More Wilderness and a National Monument

The Canada Violets have been spectacular this spring in the mountains

A short drive heading west from Red River brought us to Columbine Campground in the Carson National Forest just 5 miles east of Questa, NM. This beautiful campground is nestled in a narrow canyon with Columbine Creek flowing through the middle and then joining with the Red River just below the campground.  The steep walls of the canyon plus the thickly forested campground provided ample shade and as temperatures were on the rise, it seemed like the perfect place to stay for the week.

 

View along the Columbine - Twining National Recreation Trail

After an easy afternoon of enjoying the creek, cooking dinner and then a great night’s sleep, we woke rested and ready for some hiking.  From our campground, the Columbine Canyon Trail #71 led into the Columbine-Hondo Wilderness where it intersected with several other trails in the wilderness providing us with many hiking options to consider.  We decided on attempting part of the Columbine - Twining National Recreation Trail which started out on Trail 71 and then followed the Deer Creek Trail, then the Gold Hill Trail (at 12,711 feet, Gold Hill is more than just a hill) and eventually ended at the Taos Ski Basin for a 14.2-mile trek.  We knew we would not be going that whole distance and climbing nearly 5,000 feet in elevation in the process, but we decided to start hiking and see how far we got.

 

Maya appreciates a sturdy bridge when the streams are full and swift

There were several stream crossings but thankfully bridges were intact, so no problem there.  When we turned off the Columbine Canyon Trail to follow the Deer Creek Trail, we started a shady climb through a young aspen forest that was beautiful with flowers.  But after about a mile the trail topped out of the aspens into a sunny west facing slope and began climbing in earnest.   We went on for another couple of miles as the trail teased us with glimpses of blue sky.  But every switchback brought us to another slope to climb and the top with views of Gold Hill remained ever illusive.  It was getting warm on the sun-soaked slope and the rocks were many and sharp.  We were concerned about Maya’s paws so we decided to head back to our cool canyon campground.

 

Maya rests her paw

The next day we drove over to the Taos Ski Valley and hiked the other end of the Columbine – Twining N.R.T. so we could at least have tried both ends.  This end of the trail was just as steep and rocky as the other and by the time we were done Maya was beginning to favor her left front paw.  Although we enjoyed both ends of this National Recreation Trail and the scenery was gorgeous, it was seriously rocky.  The trail is rated difficult and we all thought the rating was deserved though we didn’t even hike the steepest section that climbed Gold Hill. 

 

Marsh Marigold along Deer Creek

Thursday Maya’s limp was even worse and we decided she needed a day or two off so we went on a car excursion.  The Rio Grande del Norte National Monument was just about 10 miles away from our campground and it seemed like a good time to explore this very new national monument.  Being quite familiar with the southern end of the Rio Grande and having taken many a canoe trip down the ‘Rio’ in Big Bend, we thought it was time to enjoy and learn about the northern end of this grand river.

 

Rio Grande del Norte National Monument

Part of our mission this summer is to explore some of the lesser known and visited National Park Service administered sites in celebration of the 100^th Anniversary of the National Park Service.  But the Rio Grande del Norte National Monument is not administered by the NPS.  Things are sometimes confusing when it comes to our Congress and government (and that is as political as this blog will ever get).  It seems that not all national monuments are the same.  The best that David and I can figure is that the land of the Rio Grande del Norte was originally under the administration of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).  So when President Obama proclaimed this area a national monument in 2013, it stayed under the management of the BLM.

 

Prickly pear cacti were in bloom all over the monument

Looks like a fun rapid

The Rio Grande is almost as brown here as it is in Texas

Regardless of all that, we were not going to let a technicality keep us from visiting a very cool national monument.  We drove through the larger, northern part of the monument, known as the Wild Rivers section.  Here both the Rio Grande and Red Rivers flow wild and undammed through the 242,455 acres of the monument.  There are many scenic pullovers with views of both rivers and trails that take you along the top edge of the two canyons and some trails descend down into the canyons.  We did every pullover and visited the many campgrounds in the monument, all of which were nice.  We took very short walks along the tops of the canyons while Maya rested in the car (parked under shade).

