Escudilla Mountain Images : SummitPost.org : Climbing, hiking, mountaineering This remote section of the state has prime wildlife viewing; while the last Grizzly Bear in Arizona was killed on Escudilla in 1936, the mountain still hosts black bear, a large population of elk, and even Mexican Wolves, or ‘Lobos’, which were reintroduced to the area in 1998. Aldo Leopold’s canonical work A Sand County Almanac contains an essay entitled “Escudilla,” in which he describes the life and death of the last Mexican Grizzly in Arizona. To your right, "Valle Redondo" nestles against the mountains. 7 over night or by the week cabins along with a two room suite right in Alpine. Escudilla Mountain fit the bill on all accounts: a big peak at just under 11,000 feet elevation but with an easy trail, and located in the White Mountains in Eastern Arizona, where daytime temperatures would be pleasant. 805 likes. The Great Hunter Lilly began his work for the government in the Southwest when he was 55, receiving money to kill large predators, including black bear, panther, wolves—and grizzlies. With the thought of running into wolves while hiking, my senses were definitely a bit heightened compared to a typical hike in Arizona. Leopold exalts the grizzly as a necessary aesthetic addition to nature’s edifice, an animal that is not like the cow in its utility, but that adds grandeur and majesty to what otherwise would be a useful—but unimpressive—construct. There are about 800 to 900 13ers in the US, spread over 9 states. ... After the killing of the bear on Escudilla Mountain, the mountain was never the same again. 1993. Parts of Escudilla Mountain were declared Wilderness In 1984. Hunting—for sport or money—also claims some of the burden for the disappearance of the Southwest’s biggest predator. Lilly read the land like scripture. In the beginning of the westward movement, grizzlies could be found primarily in places that offered its favored habitat: wooded areas interspersed with plenty of meadows and other grassy areas for foraging. We had stayed at Escudilla Mountain Cabins several years ago when they first opened up and enjoyed our stay very much. Brown, David E. and Murray, John A. With the possible exception of “The Land Ethic,” Leopold’s essay “Thinking Like a Mountain” has probably been the one that has most deeply touched and challenged readers over the decades. In another essay, Escudilla, Leopold tells of a U.S. forestry program to wipe out grizzly bears on Escudilla Mountain, a prominent peak in eastern Arizona. Escudilla still hangs on the horizon, but when you see it you no longer think of bear. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. The elk and canines had not returned as I crossed back through the meadow, and after a brief uphill to get back over Profanity Ridge, it was an easy descent all the way back to the trailhead with no additional animal encounters. While I love that account, I was presently surprised to read about this new important contribution to the de … Early in the essay, he writes: “There was, in fact, only one place from which you did not see Escudilla on the skyline: that was the top of Escudilla itself. I started up from the trailhead early in the morning, starting out over 9,000′ in a healthy Aspen and pine Forest. Although one observant frontiersman and soldier, Lieutenant. Aldo Leopold's Sand County Almanac includes a discussion of the killing of the last grizzly bear in Arizona (in 1936 [36]) at Escudilla Mountain. Historic Driving Tour. The trail passed just by the highpoint of Profanity Ridge and I headed briefly off trail through the forest to tag it, really just wanting it based on the name alone. The Government Trail #119 starts at the base of the mountain and also climbs to … One fully handicap accessible cabin. escudillamtncabins.com +1 928-339-4285; Overview: Map: Photo Map: Satellite: Directions: Overview: Map: Photo Map: Satellite: Directions: Overview: Map: Photo Map: Satellite: Directions: Springerville Hotels. In fall, the north slope is golden with Aspen covering the 23,000 acre fire of '51. But some reports still tantalize. “You don’t need to possess an individual grizzly in order to know and appreciate its power,” he says. I camped out off the forest roads below the summit at the edge of the Wallow Fire burn area in 2011, which burned over 500,000 acres crossing state lines into New Mexico.