I wondered about David Canyon.
This ponderosa forest southeast of Albuquerque tends to show the effects of drought fast, and the city had a brutal nonsoon summer.
On the other hand, the Manzano Mountains south of David Canyon rolled lush and green 10 days ago. All the fire danger arrows rested comfortably at “low,” and two epic storms pounded the area in the span of 18 hours.
David Canyon’s fortunes fall somewhere between those two spots.
The meadow at the canyon’s heart glowed green today, with sprays of late-summer wildflowers.
The burn scar just west of the meadow barely resembles a burn scar. Sunflowers and asters peep out of the rocky soil.
The uplands on the canyon’s west rim look parched, but they probably always will.
Some oak leaves drifted brown and orange to the ground on Forest Road 530. I don’t know if that’s normal for mid-September at 7,500 feet, or prompted by drought.
All the more reason for another research trip soon.
Hike length: 6.8 miles
Difficulty: moderate
Trail traffic: light-moderate
Wildlife spotted/heard: hummingbirds, mountain chickadees, brown creepers, woodpeckers, bluebird, blue jay, nuthatches, crows, ravens, butterfly, beetles, lizards
Woman Seeks Elevation 