Not sure how much I'll write tonight as it's late. Got up at 6:30am after only 6 hours of sleep. Was having horrible dreams of plumbing backups - had to pee. Felt like death warmed over but tea and cocoa powder revived me except was falling asleep on car ride home. Three of us went. One VCNP hiking partner drove around the northwest corner. We didn't get started back until around 4:30pm and I got back to the house around 7pm and didn't get on the computer until maybe 10pm. Still have to do stretches and put away dishes.
Tomorrow I will just do my 4 miles as expeditiously as possible because then Wednesday I want to go to the LL hike which will be on the north rim again - Tschicoma. And there is the dendroglyph meeting at 7pm tomorrow.
A few words about today's explore and the emphasis is on few as I can see I won't be going to bed before 1am at this rate.
Dorothy gave us a copy of the permission letter to the Valles Caldera National Preserve but it clearly states on it that there will be only two more trips on the north rim and that includes today's and next Monday's trips; yet, she wants us to find a road on the VCNP that goes from the Garita View over to the Hilton Gate - something like a straight shot superhighway if I understood her correctly. We're supposed to contact her ahead of time about any trips.
Promised few words about explore. What can I say - it was beautiful, much cooler than in the hot lowlands. We achieved Dorothy's objective of finding the row of cliffs she saw from the west rim and we ate lunch there, enjoying splendid views into Valle San Antonio. It was windy at our perch but a pleasant not an icy wind.
We saw some magenta colored Fairy Slippers - really pretty. I may have heard the Hermit Thrush's song. One of us spotted a tent located on the VCNP with big containers of water stored nearby.
We go next week to check out a milepost above the Rito de los Indios drainage. We waded through the upper reaches of the Rio Cebolla. I wasn't wearing Gore-Tex so my socks got a little damp and I discovered at lunch that to save a few ounces I had taken out my spare socks. I have put them back in. I bought a pair of Gore-Tex Merrells at REI but right now I have my hands full with trying to figure out which of the Roadrunner shoes work for my feet.
On the way home, everyone appreciated the snacks that I brought along. Next week I should bring drinks in a cooler as well as snacks.