Went up the Route in the woods south of Camp May Road yesterday. Several times it looked like there would be a terrific thunderstorm but I got off scot free each time. Could see it was raining to the south.
Saw that someone has attached orange and yellow flagging with clothespins and it follows part of the Route. The orange flagging says that it's for a search and rescue dog training aid and please don't disturb. It comes in from Shotgun Shell parking and Paintball and goes a little ways past where the white RV parks off of Paintball Road. Felt lonely at beginning but fine at end.
Today was spouse's Friday off. We went to Bandelier to walk to the rim of Alamo Canyon. GPS says it was 7 miles total. Went up Frijolito and down Long Trail. Beautiful day - sunny but not too hot with some breezes. Regaled spouse with tales of the heyday of the LL gang going over to Stone Lions, in and out of Alamo Canyon, and how our leader would "salt" the trail with candy to sweeten the climb out of Alamo Canyon. We'd all take a long rest stop before the 3 mile trek back to park headquarters.
Saw one other hiker as we crested the top of the Frijolito Trail. Saw a small bear hightailing it away from us near Corral Hill.
Friday, August 28, 2009
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
WI Hike: Townsite Lift to Rim Run
A lot of people showed up. Someone counted 26. I started out talking with a woman I hike with but then I decided to go for the elevated heart rate and went up Evershine Ridge at a steady pace, saying hi here and there.
I wasn't the fastest. Someone's ex-hubby visiting from California was faster but he eventually stopped to see which way the rest of the group was going. A hiker had earlier told me the plan was to go up so I continued but then stopped to talk with an older hiker who was behind me. She recently fell off her bike and the pedal jammed the back of her hamstring. She was doing OK on the way up (obviously, because she was the nearest one behind me and no one was ahead of us!) I walked with her up the bicycle trail to the back of the mountain where all the retention pond construction for the snow-making project is occurring.
We waited at the Jules Sunier memorial picnic deck and soon her husband and a hiker who had her hip replaced in January joined us. They were ready for lunch but I wasn't hungry yet so I followed a short, steep trail above the picnic deck to the Yeamans Memorial Bench on the south side of Pajarito Mountain.
To my delight and surprise, I found that someone has cut the top 3 strands of barbed wire on a corner section of the Valles Caldera National Preserve fence near the bench. I carefully moved the barbed wire strands aside and put a big rock on the two bottom strands, stepped over, took some photos and then went back down to encourage the group to come up for the views. They seemed bent on eating at the picnic tables so I went back up again and sat on a rock on the VCNP side and enjoyed the views.
I decided not to go back down to rejoin them but just continued on over to Rim Run. At the Mother Lift, I saw a group of 3 hikers who asked if the peak was ahead. I delightedly told them about the views and the cut VCNP fence.
I went down Rim Run and around Columbine Corner and down Milt's Meadow which led to a bike trail and eventually down to Gene's Choice which goes back to the ski lodge.
As I was beginning my lunch on the move, eating LaraBars as I walked, I was hailed by a group of 4 of the WI hikers and I joined them for the walk back to the Townsite Lift. One hiker's dog was very excited by my LaraBars but calmed down right away after making a play for one. He's a good dog!
Near Spruce Lift, we took a bicycle trail and a jeep road over to the Townsite Lift and were joined by other WI hikers coming down. The hiker with the injured hamstring said at lunch that she would go down I Don't Care ski run with her husband. I hope she did well. She was worried how her leg would behave on the downhill.
When I left, not everyone was down the mountain yet. People were waiting for them but I took off. I have to admit that it's more fun hiking with one or a couple of people than such a large group. They are all nice people but their abilities differ greatly. One woman is now using oxygen.
I wasn't the fastest. Someone's ex-hubby visiting from California was faster but he eventually stopped to see which way the rest of the group was going. A hiker had earlier told me the plan was to go up so I continued but then stopped to talk with an older hiker who was behind me. She recently fell off her bike and the pedal jammed the back of her hamstring. She was doing OK on the way up (obviously, because she was the nearest one behind me and no one was ahead of us!) I walked with her up the bicycle trail to the back of the mountain where all the retention pond construction for the snow-making project is occurring.
We waited at the Jules Sunier memorial picnic deck and soon her husband and a hiker who had her hip replaced in January joined us. They were ready for lunch but I wasn't hungry yet so I followed a short, steep trail above the picnic deck to the Yeamans Memorial Bench on the south side of Pajarito Mountain.