 

The confluence of the Red River and the Rio Grande

Red River is on the left and Rio Grande is on the right

The Wild Rivers Visitor Center was very fun to visit and there we learned that the Rio Grande had help making its canyon or gorge of over 800 feet deep.  The canyon is actually part of the Rio Grande Rift that it is slowly pulling the land apart.  This weakness in the earth’s crust has also allowed multiple volcanic fields to arise in New Mexico these past few million years. (Don’t you just love geologic time?  A few million years is hardly any time at all…)

My Tia's in the middle of nowhere but worth the trip

After all this new exploring and knowledge, we were hungry and asked the ranger to recommend a good place to eat.  He directed us to My Tia’s in the little village of Cerro on our way out of the monument.  It was an excellent suggestion –  home cooked, fresh and local food.  My stuffed sopapilla with chicken, beans and green sauce was delicious and huge!  David and Maya had to help me finish it.  I love those rangers; they always know the best places to eat.

 

The Rio Grande Gorge Bridge north of Taos, NM

With Maya still limping on Friday, we decided to finish our tour of the Rio Grande del Norte and we drove to the Orilla Verde section of the monument that is about 12 miles south of the famous Rio Grande Gorge Bridge or High Bridge near Taos.  Although we have seen the bridge several times before, we stopped again on our way to the southern part of the monument.  The bridge stretches over the gorge at a height of 564 feet above the waters of the Rio Grande and it is always an impressive sight.

Looking down into the gorge from the bridge -- pretty awesome!

The southern part of the Rio Grande del Norte is mainly a “floater’s or river runner’s paradise.”  Rafting companies and outfitters are everywhere and will shuttle you between put in and take out points.  This part of the river reminded us a lot of the Rio Grande down in Texas.  It was even the same shade of brown!  I guess that old Rio Grande always carries a lot of sediment as it rolls along. 

 

Looks a lot like the Rio Grande near the Texas border

Both sections of the Rio Grande del Norte are in a high desert environment and were much warmer than our sheltered Columbine Canyon Campground.  But the day we visited the southern section, the temperatures reached the 90’s.  It wasn’t just warm, it was hot and suddenly, we were not avoiding summer anymore.  

 

The walking stick cholla cactus were aflame with blooms

We headed back to our cool canyon to enjoy one last night before moving on to perhaps some even warmer places before we would arrive in the mountains of Colorado.  But first, one more trip to My Tia’s.  That was some seriously good food.

David’s Stats:

Days Hiked   2 
Total Miles Hiked    13.08
Ave. Miles per Day    6.54 
Total Elevation Gain     3,120
Ave. Elevation Gain per day  1,560

 

The desert in bloom is glorious!

Red River and a New Wilderness

The highest peak in NM, Wheeler Peak from the Sawmill Park Trail

Thankfully, we had an uneventful drive from Santa Barbara Campground back to the “High Road to Taos,” driving first to Taos and Questa then on to Red River to camp for the weekend.  Although June can be one of the hottest months in New Mexico, so far we have experienced wonderful weather.  Warm days, cool nights with afternoon and evening thunderstorms nearly every day – pretty perfect as far as we are concerned.  This lovely pattern continued through our weekend in Red River. 

Hiking through a mature spruce forest

It was so good to see the healthy spruce in this area as so many spruce

have been killed by bark beetle throughout the country.

Nearly lost in the thick, young spruce forest

Our campground in Red River was only a few miles from the Wheeler Peak Wilderness and David and I had never hiked in that wilderness.  Bright and early on Saturday morning, we drove the few miles to the trailhead for a new wilderness adventure.  There were two options for trails to hike, one of them leading to the high country and joining with another trail to Wheeler Peak (the highest mountain in NM at 13,161 feet).  We were just recovering from our recent snow hike and not quite ready to summit the snow covered Wheeler Peak, thus we opted for the lower trail to Sawmill Park which respectably enough climbed to 10,980 feet and was a little over 10 miles round trip.

