Hiking group was having a joint snowshoe/cross country ski today at Pajarito Mountain Ski Area. When I drove past the the bottom of Camp May Road, no one was there to bum a ride up with. Camp May Road was OK up until I was almost at the ski area and then I met a snowplow coming down. I moved over to let the snowplow pass but then my car, hardly a snow-worthy vehicle, couldn't move forward. I put it in 1st gear and eventually it started uphill again. Next time I hitch a ride!
Only two snowshoers showed up and three cross country skiers. We snowshoers headed up Zero East Road while the skiers headed up the Logging Road. One of the snowshoers was really slow - only her second time snowshoeing. Due to babying my right foot with the bum posterior tibial tendon, this was my first time snowshoeing since the winter of 2009-2010. I felt bogged down with the very slow uphill progress so I said goodbye to the other two even though I'm no speedster. I made it as far as the 4-way intersection at the antennas and then the grooming ended. In deference to my right foot, I decided not to risk breaking trail to the back of the mountain and headed back down. On the way, I met up with the faster snowshoer. She was almost where I turned around and somehow she made it back down before me because I saw her car drive away as I approached the ski lodge. I think she took a short cut!
My right foot was OK. I kept adjusting the strap so it wasn't pinching my right medial arch too much. It was a quintessentially sunny-turquoise-blue-sky-New-Mexico-day! I was elated to have successfully snowshoed at least part way up the mountain. I was envious, though, of a woman snowshoer I met on the way down who was climbing straight up the mountain on the ski runs, breaking trail in the deep snow! I have to be happy, though, for what I can do. Until I get a bionic foot, breaking trail in deep snow is off my to-do list, much as I'd like to!
On the drive down, the snow was slushy and I stuck to the uphill side of the road since it was snow-free. One of the cross country skiers, a child-sized woman, advised me, when I told her about getting stuck on the way up, to stick to the middle of the road and don't move over! She's small but has big cojones!! Fortunately, I met no oncoming traffic!
Since I only managed 3 miles on the snowshoe today and 3 miles on the snowy Canyon Rim Trail this past Monday, I stopped at the closed West Road bypass for a 2 mile walk to balance my mileage account!
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Quemazon Trail in the Golden Afternoon Light
Finally wrested myself from the Pueblo Canyon Rim-Canyon Rim trails loop and went up the Quemazon Trail as far as Pipeline Road.
The trail tread has been mostly restored since it was bulldozed as a fire break during Las Conchas fire. Regardless, the mish mash of fallen dead trees to either side of the trail is butt ugly - that is until the golden afternoon sun light shines upon all the devastation. Somehow, that makes it beautiful. Yet and still, I wish I had magic powers and could make all the ugly, hacked up timber disappear. One saving grace is that it's unlikely that mountain lions could bound out at me from all that mess; more likely, they would use the trail like civilized beings. So, convincing myself of that, I kept looking behind to make sure no predators were tracking me. Keeps me in the moment, I suppose!
On the way down, I pondered about why Los Alamos Canyon is such a deep, mostly straight canyon while Pueblo Canyon is dissected into multiple branches in its upper reaches. Los Alamos Canyon is south of the Quemazon Trail while several Pueblo Canyon branches are north. One Pueblo Canyon tributary wraps right up to where the Quemazon Trail intersects Pipeline Road. Pipeline Road then parallels that downhill for a while. All I can figure is that Los Alamos Canyon has a more direct path to follow from the high mountains while the Pueblo Canyon drainage seems to start lower and is broken up by ridges running this way and that.
Near the bottom, I startled at a long, moving shadow to my right. When I turned, I saw a woman I know. She was just completing the Quemazon Nature Trail loop. It was late afternoon and we talked briefly as we continued downhill. She was faster so we said goodbye and she headed off toward Western Area and I toward my car parked at the Quemazon trailhead.
The trail tread has been mostly restored since it was bulldozed as a fire break during Las Conchas fire. Regardless, the mish mash of fallen dead trees to either side of the trail is butt ugly - that is until the golden afternoon sun light shines upon all the devastation. Somehow, that makes it beautiful. Yet and still, I wish I had magic powers and could make all the ugly, hacked up timber disappear. One saving grace is that it's unlikely that mountain lions could bound out at me from all that mess; more likely, they would use the trail like civilized beings. So, convincing myself of that, I kept looking behind to make sure no predators were tracking me. Keeps me in the moment, I suppose!
On the way down, I pondered about why Los Alamos Canyon is such a deep, mostly straight canyon while Pueblo Canyon is dissected into multiple branches in its upper reaches. Los Alamos Canyon is south of the Quemazon Trail while several Pueblo Canyon branches are north. One Pueblo Canyon tributary wraps right up to where the Quemazon Trail intersects Pipeline Road. Pipeline Road then parallels that downhill for a while. All I can figure is that Los Alamos Canyon has a more direct path to follow from the high mountains while the Pueblo Canyon drainage seems to start lower and is broken up by ridges running this way and that.