To my delight and surprise, I found that someone has cut the top 3 strands of barbed wire on a corner section of the Valles Caldera National Preserve fence near the bench. I carefully moved the barbed wire strands aside and put a big rock on the two bottom strands, stepped over, took some photos and then went back down to encourage the group to come up for the views. They seemed bent on eating at the picnic tables so I went back up again and sat on a rock on the VCNP side and enjoyed the views.
I decided not to go back down to rejoin them but just continued on over to Rim Run. At the Mother Lift, I saw a group of 3 hikers who asked if the peak was ahead. I delightedly told them about the views and the cut VCNP fence.
I went down Rim Run and around Columbine Corner and down Milt's Meadow which led to a bike trail and eventually down to Gene's Choice which goes back to the ski lodge.
As I was beginning my lunch on the move, eating LaraBars as I walked, I was hailed by a group of 4 of the WI hikers and I joined them for the walk back to the Townsite Lift. One hiker's dog was very excited by my LaraBars but calmed down right away after making a play for one. He's a good dog!
Near Spruce Lift, we took a bicycle trail and a jeep road over to the Townsite Lift and were joined by other WI hikers coming down. The hiker with the injured hamstring said at lunch that she would go down I Don't Care ski run with her husband. I hope she did well. She was worried how her leg would behave on the downhill.
When I left, not everyone was down the mountain yet. People were waiting for them but I took off. I have to admit that it's more fun hiking with one or a couple of people than such a large group. They are all nice people but their abilities differ greatly. One woman is now using oxygen.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Autumn in August
What a beautiful Autumn day it is today, August 25 - cool, 74 degrees in the house and in the 60's outside. I decided this was perfect weather to go up the Quemazon Trail. Since that trail was toasted in 2000 by the Cerro Grande fire, it has become a cool weather hike.
On the way up the trail, mountain lions were on my mind. I had read a study about older drivers and how they are aware of their limitations of attention and compensate. They gave the example of older drivers not always registering what's in their peripheral vision. I've seen myself succumb to this on the trail - I've gone past hikers and dogs by the side of the trail and never even saw them. I decided I would carefully study the sides of the trail ahead of me and not get ambushed by a mountain lion.
I did get ambushed by inattention anyway. When the upper Quemazon Nature Trail ( a branch off the Quemazon Trail) met up again with the main trail, I followed it instead of the main trail. I started to realize that I was going back toward the view of the Omega Bridge over Los Alamos Canyon and, in addition, it looked like I was approaching the edge of the mesa. Eventually it got through to me that I needed to retrace my steps back to the main trail (which I had been so sure was another way down rather than up!).
I met a hiker with a dog coming down the trail. I asked how far she had gone. She said to where the aspens were tall - not all the way to Pipeline Road. She said she's heard there was a lion on the trail but hadn't seen it. Her dog, which she had found abandoned by the side of the road, was very affectionate. He goes up to baby strollers and kisses the babies - sweet!
Even before meeting the hiker, I noticed that the young, post-Cerro Grande aspens were becoming thicker by the side of the trail. I missed the lower part of the trail where I could see views and predators. I wondered if this is why humans started out on the African savannah - they could see clearly who would eat them and weren't so apt to get ambushed. Although, now at home, I'm thinking that tall grass can just as effectively hide an animal as tall aspens!
I went up to my 4 mile RT turnaround point (except I think it's really closer to 5) and admired the view of Pajarito Mountain Ski Area's slopes. I heard some thunder but it never developed into anything except a couple of rain drops on the way down.
I love going down the Quemazon Trail - you have to hop and skip and jump over the rocky trail and it's fun - almost like running! Also, I did very well going up it. It's a good trail to get some elevated heart rate on.
On the way up the trail, mountain lions were on my mind. I had read a study about older drivers and how they are aware of their limitations of attention and compensate. They gave the example of older drivers not always registering what's in their peripheral vision. I've seen myself succumb to this on the trail - I've gone past hikers and dogs by the side of the trail and never even saw them. I decided I would carefully study the sides of the trail ahead of me and not get ambushed by a mountain lion.
I did get ambushed by inattention anyway. When the upper Quemazon Nature Trail ( a branch off the Quemazon Trail) met up again with the main trail, I followed it instead of the main trail. I started to realize that I was going back toward the view of the Omega Bridge over Los Alamos Canyon and, in addition, it looked like I was approaching the edge of the mesa. Eventually it got through to me that I needed to retrace my steps back to the main trail (which I had been so sure was another way down rather than up!).
