Two Walks in the Las Conchas Burn

Last week I'd called the Valles Caldera National Preserve to ask if the free Coyote Call Trail was open yet because there was a rumor that it was but the staff confirmed that it remains closed due to Las Conchas fire damage - lots of downed trees.  They did tell me, though, that the free Valle Grande Trail would be opening on a limited basis - October 20 and 21 and October 27 and 28 this month. The odd schedule is probably due to the elk hunts going on now in the Preserve.  


I tried 3 times before I left home to call the Preserve's Valle Grande Staging Area to double check if the trail was truly open but they're not answering their phones today.   They're on their fall recreation schedule where the Preserve is only open to the general public on Friday-Sunday.


Parking was interesting at the Valle Grande trailhead because the state highway transportation department is using the parking lot for their big, orange vehicles while they're resurfacing NM4.  I asked if it was all right to park there and they said it would be fine. 


At the trailhead, the sign is still up that says "Area Closed".   I plan to call tomorrow to double check about the sign and if they plan to open it at all in November.  It makes sense, though, that the sign is still up since the trail's only open on such a limited basis.   


The wood posts of the people gate where you enter the trail are black charcoal and the barbed wire is on the ground.  The first part is in a severely burnt area but it gets better as you walk downhill.  They've obviously cleared the trail because you see huge, cut up burnt trees lying at the trail side.  They've made water bars of logs, shored up with dirt and stones, diagonally across the road.  


At the Valle Grande meadow, I could see aspens popping gold on Redondo, South Mountain and Scooter Peak.  I was disappointed to not see or hear any elk.  Maybe they're still in hiding from the hunt earlier this week.


After the Valle Grande hike, a mere 2 miles round trip, downhill and then uphill on the way back, I drove to the Cerro Grande trailhead.  The Cerro Grande Trail is still closed but Bandelier will reopen it soon.  Bandelier's Blue Ski Trail, the short trail of the two Upper Frijoles trails, is open and just across NM4.  


First, it was lunch time so I sat in the car and ate a sunflower seed, roasted edamame and salted redskin peanut mix, applesauce and a banana LaraBar.  Then, off I headed on the Blue Ski Trail, another easy 2 miles .


I love the first part of the trail that goes through a burned area yet the forest floor is already covered by young, green aspen shoots.  It looks like a garden.  There's another part, the trail back, that looks more desolate, maybe because it's on such a slope that the summer's phenomenal monsoon just ran off and nothing much has grown back yet.  


When I was almost back to the meadow, I thought I saw, almost out of the corner of my eye, the outline of perked up deer ears in the forest shade.  I quickly walked backwards a few steps and sure enough, two deer were watching me but they high tailed it out of there when they knew I'd seen them.


Beautiful time to drive into the Jemez Mountains because the aspen are peaking gold right now!

Reveling in NM Autumn on Pajarito Mountain

I've gone to Pajarito Mountain thrice this week.  Once on Sunday with spouse.  He made it to the 4 way intersection at the antenna farm which is good since usually he only makes it to just past the Townsight Lift, at the intersection where a minor side road goes over to Evershine.

The fall colors were much improved since last week.  I want to see as much glorious gold aspen as I can so I went again on Monday and again on Wednesday,

On Wednesday, I went up the western side, sticking to the Logging Road.  I call it the Logging Road from the ski lodge to Bruce's Blvd., near the Terrain Park and the Mother Lift,  but the Pajarito Mountain bike map shows it as Road O from the  lodge until it intersects Road 1, a minor side road, and then it becomes the Logging Road.  It makes more sense to call it one name from bottom to top since it's one continuous road.

The Logging Road takes you through a badly burnt part of Pajarito Mountain.  There were big red signs with white lettering that said "Please Stay Out" but I continued up the road anyway and was soon out of the vertical charcoal.  I'm quite sure that last week those signs said "Please Use Caution" which was contradictory since the signs had a hiker, a bicyclist and a horse rider in a crossed out circle.  Bet someone made the signs wrong and the ski area now has the correct signs up.

At the top, didn't bother going to the back of the mountain but instead took Bruce's Blvd. over to past the Lone Spruce Lift (the ski area is working hard to get that lift operational after it was damaged by the Las Conchas fire) and then walked on Zero Road East down to my car .  Zero Road East appears on the bike map as Lower East Road and Upper East Road but the signs at the ski area say Zero Road East.

I plan to one day walk the eastern side of the mountain, starting up the Oxbow Road and swinging around on Evershine Ridge.  I want to walk Pajarito a lot before the snows (hopefully) come.