The "Big Ditch" (on the left, trail on right)

The trail crossed “The Big Ditch,” also known as the Elizabethtown Ditch, which was constructed in 1868 by the Moreno Valley Water and Mining Company to transfer water from the Upper Red River Watershed to the gold fields in Moreno Valley.  The ditch was 41 miles in length and included 3 miles of elevated wooden flumes.  But today all that remains is the overgrown depression where the ditch once existed.  400 men hand dug the ditch.  When we hike in historic areas like this, it always amazes me that people were able to even get to the places to begin with, with no roads and only horses and sometimes wagons.  And then to build, farm, mine or process timber in these steep, rocky areas with only hand tools – that’s just incredible to me.  I can barely walk the trails with modern equipment.

Maya being her goofy self

Our hike turned out to be one of those near perfect times that was just too much fun and part of that was due to our crazy dog.  Maya was in a silly, playful mood all day and kept us laughing at her escapades (more about that in a moment). 

Although perfectly capable of getting her own snow, Maya prefers it from

the center of the pile and fed to her by David.

The Sawmill Park Trail climbed but not too steeply, and the couple of stream crossings were easy.  It was fun reading the signage at “The Big Ditch” and learning some history of the area.  Once we reached Sawmill Park, a large and beautiful mountain meadow with a meandering stream flowing through the middle, the spruce, fir and aspen trees were joined by Bristlecone pines (some of the very oldest trees in the world and a favorite tree of ours). 

1000 year old Bristlecone, 60 year old Cindy, 12.5 year old Maya

"Some old babies"

Two years ago, we visited the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest in California’s Inyo National Forest and learned a lot about these extremely long-lived trees.  The trees in California live in a very poor soil and have little competition so they can live over 4,000 years.  The oldest Bristlecone Pines we encountered in Sawmill Park were only around 1,000 to 1,500 years old!  It was cool to see the Bristlecone growing in a very different environment, this one in New Mexico much more lush and with a diversity of other trees.  (See June 2014 blogs for more info on the Bristlecone Pines.)

The little stream in the meadow, our stop for lunch

We had planned to lunch by the twisting stream in the middle of the meadow but just as we were about to sit down, Maya decided to take a little wade.  That is what she thought anyway.  The stream wasn’t more than 2 to 3 feet wide but it was much deeper than Maya anticipated.  As she placed her feet on the edge to ‘wade in,’ she plunged into the stream head first and disappeared under water. 

It's a lot deeper than it looks!

"I never saw that coming..."

Was she ever surprised!  She bobbed to the surface looking quite miffed and David had to help her out as the bank was quite steep.  The water was freezing cold so poor Maya was running, rolling and shaking all over the place getting us wet in the process.  After we finished laughing, we moved to a sunny spot up slope and dried her off best as we could, all of us having lunch in the sun to warm up.

Shake it off...

After that Maya was just a silly girl, romping and doing all kinds of crazy things.  She enjoyed the few snow drifts we encountered and sniffed for critters in the meadow.  But when we got back to the car, she practically collapsed in the back seat.  I had to shake her awake when we got back to the RV.  She was one tired dog.  We all were ready for bed early.

And roll...

Sunday we recuperated and did a few chores.  Later this morning we will leave Red River for a nearby forest campground.  We hope to hike again in the Wheeler Peak Wilderness and two other nearby wildernesses.  It will be a week of new wilderness areas for us. 

