Mile 22

Northeastern side of the South Training Area, Fort Bliss, Texas

This was the most exciting hike of my Challenge yet! It thrills me to see wildlife, and I must have grinned the entire trek! In a previous entry, I mentioned the exotic game that make home in this desert, and I saw two of these species today.

On our drive to the Eastern side of El Paso, I acknowledged the miles I had ahead of me. Today ends the first full week of the New Year, and to be on track with my Challenge, I have to complete more than 24 miles; that meant hiking six today. Three weeks off during the holidays proved to be long enough for me to lose my stamina, and I spent the week sore from a strength training workout I had done earlier in the week on my legs—the tools I would need that day. Getting back to fitness after vacation seems harder than getting in shape from the beginning! Would I feel up to completing today’s distance?

We parked near a manmade water hole. My husband climbed to the rim, and yelled for me. Oryx! I climbed up in time to see four or five gallop away.

Oryx are in the antelope family, and look like a cross between a zebra and a goat. They are light in color with distinctive black points. They weigh 400+ pounds and have straight horns that are almost three feet long (They were marketed in medieval Europe as unicorn horns!). I have been unable to learn the history of how these animals came from Africa to Fort Bliss, but they haven’t been here very many decades. They are elusive animals, and it was a privilege to see them.

Not far into the hike, we saw another African exotic herd, even rarer than the Oryx, the Barbary Sheep. At first, it seemed as though we were looking at cattle because of our vicinity to the edge of post, however, the herd moved closer and we could see large, round horns similar to Big Horn Sheep. Unlike the Big Horn, the Barbary is leaner in build and is solid chestnut with long hair that grows from its chin, neck and chest. Their American introduction was close to the Oryx on the timeline. We were lucky to watch them graze for some time before they became aware of our presence and trotted away. We rushed to the top of a nearby hill in hopes of a clearer view of them. From the top we could see for miles, but like steam rising out of boiling water, they just dissipated into the deep grass.

The terrain we hiked runs along side of a mountainous area, which is actually the edge of a large plateau.  Scrub brush, sage, various species of cacti, and other desert flora grow in this arid landscape. It is relatively flat, excluding some small hills, and it is easy to see a long distance. Even with the vantage point of sight, the animals who call the Fort Bliss training area home blend into this setting almost going unseen. With such little rainfall, their hoof prints, tracks and droppings leave notes in the sand remaining for weeks or more at a time. The evidence of the Oryx and Barbary sheep exist everywhere, but to actually witness them in the wild is a blessed opportunity.

The sightings made me giddy with excitement. And apparently “giddy” is the edge I needed to complete a little extra mileage. The next several miles went by quickly.

We ended the hike with an all-American animal encounter. The dogs cornered a porcupine. Fortunately, they didn’t touch it or get any quills in their muzzles. They simply gave the porcupine a good butt sniff! 

Week one is now complete, and I turned out ahead by a third of a mile. That was reason enough to toast before dinner—and might I add that mouth watering ribs are a great end to a day hiking. The wildlife we saw is motive to do this Challenge. Leaving home and the car is the only real way to see America’s backcountry.

Barbary sheep