I met a hiker with a dog coming down the trail. I asked how far she had gone. She said to where the aspens were tall - not all the way to Pipeline Road. She said she's heard there was a lion on the trail but hadn't seen it. Her dog, which she had found abandoned by the side of the road, was very affectionate. He goes up to baby strollers and kisses the babies - sweet!
Even before meeting the hiker, I noticed that the young, post-Cerro Grande aspens were becoming thicker by the side of the trail. I missed the lower part of the trail where I could see views and predators. I wondered if this is why humans started out on the African savannah - they could see clearly who would eat them and weren't so apt to get ambushed. Although, now at home, I'm thinking that tall grass can just as effectively hide an animal as tall aspens!
I went up to my 4 mile RT turnaround point (except I think it's really closer to 5) and admired the view of Pajarito Mountain Ski Area's slopes. I heard some thunder but it never developed into anything except a couple of rain drops on the way down.
I love going down the Quemazon Trail - you have to hop and skip and jump over the rocky trail and it's fun - almost like running! Also, I did very well going up it. It's a good trail to get some elevated heart rate on.
First - Yesterday: Walnut Canyon Road
Got my usual early start - NOT - and since it looked like rain, decided to explore the Los Alamos County trails behind the Aquatic Center. Went over to the big Pueblo Canyon pedestrian bridge but along the way, was scared by bicyclist with too much testosterone.
I was ambling on a slight uphill portion that runs along the site of the former Olive Street Sewage Treatment Plant, looking for a faint trail that goes through the open, grassy meadow where the sewage plant used to be.
Suddenly I heard behind me this deep, unearthly whoop and I whipped around to see who was playing Monster in the Woods with me and saw a herd of wild bicyclists, 5 total, coming down a slight hill. They were far enough back that the man in front, old enough to know better, did not need to whoop at me like I was an animal he wanted to scare off the trail. I stepped aside and when he passed told him thank you for warning me but told him he had scared me. No comment. I guess he knows he's an a-hole! The other 4 came by and seemed somewhat embarrassed because each one thanked me.
I continued across the Pueblo Canyon Bridge to the North Pueblo Bench Trail and followed that east to Walnut Canyon Road and to the edge of the golf course. There's still a lot of roads and trails that I want to explore in there - the East Fork Trail and the Walnut Rim Trail.
It rained lightly on the way back but no thunder. It was such a beautiful day with clouds hanging low over the mountains.
I admit that I thought way too much on the way back about that rude and obnoxious bicyclist.
I was ambling on a slight uphill portion that runs along the site of the former Olive Street Sewage Treatment Plant, looking for a faint trail that goes through the open, grassy meadow where the sewage plant used to be.
Suddenly I heard behind me this deep, unearthly whoop and I whipped around to see who was playing Monster in the Woods with me and saw a herd of wild bicyclists, 5 total, coming down a slight hill. They were far enough back that the man in front, old enough to know better, did not need to whoop at me like I was an animal he wanted to scare off the trail. I stepped aside and when he passed told him thank you for warning me but told him he had scared me. No comment. I guess he knows he's an a-hole! The other 4 came by and seemed somewhat embarrassed because each one thanked me.
I continued across the Pueblo Canyon Bridge to the North Pueblo Bench Trail and followed that east to Walnut Canyon Road and to the edge of the golf course. There's still a lot of roads and trails that I want to explore in there - the East Fork Trail and the Walnut Rim Trail.
It rained lightly on the way back but no thunder. It was such a beautiful day with clouds hanging low over the mountains.
I admit that I thought way too much on the way back about that rude and obnoxious bicyclist.
Monday, August 24, 2009
Misty Moist Morning
We've had several mornings like this in the last two weeks. I like it.
The Dorothy hike was canceled. We would have had to wade through chest high grass and step over sopping wet deadfall.
This weekend, I discovered under my bed a box of genealogy material that I had forgotten - estate packets, wills, military discharges, civil war pension records. They were records that were too long to fit in the other box of genealogy records that I took to Ohio and June - just tucked away under the bed and completely unheeded for years!
I need to make a list of all that's in the box and especially check that I extracted info from a great great grandmother's civil war pension application. Then I will ship the box off to the Ohio Genealogical Society to be added to their collection. This morning I called the library director to advise him of such and talk about someone being low key - no enthusiasm or interest at all. I just hope my donation doesn't all end up in the incinerator but I guess I should have more faith! My hope is that some future researcher will benefit from it and that my relatives in Ohio won't curse my name for donating, in addition to other records, death certificates of their loved ones.
