The whine intensifies, as if someone were drilling nearby.
It’s a cicada, half a note higher than the drone of his brothers and sisters all around us.
It’s a hot morning at Ojito de San Antonio, a small Bernalillo County open space near the East Mountains. The trail begins in a meadow where a historic acequia feeds an orchard, and the orchard feeds birds. Then the trail climbs through rocky juniper, and, this time of year, cicadas.
At the top, stacks of boulders look down on the meadow tucked into evergreen hills, and down on Highway 14 (conveniently located is, well, conveniently located). A single violet-green swallow swoops above us.
We emerge back into the meadow, counting wildflowers, butterflies and fruits. We spot apples, pears, apricots and mulberries.
Those who want to see the bounty this year have exactly one month to do so. Ojito de San Antonio reportedly closes from August to November so the East Mountains’ bears can have the fruit all to themselves before hibernation.
Hike length: 2 miles
Difficulty: easy
Trail traffic: very light
Wildlife spotted/heard: sparrows, bluejays, bluebird, violet-green swallows, nuthatches, butterflies, beetles, cicadas
Woman Seeks Elevation 