Back on the trail and headed 'home'

David’s Stats:

Days Hiked  1  
Total Miles Hiked   10.07  
Total Elevation Gain     1,298

 

Wild Roads, Wildflowers, Wild Water and Snow

Heartleaf Arnica growing along Santa Barbara Creek

The northern section of the Pecos Wilderness is in the Carson National Forest and its entry points are generally a littler higher in elevation than the Santa Fe National Forest portion.  Our plan was to stay at one of two campgrounds – either Santa Barbara or Agua Piedra after checking conditions at the ranger station in Penasco.  The drive was supposed to be an easy one of about 2 hours from Santa Fe.  And it would have been if we hadn’t missed our turn onto State Hwy 98, part of the “High Road to Taos.”  (In our travels, we have found that highway signs are often not as clear and well-placed as we would like them.)  By the time we saw this sign, we were already passed it and there was no place to turn our RV around. The road we were on would still get us where we were going, it just looked very small and crooked on the map and if it looked that way on the map, well, that could be scary.  

The spring-swollen Santa Barbara Creek overflowing into the trail

We drove on hoping for a turnaround place and as that did not materialize, we just started hoping that the road would not get any narrower than it already was.  But that was not to be.  The road twisted and turned and climbed and finally got so narrow through this one little village of Cundiyo that I swear I could have put my arm out the window and touched the sides of some of the houses as we drove by.  It was absolutely the narrowest one lane road I have ever been on in our RV. 

All we could think was that we better not meet anyone coming down this crazy road we were going up.  What would we do?  There was no place to pull over and towing our car, we could not back up.  Maya and I started thinking about what color flowers we wanted on our road side memorial.  But thankfully disaster was averted and we met no one until we were nearly at the top and there was a small place to pull over. Right after that, we joined with the “High Road to Taos” which was itself a curvy road, but we felt like we were back on the freeway.  Silver was never worried and she handled like a dream through it all.  Once again David and I were grateful for our amazing little RV.

The roaring Santa Barbara near our campsite

Maya gets a little too close for comfort and mom makes her get out

The lady at the ranger station in Penasco told us that the Agua Piedra Campground had no water so Santa Barbara was where we headed.  It was a warm afternoon of 82 when we arrived but within an hour the clouds rolled in and we had a wonderful little afternoon thunderstorm.  We read books, listened to the rain and made a late lunch.  By sunset we were back to being mellow and looking forward to a peaceful night next to Santa Barbara Creek.  Snow melt and recent rains had the Santa Barbara almost roaring but it still made for nice sleeping.

Trampas Creek

The next morning, we took a short drive to the Trampas Creek trailhead hoping to reach one of the Trampas Lakes or perhaps Hidden Lake.  But after a couple of miles, the stream crossings started to be more challenging.  Log bridges were out and in most cases we had to cross on piled up logs and rocks that were not very steady considering the swiftness of the spring swollen Trampas Creek.  Then we hit one crossing where the water was several feet deep and there was nothing steady enough to walk or hop across on.  We did not want to wade/swim in that cold water.  Even Maya wasn't eager to go in, so we had lunch in the sweet little aspen meadow by the creek and then walked back enjoying the spring wildflowers.  The wildflowers were fabulous along the creek and in the meadows.  It was just a little early in the season to make it to the lakes.  We will try again another day.

Canada Violets along Trampas Creek

Dandelion field heading up the Serpent Lake Trail

The next day we thought we would take the Serpent Lake Trail as it was not near any big creeks and mostly a mountain climb.  We should be able to reach that lake, right?  Well, things started out fine anyway.  We walked through a beautiful meadow of blooming dandelions and into the forest.  For about two miles it was a steady climb with some steep switchbacks but then at about 10,800 feet we started seeing more and more snow.  When there wasn’t snow in the trail, the trail itself was running like a small creek from all the snow melt.  We were either walking in water or slogging through snow.

Snowy Trail

Cooling the water bottles at lunch

We continued on as the snow drifts became bigger and bigger covering most of the trail.  According to David’s GPS we were at 11,800 feet and only about a third of a mile from the lake but we decided to turn back.  It was just too hard plowing through the snow without snowshoes. Those waterproof boots and gators only help so much and we were all getting wet and cold.  Maya loved it for a while but even she was struggling and sinking to her shoulders in the snow.  Thwarted again, no lake!  I guess early June has its hazards in the Pecos Wilderness – swollen creeks and/or snow can be quite the obstacles.

