A good many folks come to Mule Ears Spring, treading up the park trail from the overlook that ultimately connects with Smoky Creek Trail further east. Sometimes there are so many moving back and forth I feel inclined to avoid the spot entirely, or at least put up a traffic light.

But the fact remains that Mule Ears Spring is one of those infrequent oases found in this desert land. Known back through time as a place with good water and plenty of it, the locale has felt the touch of man’s attempts to settle and cultivate since first venturing into this country.

This naturally led to one culture building upon the other, each wanting to reap a life or a living from the real silver and gold found here. When one takes the time to examine and explore the spring’s surroundings, this becomes abundantly clear.

On this particular day we had left the trail early on, prowling nearby Trap Spring and up a creek bottom feeding the pour off there. Like Mule Ears Spring, Trap has seen its fair share of human occupation too. Everything from metates and mortars to water pipes and pieces of metal tanks are scattered about, and as usual the defining marks of the ancients fare far better than those of other men.

Once in the creek above, you can follow it up through what might be called a back door to the neighboring Mule Ears. Doing so exposes oneself to a bevy of interesting sights, including a rather cleverly designed retaining pond since washed out, some ruggedly inspiring scenery and the remains of a rock wall from who knows when.

Just as interestingly, the accompanying climb puts you above and to the rear of the rock corral one passes by while enroute to the spring. It was a warm day with an unimpeded breeze blowing, so we took our nooning at this point.

The attached photograph gives a fair illustration as to the lay of the land below. Near center frame is the rock corral, flanked by greenery of the spring itself. You can see the park trail wandering in and then leaving out, headed for Smoky Creek.

Near due south are the Mule Ear Peaks, along with an assemblage of otherworldly columns of rock jutting out at most every angle. If you are looking to film some sort of science fiction flick, I can assure you that general locale is a prime spot to do so.

However, what you can’t see are the remnants of an old trail drifting away, around that assemblage of rock columns and over the outside slope of the southern peak for Mule Ears. Very little is still discernable, time and this eroding desert as seen to that.

But if you know where and how it runs and are game enough for the trip, yet another secretive slice of this singular land awaits you.

God bless to all,

Ben

 

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