Near the bottom, I startled at a long, moving shadow to my right. When I turned, I saw a woman I know. She was just completing the Quemazon Nature Trail loop. It was late afternoon and we talked briefly as we continued downhill. She was faster so we said goodbye and she headed off toward Western Area and I toward my car parked at the Quemazon trailhead.
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Route Maintenance Extravaganza
Monday, picked up 4 grocery bags full of trash in the vicinity of the Route. By the time I got to FR2998, it was late afternoon so I decided to walk down Camp May Road because the shadows along the Route reminded me that mountain lions like to feed at dusk. The bags of trash were too heavy so I had cached them periodically in several places along the road. When I got to my car, I drove back to pick up the bags.
Tuesday, did some useless work to delineate the Route better. During the back burn to establish a fire line to fight the Las Conchas fire, some of the logs that mark the Route burned. It's also marked with rock cairns but they're hard to see at times. On one section, I really overdid it with lining both sides with logs. When I could, I confined the path to a bare dirt since it's probably not good to spread out too much in an area recovering from fire. After this work, I was tired and since walking on a paved road is far easier, I went out to Camp May Road at the Shotgun Shell dirt parking area and completed my walk.
Today, I undid a minor re-route that I'd done Tuesday because I realized that it wasn't at all obvious and where it was originally was further above a tiny drainage and drier. Also today, near the Ocean, I decided that logs on both sides were overkill and I lined only one side of the path. I wanted to stay more left where there was bare dirt and it seemed the way was obvious. In the process of doing this, I discovered a short, ready-made trail connection and it made sense to start using that.
Today, I collected 3 more grocery bags of trash, some which wasn't really along the Route but I could see it glinting so I picked it up. That's it, though, for my annual trash pickup! Today, I didn't quite go up to FR2998 but instead finished my walk on Camp May Road. Once again, I'm superstitious about walking by myself along the Route when it's feeding time for the animals. Speaking of animals, I saw a total of 4 deer today! Again, I had to drive up to retrieve the cached trash bags. They'll go out in my trash tomorrow. Gee, if any neighbor looks in our trash can, they're going to think "They sure drink a lot of beer!"
I may have seen the resident jogger again today. I parked where West Road is blocked off and saw a jogger just coming off the steep trail the bicyclists have built that shortcuts up to the Ocean. In the past, I went up and down that shortcut twice but it's steep so I'll stick to going up the old dirt road remnant just below Camp May Road, hopping the guardrail before the first steep hill on Camp May Road and crossing the paved road to go up to the Ocean.
I realize that any maintenance I do on the Route is akin to rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. There are so many fire-damaged trees along the Route which will surely topple one day. Today, at Guardrail Hill, below the second major climb Camp May Road makes, I happened to notice a towering burnt snag, the very bottom of it chiseled narrow by the back burn used to fight Las Conchas. It leans like the Tower of Pisa and I hope when it falls no one is there and it falls away from the Route.
Tuesday, did some useless work to delineate the Route better. During the back burn to establish a fire line to fight the Las Conchas fire, some of the logs that mark the Route burned. It's also marked with rock cairns but they're hard to see at times. On one section, I really overdid it with lining both sides with logs. When I could, I confined the path to a bare dirt since it's probably not good to spread out too much in an area recovering from fire. After this work, I was tired and since walking on a paved road is far easier, I went out to Camp May Road at the Shotgun Shell dirt parking area and completed my walk.
Today, I undid a minor re-route that I'd done Tuesday because I realized that it wasn't at all obvious and where it was originally was further above a tiny drainage and drier. Also today, near the Ocean, I decided that logs on both sides were overkill and I lined only one side of the path. I wanted to stay more left where there was bare dirt and it seemed the way was obvious. In the process of doing this, I discovered a short, ready-made trail connection and it made sense to start using that.
Today, I collected 3 more grocery bags of trash, some which wasn't really along the Route but I could see it glinting so I picked it up. That's it, though, for my annual trash pickup! Today, I didn't quite go up to FR2998 but instead finished my walk on Camp May Road. Once again, I'm superstitious about walking by myself along the Route when it's feeding time for the animals. Speaking of animals, I saw a total of 4 deer today! Again, I had to drive up to retrieve the cached trash bags. They'll go out in my trash tomorrow. Gee, if any neighbor looks in our trash can, they're going to think "They sure drink a lot of beer!"
I may have seen the resident jogger again today. I parked where West Road is blocked off and saw a jogger just coming off the steep trail the bicyclists have built that shortcuts up to the Ocean. In the past, I went up and down that shortcut twice but it's steep so I'll stick to going up the old dirt road remnant just below Camp May Road, hopping the guardrail before the first steep hill on Camp May Road and crossing the paved road to go up to the Ocean.