Had enough!

Our third day we got an early start and hiked the Middle Fork of the Santa Barbara Trail right from our campground.  As I have already mentioned, Santa Barbara Creek was flowing very strong, but the trail map promised only one crossing in the first few miles and we were hoping for a bridge.  Yay!  There was one. 

A big bridge is a joy to behold when waters are raging...

This trail was delightful and there were so many wildflowers – Western Red Columbine, Canada Violet, Mountain Lupine, Tall Chiming Bells, Mountain Iris, Rock Clematis, Rosy Pussytoes, Marsh Marigold and Heartleaf Arnica just to name the ones I know.  Early June is a great time to see wildflowers.

I'd turn back if I were you...  And we did!

We ran into some backpackers who did cross

the Santa Barbara here and they were pretty wet!

After our hike we drove 8 miles back into Penasco to a little restaurant we had seen on the road called Sugar Nymphs.  It had such an appealing name and cute sign that it made me want to try it.  The menu was limited to mostly sandwiches for lunch so we both had green chili cheeseburgers on homemade bread with sides of steaming corn chowder.  As the afternoon was cooling off and clouding up for another rain, that warm soup felt great to our tired, chilled and hungry bodies.

David’s Stats:

Days Hiked  3        
Total Miles Hiked    18.78
Ave. Miles per Day    6.26 
Total Elevation Gain     3,279
Ave. Elevation Gain per day  1,093

Rosy Pussytoes and pink Cindy toes...

Hiking Around Jack's Creek

Our campsite at Jack's Creek

It's a hard life but someone has to do it...

Before departing Santa Fe we had a nice Memorial Day cookout with my cousin Carolann and her new husband Larry.  They were married just a few months ago and it was great seeing the happy couple.  Quite a feast was put on for us – grilled hot dogs and hamburgers, potato salad, green chili cold slaw (never had that before but it is New Mexico) and get this – homemade shortcake by Carolann with the best strawberries I have had this season and fresh whipped cream.  Good thing we had some serious hiking planned.

Homemade strawberry shortcake with Carolann and Larry

Our short drive the next day from Santa Fe to Jack’s Creek Campground went from clear blue skies to light rain to heavier rain then sleet and even a bit of snow as we approached the campground.  Amazing what 1500 feet of elevation gain can do where the weather is concerned!  We set up camp in a light rain and spent the afternoon listening to the rain on the RV and enjoying the beauty of the mountains.  That green chili cheese soup we planned for dinner turned out to be a very good idea as the temperature in the RV was down to 58 degrees by early evening.

Up on Round Mountain before the rain

After a chilly night snuggled in down throws (and with Maya) we woke up to a very cloudy morning but no rain falling.  We decided to toss the rain gear in our packs and go for it even though we were pretty sure rain would find us sometime during the day.  We left from the trailhead at Jack’s Creek and hiked up Round Mountain.  The trail was beautiful but steep climbing nearly 1,000 feet to a high mountain meadow.

Following the trail into a gorgeous Aspen grove

 Once we were near the top of Round Mountain the trail divided and we split off to walk the trail to Jack’s Creek.  We met a group of three backpackers (from Tyler, Texas as it turned out) coming out of the wilderness.  All of them were in their late twenties or so and one of them was suffering from the altitude and looking pretty sick.  So his buddies were hiking down with him. The rest of their group had continued on to Pecos Baldy and beyond as a five-day trip had been planned. 

Both David and I could relate to having altitude sickness as we both have endured it a few times in our younger years – your head feels like it will explode and usually you feel so sick at your stomach – not fun at all.  The only thing that helps is plenty of rest at a lower altitude.  One of the good things about growing older is the common sense it provides.  Age has benefited us with the wisdom to take it easy our first few days out when we are above 10,000 feet.   

