious in the arid west. How we use it or don't use it is of concern to everyone.

• Pyne, Stephen, Fire in America. Fire has had a role in the Sky Islands for the past several thousand years.

• U.S. Forest Service Chiricahua National Wilderness website:

  https://www.fs.usda.gov/wildflowers/beauty/Sky_Islands/Coronado_NF/ChiricahuaMountains/index.shtml

• Collective Action on the Western Range Focus on Cochise County with some historical notes of resource use https://www.thecommonsjournal.org/articles/10.18352/ijc.286/

• Map of Chiricahua National Wilderness: http://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_MEDIA/fsbdev3_003327.jpg

• Native Land: https://native-land.ca/maps/territories/chiricahua-apache/

• Free video certificate course on crosscut sawyer: https://www.umt.edu/crosscut-sawyer/ 

• U.S.F.S. Manual Course on Sawing: https://www.americantrails.org/resources/chain-saw-and-crosscut-saw-training-course

• Learn about trail tools here: https://www.americantrails.org/resources/trail-tools-repair-and-sharpening

Conservation

During our trip we’ll have an ongoing discussion concerning topical environmental issues and the potential impact of the policies of the current administration on these issues. Participants will be introduced to some local environmental groups like the Sky Island Alliance, Chiricahua Regional Council, Friends of Cave Creek, Tucson Audubon Society, and Center for Biological Diversity. 

The outing takes place on unceded lands of Native people who refer to themselves as Nde, "the people of," and colonizers referred to as Apache, a Navajo word for "enemy." Beyond this acknowledgement we will discuss the regional history and current affairs of Native Americans, and a small contribution will be made to a Native American entity.

Sierra Club National Outings is an equal-opportunity provider and when applicable will operate under permits obtained from U.S. federal land agencies.