A Very Gneiss Park

13 Jul A Very Gneiss Park

Over the last couple of weeks I’ve been learning a whole new set of skills. I have been able to go with my supervisor out in the field to check humidity loggers in old mines made back in the 1800s as well as going out in the field to do some Unstable Slope Management  Program work. Many of these mines can very unstable and some have mines shaft that can go 80 feet down. This a very dangerous feature of the mine, so they all have been closed with gates, so that no one may enter expect bats!We started last Tuesday at 6:00 AM in the morning when the temperature is at lowest here in Southeastern Arizona and it feels great outside. Since we are done rating slopes along roads, the next step was to do trails in the park, even though Coronado National Memorial only having six trails, they are all very different from each other changing dramatically in elevation and scenery.

Our first goal of the long day hike was to finish Yaqui’s Ridge Trail that goes all the way to the US/Mexico border fence, where the Arizona Scenic Trail starts, from there we found many unstable slope surfaces all along the trail that could affect the trails integrity. After finishing with over three miles of hiking, we went 2.5 miles more to do Joe’s Canyon along this beautiful trail that has a beautiful wall rock where can see banding of the rock as well. The trail which is the longest in the park beat us to how many slopes we could do and had finish early due to running out Unstable Slope Management Program forms. We hope to finish all the trails in the park by next week.