Christmas Day afternoon I spent out at Hueco once again. It was warm, sunny, and extremely quiet. The rock was warming to the touch and unyielding in its strength. At the most there were 4 other people on the mountain.Perfect.
On my way off of North Mountain I heard rustling in some bushes and turned to investigate fully expecting to come across a silver fox. I was greeted with a deep grunting and two large, dark animals jumped with a start through the bushes. I froze and moved atop a small boulder to get a better look and for protection thinking maybe I had come across some wild dogs or perhaps some dogs that some unseen hikers had let off their leash. The continual grunting and spiky hair I could see through the bushes shattered that though.
It was a couple of Javelinas. Javelinas are like small wild boars. These two were the size of large German Shepherds. I moved off the small boulder I was on and into an open patch of desert to get a better look at them... and there they wer
e. One of them grunted at me again and stomped on the ground which made me freeze once more. The only weapon I had at hand were my climbing shoes hanging from a carabiner and of course my feet for kicking. The Javelina grunting stood broadside to me looking at me sideways. After examining him for awhile I backed off slowly. The moment I moved backwards he quickly turned to face me full on and continued to stare. I slowly turned and walked away, watching him for any sign of a charge. Javelinas can be fierce like their legendary cousins from Homeric myth minus t
he tusks.I have never seen Javelinas at Hueco in all the years I have been going there. It seems the conservation plan is doing a great job of not only bringing back the flora of Hueco but also creating the ecosystem that Javelinas can live in once again.
An interesting encounter with new wildlife at my home.
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