The only reason I discovered the box is that I finally finished a composition book journal (it took two years!) and was tucking it in the journals' storage box under the bed. That's why I haven't written much in Oatswild lately.
Walked yesterday with spouse on FR181/American Springs Road. He actually talked some on the hike. Storm clouds were in the area and it poured in North Community, daughter told us later, but no rain fell on us.
Took daughter and son in law to Origami to celebrate daughter's birthday. I asked if they could make brown rice sushi rolls but it would have cost $3 extra for each roll which is extravagant. I ordered a whole bowl of brown rice for $3 - plus, got cucumber salad, seaweed salad, 12 pieces sashimi, miso soup and house salad. Didn't realize it came with miso soup and house salad. Bought some seaweed salad home because it was an enormous amount. Also had two asparagus tempura and two broccoli florets tempura. Ate quite a lot but enjoyed it all.
Nephew may be on his way here. According to Facebook posts, he's out west - was in Denver this weekend - but so far, he's not deigned to advise us exactly when he's stopping by here. Ah, to be young, footloose and fancy free again!
The Dorothy hike was canceled. We would have had to wade through chest high grass and step over sopping wet deadfall.
This weekend, I discovered under my bed a box of genealogy material that I had forgotten - estate packets, wills, military discharges, civil war pension records. They were records that were too long to fit in the other box of genealogy records that I took to Ohio and June - just tucked away under the bed and completely unheeded for years!
I need to make a list of all that's in the box and especially check that I extracted info from a great great grandmother's civil war pension application. Then I will ship the box off to the Ohio Genealogical Society to be added to their collection. This morning I called the library director to advise him of such and talk about someone being low key - no enthusiasm or interest at all. I just hope my donation doesn't all end up in the incinerator but I guess I should have more faith! My hope is that some future researcher will benefit from it and that my relatives in Ohio won't curse my name for donating, in addition to other records, death certificates of their loved ones.
The only reason I discovered the box is that I finally finished a composition book journal (it took two years!) and was tucking it in the journals' storage box under the bed. That's why I haven't written much in Oatswild lately.
Walked yesterday with spouse on FR181/American Springs Road. He actually talked some on the hike. Storm clouds were in the area and it poured in North Community, daughter told us later, but no rain fell on us.
Took daughter and son in law to Origami to celebrate daughter's birthday. I asked if they could make brown rice sushi rolls but it would have cost $3 extra for each roll which is extravagant. I ordered a whole bowl of brown rice for $3 - plus, got cucumber salad, seaweed salad, 12 pieces sashimi, miso soup and house salad. Didn't realize it came with miso soup and house salad. Bought some seaweed salad home because it was an enormous amount. Also had two asparagus tempura and two broccoli florets tempura. Ate quite a lot but enjoyed it all.
Nephew may be on his way here. According to Facebook posts, he's out west - was in Denver this weekend - but so far, he's not deigned to advise us exactly when he's stopping by here. Ah, to be young, footloose and fancy free again!
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
San Diego Canyon Overlook-Banco Bonito Road
LL gang had planned to do this hike but there is not a whole lot of shade on the Banco Bonito Road so they opted instead to wade the East Fork River a mile in from the El Blanco (?) parking, near the road to El Cajete.
Instead of walking the Banco Bonito Road out, which is dry, dusty and shadeless, I walked beneath the topographic eastern rim of San Diego Canyon. There were great views down into the canyon, south toward Jemez Springs and northwest toward La Cueva, and of stunning cliffs lining both sides of the canyon. I could clearly see the parking area for Spence Hot Springs but couldn't actually see the springs although I saw people walking in the woods to the springs way down below me. At one overlook, I found an old canvas chair placed to get the best views!
I followed a path, only as wide as a game trail in places, as close to the edge as I could stomach. There were some places that I'd rather not go back to as it would have been a steep way down if I slipped but I survived (probably not as scary as I make it sound!).
I somehow skipped a large portion of the rim when I followed alongside a deep drainage leading away from it and didn't go back to the edge right away. To get back to it, I followed a steep dirt road uphill and then had to go downhill to get back on the very edge.
I couldn't see Battleship Rock but I'm sure I was walking in places that are above the Battleship Rock area and that aren't too cliffy to get down.