I realize that any maintenance I do on the Route is akin to rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. There are so many fire-damaged trees along the Route which will surely topple one day. Today, at Guardrail Hill, below the second major climb Camp May Road makes, I happened to notice a towering burnt snag, the very bottom of it chiseled narrow by the back burn used to fight Las Conchas. It leans like the Tower of Pisa and I hope when it falls no one is there and it falls away from the Route.
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Red Dot to Blue Dot Tuesday and Broken Mesa Ruins Wednesday
The Red Dot to Blue Dot hike on Tuesday was with the women's group. I almost bailed the night before because we got a little snow in Los Alamos. I thought sure the trail would be snowy and icy but the hiking leader, who lives in White Rock, emailed everyone in the morning after she checked the trail that it was clear!
When we first started on the Red Dot, we heard cranes overhead. There were waves and waves of them flying in fluid V's and squawking. Some flew so low that I could for the first time see what truly large birds they are.
I did my usual unimpressive, slow hobble down the Red Dot but who cares since I made it without falling. The group wasn't in a huge hurry as they are not speedsters either. We stopped often to admire the petroglyphs etched into the black basalt and the lingering fall colors.
At Pajarito Springs, they all stopped for a snack. I prefer to stop for a full lunch but this group does snacks instead. I wasn't sure how long I'd have so I waited until they resumed hiking and then ate 2 Raw Revolution bars while we walked on fairly level ground. Managed to clean my teeth while walking also!
We found the crowned lady petroglyph (if you reach the rock with "Toast" and "Chook" (sic), you've passed the turnoff) but, really, "she" looks more like an anatomically correct man!
They stopped for another snack at a viewpoint above the Rio Grande and I ate my mix of roasted, salted edamame and peanuts and raw sunflower seeds. I figured I needed the energy for the climb out of White Rock Canyon.
In the canyon, we were blessed with sunny weather, no snow and ice. Hiking up the Blue Dot, we were blessed with overcast skies so we didn't overheat - we are, after all, postmenopausal women and we overheat easily! I like to get elevated heart rate when walking uphill but since I was behind someone that was doing a good pace, I didn't worry about going faster and stopped often to look back at the Rio Grande.
Today's hike started at one of the gates along NM4 outside of Pajarito Acres. The directions said Gate 8a and .8 mile from Monte Rey Drive S. but I drove right past because I didn't see the cars parked behind the dirt and gravel piles that the state highway transportation department has there. Also, my stubborn mind was sure the directions were mistaken since the true Broken Mesa trailhead starts further south on NM4. I was able make it back in time for the start of the hike.
We followed the Potrillo-Water Canyon connector trail, which parallels NM4, to the north-most entrance to lower Water Canyon, the one that goes past the orange, swiss cheese cliffs. We walked down Water Canyon, past a man holding an overexcited dog that was eager to greet all 16 hikers, to the Broken Mesa Trail crossover. We followed that uphill to the Saddle between Broken Mesa and Beer Mesa (explanation forthcoming). Up we went on the north side of Broken Mesa to view the Indian ruins. No one seemed much interested in them. One woman commented that she finds Indian ruins underwhelming. I would have been happy to eat lunch there but Indian ruins are best appreciated in the company of those who appreciate the spirit of the place. So, down we went to the saddle again and then up Beer Mesa, so named for the day a female hiker drank a bottle of beer at lunch!
Lunch was a hurried affair. The brave alphas sat at the very edge of the mesa. I chose to sit on a basalt rock with a small field of basalt between me and the edge. Still, I had splendid views of Water Canyon. With so little time to linger over lunch, I had to clean my teeth (I like clean teeth!) while we hiked back to the saddle again.
There we proceeded back down to Water Canyon and then went up to the Water Canyon-Potrillo Canyon saddle. Down we went into Potrillo Canyon then up the mesa between the two canyons. Dead trees have been extensively chipped here like along the Powerline Trail, perhaps to create a firebreak.
I thought that we'd go out to the end of the mesa and then back down to the Potrillo Canyon-Water Canyon connector trail to get back to our cars but our leader took a right at the powerline and we walked over to the canyon with the big electric substation. They all went down a cliffy, snowy area but I walked just a little past that and went down on more of a trail, marked by a tattered, white plastic flag hanging from a tree branch. Magically, we were exactly back at our cars!
I thanked the leader, telling him that now I had many ideas for hikes to take this winter. I usually always go on the standard trails in that area - Potrillo, Water and Powerline - but there's a lot of powerline
right-of-ways and trails not in any guidebook that allow many other options.
The leader kept a very fast pace but he'd always stop and wait for the slower ones to catch up. My GPS said we did 6.44 miles. We got back to the cars around 2 pm. Weather was sunny and gorgeous! Cranes were in short supply. We heard them several times but couldn't see them overhead.
When we first started on the Red Dot, we heard cranes overhead. There were waves and waves of them flying in fluid V's and squawking. Some flew so low that I could for the first time see what truly large birds they are.
