With two other people I had never met before, we set out on the Dragonfly Loop Trail in Silver City on a cold, windy November day. A bottle of wine awaited us for when we made it back to the car.
The trail was gentle, mostly flat. The views were sweeping. I took in the yellowing aspens and willows, standing at stark contrast to the surrounding evergreens, and the nearby hills and bluffs of the Gila. This hike did not disappoint visually.
I wish I had gotten a picture but there were two bluffs linked by a pink sandstone shelf in the middle, called the Twin Sisters Peaks. One of my companions called them the “Bra” and I could not un-see that after. Up close they don’t look like that but from the Dragonfly Loop….
At one point, we reached the old highway 260, where only some crumbling asphalt and a few bridge supports remain. Interesting graffiti adorned the concrete shoring the highway over a dry streambed. This spot was close to the halfway mark, so we chilled and enjoyed some trail mix, cheese, and great conversation.
This was my first time hiking with a group, and I had just met these people on Meetup, but I was enchanted by their outlook on life and their rationale behind atheism. They said that being outside on a Sunday was their church and I had to agree. One of them was conservative; one was liberal; I am purple. Yet somehow we found a pleasant harmony between our beliefs and discovered shared values in education, hard work, smarts, and love at the heart of our ideologies.
From there, we made our way toward the petroglyphs. We came across two women, who anxiously asked us about a deer carcass up ahead. “What could have killed it?” one of the women asked, with a tremulous laugh.
“A mountain lion, maybe a pack of coyotes, maybe a wolf,” we suggested.
We soon came upon the carcass. Or, rather, half a carcass. Its stomach contents and blood had spilled across the trail as it was dragged into the arroyo and devoures. Poor thing, but that is just Nature.
Close to the petroglyphs, I caught sight of a glimmer in a boulder. “Look! Green calcite!” I cried jubilantly. My companions paused and admired the rock with me, instead of teasing me for liking rocks as most people do. It is nice when you find people who share your wonder of Nature and consider treasure to include non-monetary things.
The petroglyphs were much clearer than I expected. I almost thought they might be a hoax because they were not faded or mutilated by erosion at all. The petroglyphs overlook a dry riverbed. Almost as a gentle joke by the Universe, a dragonfly buzzed the rock with its own likeness on it. We spent some time here, enjoying the stillness and the hummingbirds in the bushes behind us.
Returning to the car, buffeted by chilly wind, one of my companions announced that we had done almost 6 miles. I started to regret this hike as my feet throbbed. I was in way less shape than my companions, who kept a good hundred feet ahead of me. But we finally made it to the warm car, where my stinging red cheeks calmed as I sipped some nasty warm red wine.
From there, we went to enjoy some food and live music at the Little Toad Creek Winery in Silver City. Being inside, surrounded by noise, felt like such a jarring contrast to the peace of the outdoors. While I had a fantastic time, I still think that outdoors is a way better time than any bar. This hike just made me fall in love with Western New Mexico all over again.