Maya running through the meadow with muddy paws

We hiked on a bit farther but the clouds were getting heavier so we turned around before we reached Jack’s Creek and took shelter under pines and furs to eat our lunch, just in case.  On the way back to camp we ran into another group of backpackers, this time a group of about 12 high school students from the World College at Montezuma, NM, a boarding school with international students.  They were coming down after a 10-day end-of-school trip in the Pecos and we were the first people they had seen their whole time out.  Maya was quite popular and received many, many pets despite the fact that she was one muddy dog.

Iris in the rain.

The high meadows were filled with blooming iris.

Just as we were leaving the World College kids a cold rain started pelting down.  Ponchos were quickly put on and we all departed, the kids for their last night out at a campsite on Round Mountain and us for our RV.  We were so happy to have Silver waiting for us – a dry place to cook and sleep with warm, dry clothes inside.  I so appreciate our RV on rainy days.  I can remember cooking in the rain and going to sleep wet and cold too many times.  

Wild strawberries blooming along Cave Creek

It should be a good year for berries as we saw them blooming all over the mountains.

As we arrived at the trailhead we ran into our Tyler backpackers.  They were huddled under the roof of the bathroom, cold and miserable.  Their car was another 4 miles away at Irongate Campground.  David decided to take pity on them and drive them over to Irongate as it would have been a long and rainy uphill hike for them as tired as they were.  Maya and I washed off our muddy feet and headed to the RV for dry towels and clothes and started making dinner.  Did I mention how much I love Silver?

More wildflowers along the Cave Creek Trail

The next day dawned without a cloud in the sky and we planned to take it easy after our rainy, 9-plus-mile trek of the previous day.  We hiked along the Pecos River for a short while and then up the Cave Creek Trail where there actually are caves. The wildflowers were lovely near the creek which the trail followed closely.  

We reached a creek crossing but the logs didn’t look very stable and the creek was running heavy with rain and snow melt so we continued on straight.  Here the trail became much steeper and we were just thinking of turning back about the time that David slipped on the wet rocks and went tumbling.  It wasn’t a serious fall – hurt pride and a skinned elbow but being behind him and seeing it happen, it could have been so much worse.  Those rocks were jagged and slippery and David stopped sliding only a few feet before he could have plunged into the very cold waters of Cave Creek.  As it was we returned to the campground for some R & R and enjoyed the beautiful afternoon sunshine.  All's well that ends well.

Walking in fields of gold up on Hamilton Mesa

I have been so pleased that Maya and David and I too, for that matter, have been able to do the longer hikes.  I had been a little worried about Maya but she is doing great as long as we start slow and have a few rests along the way. And a day off every few days is good too, for all of us.  

A stop for lunch and rest near the top of Hamilton Mesa

Almost asleep - a nap after lunch is always a good thing

Friday we had another day of perfect weather and went for a long hike on Hamilton Mesa.  The views on the mesa of the surrounding Pecos peaks are spectacular.  Within a couple of miles, you get a good view of almost the whole Pecos Wilderness.  It was a great way to end our stay at Jack’s Creek. 

Looking north on Hamilton Mesa -- The Truchas Peaks

Saturday we were back in Santa Fe to resupply and get cleaned up as the car and the RV were pretty filthy after a few days of rain and muddy roads.  It is Sunday evening and groceries have been bought; people, dog, and RV are clean (didn’t get to the muddy car yet), mass quantities of New Mexican food have been consumed and we are ready for another trip to the forest.  We plan on staying in one of the forest campgrounds on the northern edge of the Pecos Wilderness until Friday and then we will move on to Red River.  Most likely we won’t have Internet or phone in the forest, so it will be next weekend before the next blog.  Eventually I will have more to report on than taking hikes in the forest and eating, but right now, we are really enjoying doing just that!

Green Chili Cheese enchiladas, posole, beans and sopapillas at La Choza.  Yum!

David’s Stats:

Days Hiked  3 
Total Miles Hiked    22.07
Ave. Miles per Day      7.36
Total Elevation Gain    3,519
Ave. Elevation Gain per day  1,173