I did my usual unimpressive, slow hobble down the Red Dot but who cares since I made it without falling. The group wasn't in a huge hurry as they are not speedsters either. We stopped often to admire the petroglyphs etched into the black basalt and the lingering fall colors.
At Pajarito Springs, they all stopped for a snack. I prefer to stop for a full lunch but this group does snacks instead. I wasn't sure how long I'd have so I waited until they resumed hiking and then ate 2 Raw Revolution bars while we walked on fairly level ground. Managed to clean my teeth while walking also!
We found the crowned lady petroglyph (if you reach the rock with "Toast" and "Chook" (sic), you've passed the turnoff) but, really, "she" looks more like an anatomically correct man!
They stopped for another snack at a viewpoint above the Rio Grande and I ate my mix of roasted, salted edamame and peanuts and raw sunflower seeds. I figured I needed the energy for the climb out of White Rock Canyon.
In the canyon, we were blessed with sunny weather, no snow and ice. Hiking up the Blue Dot, we were blessed with overcast skies so we didn't overheat - we are, after all, postmenopausal women and we overheat easily! I like to get elevated heart rate when walking uphill but since I was behind someone that was doing a good pace, I didn't worry about going faster and stopped often to look back at the Rio Grande.
Today's hike started at one of the gates along NM4 outside of Pajarito Acres. The directions said Gate 8a and .8 mile from Monte Rey Drive S. but I drove right past because I didn't see the cars parked behind the dirt and gravel piles that the state highway transportation department has there. Also, my stubborn mind was sure the directions were mistaken since the true Broken Mesa trailhead starts further south on NM4. I was able make it back in time for the start of the hike.
We followed the Potrillo-Water Canyon connector trail, which parallels NM4, to the north-most entrance to lower Water Canyon, the one that goes past the orange, swiss cheese cliffs. We walked down Water Canyon, past a man holding an overexcited dog that was eager to greet all 16 hikers, to the Broken Mesa Trail crossover. We followed that uphill to the Saddle between Broken Mesa and Beer Mesa (explanation forthcoming). Up we went on the north side of Broken Mesa to view the Indian ruins. No one seemed much interested in them. One woman commented that she finds Indian ruins underwhelming. I would have been happy to eat lunch there but Indian ruins are best appreciated in the company of those who appreciate the spirit of the place. So, down we went to the saddle again and then up Beer Mesa, so named for the day a female hiker drank a bottle of beer at lunch!
Lunch was a hurried affair. The brave alphas sat at the very edge of the mesa. I chose to sit on a basalt rock with a small field of basalt between me and the edge. Still, I had splendid views of Water Canyon. With so little time to linger over lunch, I had to clean my teeth (I like clean teeth!) while we hiked back to the saddle again.
There we proceeded back down to Water Canyon and then went up to the Water Canyon-Potrillo Canyon saddle. Down we went into Potrillo Canyon then up the mesa between the two canyons. Dead trees have been extensively chipped here like along the Powerline Trail, perhaps to create a firebreak.
I thought that we'd go out to the end of the mesa and then back down to the Potrillo Canyon-Water Canyon connector trail to get back to our cars but our leader took a right at the powerline and we walked over to the canyon with the big electric substation. They all went down a cliffy, snowy area but I walked just a little past that and went down on more of a trail, marked by a tattered, white plastic flag hanging from a tree branch. Magically, we were exactly back at our cars!
I thanked the leader, telling him that now I had many ideas for hikes to take this winter. I usually always go on the standard trails in that area - Potrillo, Water and Powerline - but there's a lot of powerline
right-of-ways and trails not in any guidebook that allow many other options.
The leader kept a very fast pace but he'd always stop and wait for the slower ones to catch up. My GPS said we did 6.44 miles. We got back to the cars around 2 pm. Weather was sunny and gorgeous! Cranes were in short supply. We heard them several times but couldn't see them overhead.
Monday, November 7, 2011
Restorative Work Day on the Route
OK, so I didn't take baby steps in going back into the woods - I just went in whole hog today on the Route. Astonishingly, I saw a jogger! It really is a "real" trail when someone other than me uses it!
I shored up and rebuilt lots of stone cairns. I moved some small trees that had fallen across the Route. My gloves got blackened in the process!
Several massive trees have laid themselves prostrate across the path. I can't do anything about those. I'm sure they'll be lots more falling in the coming years. Pray for a chainsaw person to take a liking to the Route! One of the downed trees, completely charcoal, can be simply stepped over. The other route-block is two massive trees that fell away from each other but left a space between to travel through. Unfortunately, this involves stepping at the base of the one tree's root ball, not the most stable footing.
Then, there are several instances where I had, before Las Conchas wildfire this June, did a reroute because of a fallen tree but now those trees have burnt up and are no longer obstacles. Today I put one area back to its original path which was more direct.
The area above Guardrail Hill where there was a slash and trash event which resulted in lots of unattractively chopped up trees is looking good because lots of the slash and trash burned. Unfortunately, so did a lot of the conifers.