When I had had my fill of the rim, I left it and headed downhill, running into a grown over logging road that had been hideously heaped with dirt berms and large tree stumps to close it. This road intersected the Banco Bonito Road which I followed back and it was every bit as hot as the LL gang feared. The reflective umbrella helped. However, where I was walking - in the forest and above the cliffs, I had shade and good breezes. No rain! I ended up wandering 6 miles. I ate lunch while walking. Didn't eat until 12:30pm - no hungry LL hikers whining for lunch at 11am!!
(Truth in advertising: Upon looking at a topo map, technically speaking, I was looking down into the canyon of San Antonio Creek because it's not until Battleship Rock that San Antonio Creek joins the East Fork of the Jemez and becomes San Diego Canyon. The Santa Fe National Forest does call where I parked and started my hike San Diego Canyon Overlook. It's in the Jemez National Recreation Area. Regardless of what you call it, it was dramatic to be up on those heights looking down!)
Instead of walking the Banco Bonito Road out, which is dry, dusty and shadeless, I walked beneath the topographic eastern rim of San Diego Canyon. There were great views down into the canyon, south toward Jemez Springs and northwest toward La Cueva, and of stunning cliffs lining both sides of the canyon. I could clearly see the parking area for Spence Hot Springs but couldn't actually see the springs although I saw people walking in the woods to the springs way down below me. At one overlook, I found an old canvas chair placed to get the best views!
I followed a path, only as wide as a game trail in places, as close to the edge as I could stomach. There were some places that I'd rather not go back to as it would have been a steep way down if I slipped but I survived (probably not as scary as I make it sound!).
I somehow skipped a large portion of the rim when I followed alongside a deep drainage leading away from it and didn't go back to the edge right away. To get back to it, I followed a steep dirt road uphill and then had to go downhill to get back on the very edge.
I couldn't see Battleship Rock but I'm sure I was walking in places that are above the Battleship Rock area and that aren't too cliffy to get down.
When I had had my fill of the rim, I left it and headed downhill, running into a grown over logging road that had been hideously heaped with dirt berms and large tree stumps to close it. This road intersected the Banco Bonito Road which I followed back and it was every bit as hot as the LL gang feared. The reflective umbrella helped. However, where I was walking - in the forest and above the cliffs, I had shade and good breezes. No rain! I ended up wandering 6 miles. I ate lunch while walking. Didn't eat until 12:30pm - no hungry LL hikers whining for lunch at 11am!!
(Truth in advertising: Upon looking at a topo map, technically speaking, I was looking down into the canyon of San Antonio Creek because it's not until Battleship Rock that San Antonio Creek joins the East Fork of the Jemez and becomes San Diego Canyon. The Santa Fe National Forest does call where I parked and started my hike San Diego Canyon Overlook. It's in the Jemez National Recreation Area. Regardless of what you call it, it was dramatic to be up on those heights looking down!)
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Rabbit Ridge Road
Didn't get early, alpine start. Got started at 12:25pm. Walked fast to first felsenmeer on top of Rabbit Ridge. It looked so inviting - sunshine, mountain spray bushes, smell of moist vegetation, squirrel scurrying under rocks. I so much wanted to stay and enjoy it but there was a crack of thunder and I turned tail and went down fast. Encountered light rain and heard thunder but thankfully I didn't have any lightning right overhead!
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Legal Hike on Valles Caldera East Rim
This morning I walked up Pajarito Mountain on a jeep road to meet a group riding up on the Pajarito Mountain Ski Area's Aspen Lift. The ski area runs the lifts one weekend a month in the summer. The plan was to legally take a walk along the Valles Caldera east rim between Pajarito Mountain and Cerro Grande. Ordinarily, hikers are not allowed to hike this section of the east rim because the Valles Caldera National Preserve's visitor use and access is very restrictive and hiking in from the rim is not allowed.
The hikers I was meeting had all met earlier that morning at the Cerro Grande parking lot to leave cars but I wanted to walk up.
I ended up blindly walking all the way over to the Mother Lift because I never saw the Aspen Lift through the trees. I was walking on the Logging Road at the back of the mountain where the ski area has torn out a lot of conifers to make way for their snow-making effort and it was fairly distracting to work my way through that.
I eventually upon the hikers and there were a lot of them. Reputedly, there were 36 of us. I wonder if that counted the 4 month old baby that was carried the whole hike in a baby carrier on his father's chest!
After a group picture at the picnic deck downhill from Aspen Lift, we crossed the Valles Caldera National Preserve fence and walked steeply downhill to Valle Canyon pass through hummocky grass that hid plenty of tripping hazards. Fortunately, the father of the 4 month old was very sure-footed. People said that someone sprained her ankle on the hike but I didn't get the details.
