Page 34 - Walks In The Black Range, Vol. 4

Southwest Canyon Follow-up

On March 7, 2021, we walked this canyon, intrigued by Devon Fletcher’s report of the Coati he saw along this route, in 2018. He saw the Coati at roughly the same time that one was seen on NM 152 at about the same spot. We ventured up the canyon from the parking area (map below), looking for Coati and Coati sign.
We found Coati footprints in the snow see photo below. There were random patches of snow along the walk and some ice where water came to the surface.
We also found a number of small moths, Litocala sexsignata, in two places where the bedrock forced the stream water to the surface. In addition to the photographs at the link above there is a short snippet of handheld video showing the moth vibrating its wings and antenna.
The walk, which starts at the right side of the map (32.90687, -107.7056) proceeds up the canyon to the intersection with NM 152. This walk is 1.6 miles long and has an elevation gain of 424 feet. The ease of a slight gain in elevation is belied by the fact that there were numerous
down trees across the intermittent stream at the base of the canyon. The walking was tedious. As Devon notes, this is a pretty walk and easily accessed, see the proximity map above right.