Snowflakes flew around off and on but held off falling more heavily until I got back to my car. The skies were wild today - a mix of snowflakes and sunshine and overcast. Next on my to do list, pick up trash and pack it out.
Oddly enough, despite the admonitions of "Big Brother" forest service, not a single burnt tree or burnt out stump hole attacked me during my day in the forest! When will "Big Brother" forest service allow us to legally walk again in the Las Conchas burn area?
I shored up and rebuilt lots of stone cairns. I moved some small trees that had fallen across the Route. My gloves got blackened in the process!
Several massive trees have laid themselves prostrate across the path. I can't do anything about those. I'm sure they'll be lots more falling in the coming years. Pray for a chainsaw person to take a liking to the Route! One of the downed trees, completely charcoal, can be simply stepped over. The other route-block is two massive trees that fell away from each other but left a space between to travel through. Unfortunately, this involves stepping at the base of the one tree's root ball, not the most stable footing.
Then, there are several instances where I had, before Las Conchas wildfire this June, did a reroute because of a fallen tree but now those trees have burnt up and are no longer obstacles. Today I put one area back to its original path which was more direct.
The area above Guardrail Hill where there was a slash and trash event which resulted in lots of unattractively chopped up trees is looking good because lots of the slash and trash burned. Unfortunately, so did a lot of the conifers.
Snowflakes flew around off and on but held off falling more heavily until I got back to my car. The skies were wild today - a mix of snowflakes and sunshine and overcast. Next on my to do list, pick up trash and pack it out.
Oddly enough, despite the admonitions of "Big Brother" forest service, not a single burnt tree or burnt out stump hole attacked me during my day in the forest! When will "Big Brother" forest service allow us to legally walk again in the Las Conchas burn area?
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Restorative Hike on Cerro Grande Peak
Took myself to Cerro Grande yesterday. Trail's been closed since last June's Las Conchas fire but was reopened Monday. It's been rerouted. Everyone complained (not me) about the old route because it was straight up. (Bandelier National Monument purposely calls the way up Cerro Grande a route and not a trail but I call it both.)
The reroute doesn't start until just above where it used to drop into Frijoles Canyon. Now, instead of going downhill into Frijoles and then having to immediately drag oneself uphill to the high pass meadow, hikers can contour left onto the unnamed slope south of Cerro Grande, through a mature forest of conifers and aspens.
I could see lots of work had been done to clear a trail over to the high pass meadow - lots of cut up trees. The forest here sustained patchy burn damage. There are some amazingly massive trees alongside the trail and it even passes between two of them. I must have just missed the peak aspen display since the brilliant leaves were now on the forest floor, instead of dangling from the trees. I have to say, even though I appreciated walking through this thick forest, it looks like it could use a prescribed burn before a catastrophic one occurs - too many trees.
At the high pass, near the meadow where we saw a bear cavorting this year among the dandelions, I could see the Bandelier rangers obliterated the old trail into Frijoles Canyon with branches and logs. From here, yellow diamonds briefly follow the old straight-up-the-mountain route before veering off sharply right (east). Now begins a series of 6 or so long traverses that take you through a partially burnt forest and the large meadow up to the false summit. The meadow traverses take you near where the 2000 Cerro Grande fire originated in the big bowl where Frijoles Canyon starts.
The burnt forest has a thick layer of slippery pine needles underfoot - not pleasant. In the meadow, I could look downhill and see yellow diamonds out of order, on the traverse below the one I was on. I'm afraid that hikers will shortcut straight downhill to the markers they can most easily see because sometimes the yellow diamonds play hide and seek. In one case, two arrow diamonds were placed at an angle so as not to be visible from the immediate marker below.
It will be interesting to see how the "ground truth" of hikers' feet trample the route out. When that happens, it will also be easier to walk on because walking in a tussock grass meadow or over slippery pine needles is not easy. Depending on how this route develops the longer, eastern route may seem more attractive because traversing back and forth is not my favorite way to go up a mountain if I can clearly see the top (or in this case, the false summit). I did, however, religiously follow the yellow diamonds but I can't control what other hikers do.
On top of Cerro Grande, which is now ringed by a severely burnt black conifer forest, I could hear the wind sounding like a freight train approaching the unprotected peak. Maybe the wind is why I saw no other hikers (although it didn't seem at all windy in the forest). Even though an interesting assortment of clouds were forming in the sky, it remained sunny albeit cool.
At first I sat on a rock to eat lunch but I didn't feel comfortable with my back to the blackened woods so I ate standing up, eying the woods in case something terrible came tearing out. There's something eerie about a completely scorched forest - even the dirt is burnt black. Yet and still, Cerro Grande is still beautiful and I plan to go back one day. And yes, although I hate to say this, the fire really opened up tremendous views from Cerro Grande into the Valles Caldera National Preserve. It's perfectly obvious now just how achingly close the Preserve is to Cerro Grande and to Los Alamos and despite the Las Conchas fire damage to its cerros and valles, it too remains beautiful.