From Valle Canyon pass, we crossed the meadow on a bulldozed route (pretty grown over now; the historic road in the pass wasn't damaged by the dozer) used in the fighting of the 2000 Cerro Grande fire. This got us near to a handline cut through the forest during the fire which follows a north-facing ridge to the top of Cerro Grande. We followed that up; someone led a fast group. I helped to make sure people could follow the route around the felsenmeer which some had balked at crossing even though it's very short and the quickest way to get on the ridge. I call the part of the handline past the felsenmeer the Elevator Shaft because it is very STEEP!!
Going up the Elevator Shaft, the local couple that organized the hike (wonderful people!!) stayed behind with some slower hikers including the sprained ankle woman and an older woman who was having some problems with controlling her legs and nausea - perhaps altitude sickness because she's only been in the mountains for 2 weeks, having lived in Columbus, NM before this. That woman, a Brit, was delightful but the hike, which doesn't really follow a trail until the top of Cerro Grande and is very, very rough, was just too much for her. She made it back to the cars OK but it was a very worrisome process. The quote I heard once from a seasoned hiker who leads people of varying abilities on 14er hikes in Colorado came to mind - bring 'em back alive - but just barely! This strategy was operative today!!
One LL hiker was there and a couple of WI hikers so it was worthwhile to send out the hike announcement en masse to the two groups.
I enjoyed the hike, the beautiful views into the Valles Caldera National Preserve and all the colorful red, purple and yellow wildflowers that dotted the tall grass meadows. The nodding onion was especially appealing. The weather was just too perfect!! So lucky to live in the mountains!! I got back to my car at the ski area at 3:45pm. Because of my trot up the ski hill and also going back up the Cerro Grande route to check on progress of the last 3 people, I imagine my mileage was close to 7 miles.
The hikers I was meeting had all met earlier that morning at the Cerro Grande parking lot to leave cars but I wanted to walk up.
I ended up blindly walking all the way over to the Mother Lift because I never saw the Aspen Lift through the trees. I was walking on the Logging Road at the back of the mountain where the ski area has torn out a lot of conifers to make way for their snow-making effort and it was fairly distracting to work my way through that.
I eventually upon the hikers and there were a lot of them. Reputedly, there were 36 of us. I wonder if that counted the 4 month old baby that was carried the whole hike in a baby carrier on his father's chest!
After a group picture at the picnic deck downhill from Aspen Lift, we crossed the Valles Caldera National Preserve fence and walked steeply downhill to Valle Canyon pass through hummocky grass that hid plenty of tripping hazards. Fortunately, the father of the 4 month old was very sure-footed. People said that someone sprained her ankle on the hike but I didn't get the details.
From Valle Canyon pass, we crossed the meadow on a bulldozed route (pretty grown over now; the historic road in the pass wasn't damaged by the dozer) used in the fighting of the 2000 Cerro Grande fire. This got us near to a handline cut through the forest during the fire which follows a north-facing ridge to the top of Cerro Grande. We followed that up; someone led a fast group. I helped to make sure people could follow the route around the felsenmeer which some had balked at crossing even though it's very short and the quickest way to get on the ridge. I call the part of the handline past the felsenmeer the Elevator Shaft because it is very STEEP!!
Going up the Elevator Shaft, the local couple that organized the hike (wonderful people!!) stayed behind with some slower hikers including the sprained ankle woman and an older woman who was having some problems with controlling her legs and nausea - perhaps altitude sickness because she's only been in the mountains for 2 weeks, having lived in Columbus, NM before this. That woman, a Brit, was delightful but the hike, which doesn't really follow a trail until the top of Cerro Grande and is very, very rough, was just too much for her. She made it back to the cars OK but it was a very worrisome process. The quote I heard once from a seasoned hiker who leads people of varying abilities on 14er hikes in Colorado came to mind - bring 'em back alive - but just barely! This strategy was operative today!!
One LL hiker was there and a couple of WI hikers so it was worthwhile to send out the hike announcement en masse to the two groups.
I enjoyed the hike, the beautiful views into the Valles Caldera National Preserve and all the colorful red, purple and yellow wildflowers that dotted the tall grass meadows. The nodding onion was especially appealing. The weather was just too perfect!! So lucky to live in the mountains!! I got back to my car at the ski area at 3:45pm. Because of my trot up the ski hill and also going back up the Cerro Grande route to check on progress of the last 3 people, I imagine my mileage was close to 7 miles.
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