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Five Gila Trails to Try
From easy to expert, these trails in the Gila Wilderness are suited to every kind of hiker. HAVING A VARIETY OF USABLE TRAILS is essential for experiencing the solitude that Aldo Leopold enjoyed, says Melissa Green, trails project coordinator of Gila Back Country Horsemen. “Keeping people going to different places is big so the wilderness stays pristine.” The nonprofit trail-maintenance group’s website shares accurate maps and route descriptions. “We try to highlight trails that we know either ourselves or the Forest Service have worked on,” she says. While some may opt to backpack the 100-mile Gila Wilderness Centennial Loop in celebration of the anniversary, others can choose from Green’s day-hike recommendations.
Celebrate the Gila Wilderness 100th anniversary at the historic Mogollon Cemetery
NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – The Town of Mogollon is getting ready to celebrate 100 years of the Gila Wilderness with a special event at the historic Mogollon Cemetery on May 25, 2024. The event is limited to 70 participants so anyone planning to attend is encouraged to RSVP soon by reaching out to Cordelia Rose by phone […]
Find These Birds in the Gila
Home to hundreds of species, the Gila Wilderness is a bird-watcher’s paradise. LOCATED AT THE NORTHERNMOST end of some birds’ range and the southernmost of others, the Gila Wilderness climbs from cactus-filled desert to steep, pine-covered peaks. Those features, combined with the dense, deciduous vegetation along the Gila River’s forks, make for a robust habitat for bird-watching. Approximately 170 birds breed there, another 115 or so make appearances throughout the year, and a few dozen more visit intermittently. “That’s pretty impressive,” says Jerry Monzingo, a biologist with the Gila National Forest. The riparian corridors are particularly rich: “You can check a lot of birds off your list in a few hours.”
Guardian of the Gila
A fire lookout for more than 40 years, Sara Irving keeps watch from the top of Mogollon Baldy. PERCHED IN A STEEL LOOKOUT tower on Mogollon Baldy, Sara Irving has kept eyes on the Gila Wilderness for 42 summers. A hike along the Continental Divide Trail in 1980 prompted her to apply for a seasonal position with the Forest Service. “I just kept coming back,” she says. Getting to her post requires a 12-mile hike to the 10,774-foot peak, where she tracks lightning, scans for smoke, relays radio messages, and spends her days off backpacking. Although the 70-year-old retired from teaching photography at New Mexico State University Alamogordo, Irving plans to continue as a lookout until she reaches at least 50 seasons. “It’s hard to imagine not being there in the summer.” —As told to Jennifer C. Olson.
FIRST ALERT FORECAST: 13 First Alert Action Night Saturday into Sunday AM
TUCSON, Ariz. (13 News) - Temperatures dip into the 60s briefly Saturday before warming back into the 70s starting Sunday. Saturday night into early morning hours Sunday a Hard Freeze Watch is active for valley locales of Pima, Cochise, Santa Cruz, Graham and Greenlee counties. This is where temperatures could dip to near or even below freezing for several hours at a time. Before you go to bed Saturday night remember to protect people, pets, plants and pipes!
The History of the Gila Cliff Dwellings
The Gila has long been a special place. Occupied by the early Mogollon people in the 1270s, Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument offers a glimpse into the lives and culture of these early inhabitants. “THIS WHOLE MOUNTAIN VALLEY wasn’t some wilderness nobody visited,” says Dana Dick, Gila Cliff Dwellings National...
FIRST ALERT FORECAST - Warming trend on the way!
TUCSON, Ariz. (13 News) - A Freeze Warning remains in place for the lower elevations of Graham, Greenlee, and Cochise Counties through 8 AM Wednesday. Abundant sunshine will warm temperatures into the mid to upper 60s and low 70s by the afternoon, still running several degrees below normal. A warming trend will send highs into the low 80s for Tucson starting Thursday with wind gusts picking up Friday and Saturday. Our next weather system arrives Easter Sunday, reintroducing rain chances and cooling temperatures into the 60s through early next week.
Explore the Gila Wilderness in These Books
In addition to Aldo Leopold’s classic "A Sand County Almanac," these recent Gila page-turners are worth a spin. First and Wildest: The Gila Wilderness at 100, edited by Elizabeth High-tower Allen (Torrey House Press, 2022) Local artists, conservationists, and writers including Michael P. Berman, Martha Schumann Cooper, Sharman Apt...
Editor's Letter: Wild Times
As the Gila National Wilderness celebrates its 100th anniversary, we set out to explore the wonders of this special place. ON JUNE 3, 1924, THE GILA WILDERNESS became the first-of-its-kind wilderness area—a federally designated place with no roads, no cabins, no vehicles. Or, as Aldo Leopold—the Forest Service employee whose experience with the wonders of the Gila shaped the original vision—argued in a 1921 essay: “By ‘wilderness,’ I mean a continuous stretch of country preserved in its natural state.”
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