The reroute doesn't start until just above where it used to drop into Frijoles Canyon. Now, instead of going downhill into Frijoles and then having to immediately drag oneself uphill to the high pass meadow, hikers can contour left onto the unnamed slope south of Cerro Grande, through a mature forest of conifers and aspens.
I could see lots of work had been done to clear a trail over to the high pass meadow - lots of cut up trees. The forest here sustained patchy burn damage. There are some amazingly massive trees alongside the trail and it even passes between two of them. I must have just missed the peak aspen display since the brilliant leaves were now on the forest floor, instead of dangling from the trees. I have to say, even though I appreciated walking through this thick forest, it looks like it could use a prescribed burn before a catastrophic one occurs - too many trees.
At the high pass, near the meadow where we saw a bear cavorting this year among the dandelions, I could see the Bandelier rangers obliterated the old trail into Frijoles Canyon with branches and logs. From here, yellow diamonds briefly follow the old straight-up-the-mountain route before veering off sharply right (east). Now begins a series of 6 or so long traverses that take you through a partially burnt forest and the large meadow up to the false summit. The meadow traverses take you near where the 2000 Cerro Grande fire originated in the big bowl where Frijoles Canyon starts.
The burnt forest has a thick layer of slippery pine needles underfoot - not pleasant. In the meadow, I could look downhill and see yellow diamonds out of order, on the traverse below the one I was on. I'm afraid that hikers will shortcut straight downhill to the markers they can most easily see because sometimes the yellow diamonds play hide and seek. In one case, two arrow diamonds were placed at an angle so as not to be visible from the immediate marker below.
It will be interesting to see how the "ground truth" of hikers' feet trample the route out. When that happens, it will also be easier to walk on because walking in a tussock grass meadow or over slippery pine needles is not easy. Depending on how this route develops the longer, eastern route may seem more attractive because traversing back and forth is not my favorite way to go up a mountain if I can clearly see the top (or in this case, the false summit). I did, however, religiously follow the yellow diamonds but I can't control what other hikers do.
On top of Cerro Grande, which is now ringed by a severely burnt black conifer forest, I could hear the wind sounding like a freight train approaching the unprotected peak. Maybe the wind is why I saw no other hikers (although it didn't seem at all windy in the forest). Even though an interesting assortment of clouds were forming in the sky, it remained sunny albeit cool.
At first I sat on a rock to eat lunch but I didn't feel comfortable with my back to the blackened woods so I ate standing up, eying the woods in case something terrible came tearing out. There's something eerie about a completely scorched forest - even the dirt is burnt black. Yet and still, Cerro Grande is still beautiful and I plan to go back one day. And yes, although I hate to say this, the fire really opened up tremendous views from Cerro Grande into the Valles Caldera National Preserve. It's perfectly obvious now just how achingly close the Preserve is to Cerro Grande and to Los Alamos and despite the Las Conchas fire damage to its cerros and valles, it too remains beautiful.
Coyotes Abound
Started on Pueblo Canyon Rim Trail from Los Alamos Airport. Saw ahead of me two coyotes loping on trail. They disappeared into the bushes on the hillside which made me nervous about ambush so I picked up a stick just in case. I didn't need to use it, though, because after that, I only briefly saw one of them ahead of me on the trail and then they were completely gone. They seemed aware of me but fortunately not interested.
Then, driving out of town, we saw a coyote race across NM502 near the Best Western, heading for DP Canyon.
Then, driving out of town, we saw a coyote race across NM502 near the Best Western, heading for DP Canyon.
Monday, October 31, 2011
Into the Woods
Actually, the title is that of a Stephen Sondheim musical that I saw yesterday with my grandson at the Duane Smith auditorium. We both enjoyed it and laughed a lot.
But, the title also refers to my desire to take little baby steps back into the woods, our local Santa Fe National Forest lands, which are still under lockdown. I won't go into canyons where monsoon rain loosened boulders may roll down to crush me but I do intend to explore some lesser burnt areas here and there. Cripes! I can recognize a burnt out stump hole when I see one and not jump into it! As for falling trees, that problem will be with us for years and I'm willing to take my chances. On last Tuesday's hike, I told someone that I viscerally miss walking on American Springs Road/FR181 and she told me she feels the same way about not being able to walk up Water Canyon to that same road. I appreciated so much that she shared that with me!
I walked the first two miles of Camp May Road today. My pet aspens along the Route have reached their peak and are blazing yellow! That makes me happy. I saw probably the same herd of deer at the same place again today, just a little past a mile up Camp May Road from West Jemez. They browse at the very edge of Los Alamos Canyon.
I now understand how the aspens and gambel oak that were browned by the fire line burnout along Camp May Road will regenerate. The aspens already have small seedlings around their skinny trunks and the gambel oaks too. They will regenerate from the ground up. I'm looking forward to all the new growth next year!
