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Neither of us have been participating in many of the activities organized here at the Wrinkle Ranch but last week when I learned the hiking group was tackling Brown Canyon I jumped at the chance. The canyon is a part of the Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge (BANWR) that is only accessible by taking a guided hike. BANWR covers 118,000 acres around the small town of Arivaca that includes such diverse habitats as spring-fed wetlands, semi-desert grasslands, and pinyon pine and juniper covered mountainsides.

In the 1600s when the Altar Valley was first recorded by Spanish explorers the area was a sea of grass where huge herds of Pronghorns grazed and massive covies of Bobwhite Quail thrived. The now dominant mesquite trees were relegated to riparian corridors. Large scale change came with the area’s first cattle rancher, Pedro Aguirre Jr. who established his Buenos Ayres (Spanish for “good air”) ranch in 1864.

By the time the government purchased the land for the refuge in 1985 the century plus of over-grazing had taken its toll. Gone were the pronghorns, few were the bobwhite quail and greatly fractured and depleted was the grassland. The land, though much altered, still serves as home to a great diversity of creatures including 325 bird species.

Our hike began on the far western side of the refuge and headed up into the Baboquivari Mountains. Surrounded by the Tohono O’odham reservation on two sides the tallest point is Baboquivari Peak which is imposing at 7,730’. This peak is believed by the Tohono O’odham to be the home of their creator I’itoi and is therefore sacred to them. Though the peak itself is not on their reservation, which at 2.9 million acres is the second largest in the U.S. after the Navajo reservation in northern Arizona, it is protected as a wilderness area and access is strictly regulated and limited.

From the trailhead we enjoyed a wonderful view east to the Santa Rita Mountains; we were already several thousand feet above the valley floor. The stream in Brown Canyon was running with the cold, clear water of snowmelt and bright white snow glistened in cracks on the north face of Baboquivari Peak. Thankfully the stormy weather was long gone and we hiked under a warm sun. Though the area seemed remote every turn of the canyon brought us face to face with yet another reminder of the area’s ranching past: windmills, rock walls, tree limb corrals, and small outbuildings still remain.

Our guide gave the group a choice of hiking from Brown Canyon to either Jaguar Canyon or Arch Canyon. Though Jaguar Canyon received its name after one of the large cats was sighted there, the odds of our group seeing one were nonexistent so we headed for the natural arch. As we climbed into the canyon the vegetation gradually changed from acacias, mesquite trees, and cactus to pinyon pines, junipers, and oaks. The only constant was the great white barked sycamore trees that grew alongside the stream.

Shortly before reaching our lunch spot at the arch we came across two freshly used fire rings. A brief look around told the story; migrants crossing into the U.S. illegally had camped here. Nearby were the empty tin cans of beans that they heated in the fire, under an oak were the depressions and crushed vegetation where they had slept, and crumpled on a rock were a pair of discarded socks. It was all new to the folks I was hiking with—who are from parts further north—and I was bombarded with questions about the camp.

It was a perfect reminder of just how close to Mexico we were, roughly ten miles, a good day’s hike. Thankfully that was the only evidence we saw of migrants and we were following two of the BANWR’s main recommendations for keeping safe [PDF 144KB], which is traveling in a large group and we had signed in with headquarters.

The arch wasn’t huge but it was striking all the same. The stream gurgled under the arch, slowly eroding more of the rocks making the arch taller everyday. We enjoyed the shade as we ate our sandwiches and visited. A wonderful way to spend a beautiful day!

Interested in snapping some photos I skedaddled back down the trail, stopping to pick up some trash along the way. I was pleasantly surprised to notice that someone else in our group must have beaten me to it. It is a personal goal of mine to always pack out more than I pack in, hoping that I can leave the place a little bit better than I found it.

I poked my head in the Brown Canyon Education Center and was confronted with three stuffed animals. I don’t mean plush toys, I mean stuffed and mounted specimens. Reading the history of the pieces it became obvious that the mentality of the area’s early settlers was clearly different. The Golden Eagle, Ocelot, and Jaguar were all shot by the same rancher around 1925. I can just picture it, “Hey look, an amazing animal. Quick get the gun!”

As much as it saddened me, I was afforded a close look at the animals. The Golden Eagle was a full grown adult, most probably a female judging by the large size. Arizona still has a few areas that are home to the massive birds although the closest one is at least a hundred miles to the east. The Ocelot was leaner and paler in color than I had imagined. As a result of all the human activity in southern Arizona ocelots haven’t been seen in years. In fact the only place I know where they still live in the U.S. is the Rio Grande Valley in Texas.

Last but certainly not least I examined the Jaguar. Everything about the animal was powerful, the head was large with a solid and strong feel to it. Compared to Jaguars, our still-common Mountain Lions look like house cats. Oddly enough the comparison isn’t that far off. Jaguars are the largest feline in the Americas and the third largest feline in the world after lions and tigers, which they are distantly related to. Evidence of this relation is supported by the Jaguar’s ability to roar. Conversely, the Mountain Lion can purr and mew like a house cat, but it cannot roar.

Jaguars once commonly ranged into the southern portion of Arizona but sightings have been few in the past 50 years. As much as I hope they still do there hasn’t been any evidence of a breeding population in Arizona since the late 1800s. Of course I can’t imagine the terror I would feel if I met one on the trail.

At almost 9’ long from nose to tail and averaging close to 200 pounds, with some males exceeding 300 pounds, a human wouldn’t stand a chance. And let’s not forget their incredibly powerful bone crunching jaws. They are rightly considered apex predators at the top of the food chain in the natural world. My last look up the canyon I could picture the huge cat padding stealthily up the trail, pausing to sniff our tracks, hunching at a pool of water for a drink—all the while alert for its next meal.

Photos: View the photographs from Brown Canyon.

Dates: Erin hiked in Brown Canyon on 02/13/08.

Update: According to a recent Friends of BANWR newsletter, a jaguar was sighted in Jaguar Canyon in 1996.