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| Organ Mountains as seen from the West near Dripping Springs |
“Wisdom and Peace come when you start living the life the Creator
intended for you”
Geronimo
Great men such as Geronimo and Victorio knew just as Thoreau
and Muir did that the best things in life are attained through appreciation of
simplicity and being thankful for things such as the wind in the trees, the
moon & stars in the sky and the warmth of the new sun over the mountains. There
are many places of wild sanctuary in the United States that you can escape to in
order to witness and appreciate all of these things. One of my favorites is the
Needles region of the Organ Mountains of New Mexico. These intimidating peaks
reach for the sky in solid rock spires that seem impossibly balanced and incredibly
difficult to summit. Even though the Organ Mountains are located in the middle
of the Chihuahuan Desert, due to the nature of their rocky disposition there
are cleveites and crevices where ancient pocket ponderosa pine forests thrive
far above the shimmering heat of the desert floor. The peaks make for an
amazing scene when viewed from the Las Cruces area to the West, almost as if
they are the reaching fingers of the outstretched hands of the Mescalero Apache
forever grasping at the sky. My favorite view of these peaks is on the east
side of the range in the vicinity of the White Sands Missile Range garrison.
Looking west towards the Rabbit Ears and Organ Needle the scene is of
impossibly vertical shafts of solid rock or “Needles” standing bolt upright
against the sky. On 21 May 2014, President Barack Obama designated the Organ
Mountains and several other areas as the “Organ Mountains – Desert Peaks
National Monument”.
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| High "Needles Area" of the Organ Mountains near Aguirre Springs |
I applaud this designation because these mountains and the
sheltered island ecosystems they contain are truly unique and deserving of
protection. There are two main access points to the mountains that I am aware
of and have visited. First, on the West (Las Cruces) side of the range is the
Dripping Springs Natural Area. There is a visitor’s center here and several
short interpretive trails. The views of the bold peaks in spires and mighty
domes are spectacular as you approach this area from the west. On the east side
of the range is the Aguirre Springs Campground and “Pine Tree Trail”. As you
head south off of U.S. Highway 70 on the Aguirre Springs Road, the Rabbit Ears
pierce the sky in striking contrast to the pyramid like more plain features of
Baylor Peak to the north. The springs that are hidden up below the cliffs in
these mountains provide moisture necessary to support Ponderosa Pine, Alligator
Juniper, Oak, Mountain Mahogany and Pinyon in pocket forests with the tree type
depending on the elevation.
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| Rabbit Ears as seen from Aguirre Springs Road south of U.S. HWY 70 |
There are typical plants of the Chihuahuan desert
intermixed with these trees and in much larger quantities at lower elevations
such as Ocotillo, Cholla, Sotol, Yucca and Barrel Cactus. These areas of
vegetation and the springs provide habitat for pronghorn antelope on the
benches of the mountains, and javelin, coyote, mule deer, cougar, golden
eagles, owls and all kinds of snakes, lizards and creepy crawlies of the
desert. A walk along any of the trails in the Monument or simply a drive along
the base of the mountains on either side at sunrise or sunset is something that
will be remembered long after the event in photographs and memories. This area
is an easy drive from the Las Cruces, New Mexico and El Paso, Texas areas. For
more information on this wonderful new monument visit their website at :
http://www.blm.gov/nm/st/en/prog/blm_special_areas/national_monuments/omdp_national_monument.html
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| Sugarloaf Mountain close up - Organ Mountains, New Mexico |
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| Sugarloaf Mountain from Aguirre Springs Road - Organ Mountains, New Mexico |
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| Organ Mountains, New Mexico |
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