Overheard at the Los Alamos Heart Council's Health Fair Saturday: A man said that the downed logs that prevented travel down Pajarito Canyon from Pajarito Mountain burned up in the Las Conchas Fire and it looks possible to once again walk down canyon from the back of the mountain. I'll have to tell the friskier Wednesday group this and maybe they'll check it out.
But, the title also refers to my desire to take little baby steps back into the woods, our local Santa Fe National Forest lands, which are still under lockdown. I won't go into canyons where monsoon rain loosened boulders may roll down to crush me but I do intend to explore some lesser burnt areas here and there. Cripes! I can recognize a burnt out stump hole when I see one and not jump into it! As for falling trees, that problem will be with us for years and I'm willing to take my chances. On last Tuesday's hike, I told someone that I viscerally miss walking on American Springs Road/FR181 and she told me she feels the same way about not being able to walk up Water Canyon to that same road. I appreciated so much that she shared that with me!
I walked the first two miles of Camp May Road today. My pet aspens along the Route have reached their peak and are blazing yellow! That makes me happy. I saw probably the same herd of deer at the same place again today, just a little past a mile up Camp May Road from West Jemez. They browse at the very edge of Los Alamos Canyon.
I now understand how the aspens and gambel oak that were browned by the fire line burnout along Camp May Road will regenerate. The aspens already have small seedlings around their skinny trunks and the gambel oaks too. They will regenerate from the ground up. I'm looking forward to all the new growth next year!
Overheard at the Los Alamos Heart Council's Health Fair Saturday: A man said that the downed logs that prevented travel down Pajarito Canyon from Pajarito Mountain burned up in the Las Conchas Fire and it looks possible to once again walk down canyon from the back of the mountain. I'll have to tell the friskier Wednesday group this and maybe they'll check it out.
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Rain, Sunshine and Fall Colors Along the White Rock Canyon Rim Trail
Was to go on Mitchell Trail hike with the vigorous Wednesday group but when I started driving to the trailhead and saw rain on my windshield and dark, dark clouds to the northwest, where I was headed, I turned tail and drove to White Rock since I could see clearer skies that way.
Going down the Main Hill Road, I saw the aftermath of an accident with broken glass still on the road. It's only a two lane road built flush against the tuff cliff and has no shoulder. The accident occurred at the Anderson Overlook blind curve. Very scary road and the drivers are even scarier!
When I started jogging on the White Rock Canyon Rim Trail, I was chagrined to hear raindrops falling on my hat so I unfurled my golf umbrella. It rained steadily but not too long. The green of the lichen that's everywhere on the basalt rocks along the trail really stands out when wet and closely matches the color of the sagebrush.
When the rain stopped, the sun came out making the basalt along the canyon edge and in the canyon below gleam. Far below, I could see that the poplars along the banks of the Rio Grande have turned to gold. Just a little rain and this landscape is made magical! White, furry winterfat adorned the canyon rim along with clusters of lavendar pink verbena. I thought verbena was only a springtime flower but maybe not!
Where the trail makes a right turn above Pajarito Canyon to continue toward Sherwood Blvd., I turned around but instead of continuing on the White Rock Canyon Rim Trail, I followed the short trail on the bench that runs just below the rim trail. This bench is a fascinating place that brings you closer to the basaltic wonderland of White Rock Canyon. Midway, there is even a tiny oasis where I'm sure there must be a spring. I've never seen the spring but the evidence is in the profuse tree growth, including willows, that only occurs in a narrow strip right there and continues to the canyon rim above. The bench trail dead ends in a jumble of basalt. Above are towering basalt cliffs with a talus slope of basalt boulders, large and small. Underfoot there is unyielding basalt. Below the bench, there are more basalt benches and veritable mountains of basalt. There's a spare beauty in the hard steadfastness of the dark basalt.
I backtracked up to the White Rock Canyon Rim Trail and followed it back to my car. Never saw another soul the whole time I was on the trail!
Going down the Main Hill Road, I saw the aftermath of an accident with broken glass still on the road. It's only a two lane road built flush against the tuff cliff and has no shoulder. The accident occurred at the Anderson Overlook blind curve. Very scary road and the drivers are even scarier!
When I started jogging on the White Rock Canyon Rim Trail, I was chagrined to hear raindrops falling on my hat so I unfurled my golf umbrella. It rained steadily but not too long. The green of the lichen that's everywhere on the basalt rocks along the trail really stands out when wet and closely matches the color of the sagebrush.
When the rain stopped, the sun came out making the basalt along the canyon edge and in the canyon below gleam. Far below, I could see that the poplars along the banks of the Rio Grande have turned to gold. Just a little rain and this landscape is made magical! White, furry winterfat adorned the canyon rim along with clusters of lavendar pink verbena. I thought verbena was only a springtime flower but maybe not!
Where the trail makes a right turn above Pajarito Canyon to continue toward Sherwood Blvd., I turned around but instead of continuing on the White Rock Canyon Rim Trail, I followed the short trail on the bench that runs just below the rim trail. This bench is a fascinating place that brings you closer to the basaltic wonderland of White Rock Canyon. Midway, there is even a tiny oasis where I'm sure there must be a spring. I've never seen the spring but the evidence is in the profuse tree growth, including willows, that only occurs in a narrow strip right there and continues to the canyon rim above. The bench trail dead ends in a jumble of basalt. Above are towering basalt cliffs with a talus slope of basalt boulders, large and small. Underfoot there is unyielding basalt. Below the bench, there are more basalt benches and veritable mountains of basalt. There's a spare beauty in the hard steadfastness of the dark basalt.
I backtracked up to the White Rock Canyon Rim Trail and followed it back to my car. Never saw another soul the whole time I was on the trail!
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Camp May Road Walk Yesterday - Burnt Mesa Eagle Traps Today
Yesterday I walked the first two miles of Camp May Road, starting from West Jemez Road. Irritated by the stout metal posts, thick wire strand and metal gate that DOE has installed so they can close off Camp May Road in the future. At least I think it's the DOE because they own the land where Camp May Road intersects the West Road bypass. True, it's just a short section but people walk, run and bike up that road daily and there is no shoulder, no room to escape a vehicle, and now there's even less room unless I'm to vault over the thick wire strand to escape a careening car! (They've also installed the metal posts and wire strand further along the West Road Bypass to keep people from driving into the woods that the DOE owns as a buffer zone. Phooey on them!)
Enough complaining. I checked out my pet aspens along the Route - the ones accessed from Shotgun Shell parking lot. They have not completely turned yellow and are not as brilliant as in years past. Maybe they were overheated by the burnout that established a fire line during the Las Conchas fire.
On the way back downhill, I needed to use a side road for a "necessary" visit but I saw an animal browsing. With my eyesight, I couldn't quite figure out what it was and certainly didn't want to surprise a mountain lion or coyote so I waited until the animal raised its head from its yummy meal and then I knew - bingo, deer! I told it "I won't hurt you, darling!" and headed up the road to find a tree but then I was astonished to realize that there were 7 deer, one of which was a buck. We stood there staring at each other until some of the deer decided they'd better cross Camp May Road to "escape" from me.
Today, the women's group walked off trail on Burnt Mesa (even though off trail travel is not yet officially condoned) to visit the eagle traps. Glad we did it. Weather was perfect. While the group had a snack stop at the final two eagle traps, I walked downhill, away from Frijoles Canyon, to take a gander at the unnamed canyon between us and the official Burnt Mesa Trail. It would be nice to go out to the eagle traps and loop back to the official trail by crossing this canyon. It could be done but not with the group of 14 we had today. While I was at the canyon edge, I noticed a stake that archeologists use to mark ruins. Next to it were two rocks, planted on the hillside, facing each other, with their inner edges looking unnaturally straight, creating a small, shallow trench, maybe 4 feet long by 18 inches wide and filled in with dirt so it was less than a foot deep. I took the others down to see it and kidded that this "eagle trap" was to teach the toddlers how to snatch the eagle's tail feathers!
Enough complaining. I checked out my pet aspens along the Route - the ones accessed from Shotgun Shell parking lot. They have not completely turned yellow and are not as brilliant as in years past. Maybe they were overheated by the burnout that established a fire line during the Las Conchas fire.
On the way back downhill, I needed to use a side road for a "necessary" visit but I saw an animal browsing. With my eyesight, I couldn't quite figure out what it was and certainly didn't want to surprise a mountain lion or coyote so I waited until the animal raised its head from its yummy meal and then I knew - bingo, deer! I told it "I won't hurt you, darling!" and headed up the road to find a tree but then I was astonished to realize that there were 7 deer, one of which was a buck. We stood there staring at each other until some of the deer decided they'd better cross Camp May Road to "escape" from me.
Today, the women's group walked off trail on Burnt Mesa (even though off trail travel is not yet officially condoned) to visit the eagle traps. Glad we did it. Weather was perfect. While the group had a snack stop at the final two eagle traps, I walked downhill, away from Frijoles Canyon, to take a gander at the unnamed canyon between us and the official Burnt Mesa Trail. It would be nice to go out to the eagle traps and loop back to the official trail by crossing this canyon. It could be done but not with the group of 14 we had today. While I was at the canyon edge, I noticed a stake that archeologists use to mark ruins. Next to it were two rocks, planted on the hillside, facing each other, with their inner edges looking unnaturally straight, creating a small, shallow trench, maybe 4 feet long by 18 inches wide and filled in with dirt so it was less than a foot deep. I took the others down to see it and kidded that this "eagle trap" was to teach the toddlers how to snatch the eagle's tail feathers!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)