Camping in the Ojito Wilderness

Saturday, April 21, 2012.  It is going to be a good weekend for night sky viewing so I drive to the Ojito Wilderness for a camping trip.  This place is so remote that there is zero light pollution to interfere with seeing stars and planets.  It's much too hot here in the summer so spring is the best time for a camping trip in this area.
Once I get there I find a nice secluded spot to set up my tent.  You can see my truck in the background.

The view from my tent.

About 20 feet away this lizard enjoys the warm sun.

Perched in the tree above this rock wren was singing a beautiful song.

 I decide to go for a hike and take in the scenery.

Lot's of desert with mountains off in the distance.

It doesn't take long before I notice that the barrel cactus are in bloom.

I get in real close to show just how beautiful a cactus flower can be.

I don't know what kind of wildflower this is but it sure was nice.

Indian Paintbrush are one of my favorite wildflowers.

Another nice Indian Paintbrush.

And a closeup.

Here is a picture of a flowering Barrel Cactus and an Indian Paintbrush sharing the same ground.

A caterpillar eats a wildflower for lunch.

This spot had a lot of different wildflowers and a cholla cactus.

And that brought me back to my campsite.  I had time to make some dinner before I set up my tripod and astronomy binoculars.  Later, after the stars came out, I was able to see many deep space objects like Saturn, the Perseids, Orions Nebula, the Sombrero Galaxy and much more.  It was a very fun weekend.

Kitchen Mesa

Sunday, March 25, 2012.  It will get to 80 degrees today so I decide to head over to Ghost Ranch to hike the Kitchen Mesa Trail.  Its only about 3 1/2 miles one way but it has some steep uphill that can get difficult.  The trailhead has the typical high desert look of the southwest.

When I get up on top I will be looking down on that mesa.

I may not be real high yet but I certainly don't want to misstep and fall down here.

Now I have to hike up and over this saddle.  The red sand is very loose and I have to be careful not to slip.

Once I crest the saddle you can see how steeply it falls off on both sides.

I take a break and enjoy the view before heading down the other side.

This canyon can make me feel small at 6'2".  These boulders are 15-20 feet tall.

Its hard to believe that this grass found enough dirt in a crack in the rock to grow.  Out here in these conditions life must really struggle to take hold.

Back to my hike I look ahead to the next segment.

As I get closer my destination  looks higher.

I will eventually get up on top but it won't be easy.

Its finally time to start the uphill part of the hike.

This will require some rock climbing and boulder hopping.

And now to get up that crevice.  It will take a secure grip and strong arms and legs.

I make it and look back down on my progress.

Hiking around on the mesa top these dead trees look like sculpture.

Looking down I can see Ghost Ranch where my hike started.

I take a break and enjoy the view of Abiqui Lake to the south.

As I begin the hike back to my truck I reflect on what a great day its been and how fortunate I am to be able to share it through pictures with my grandchildren.

Tent Rocks

Sunday, Feb. 26, 2012.  It will get up to 63 degrees today so I decide a hike is what I need.  I drive the 60 miles to about 10 miles west of Cochiti Pueblo and park my truck.  After making sure my pack included my first aid kit, a compass, an energy bar, my journal, a windbreaker and plenty of water, I put it on and started hiking.  Ahead is my destination, the top of this mesa.

I don't have to go very far before the Tent Rocks come into view.

They are the ash of some huge volcanic eruptions about 8 million years ago that hardened into rock and then were eroded by winds.

As I continue hiking I come across a cave that was carved into the rock hundreds or thousands of years ago by a native person.  It was used as a shelter for sleeping and even cooking in.  You can still see the black ash on the ceiling from the fire.

Next I come upon a Ponderosa Pine with it's roots exposed.  They are about as tall as me.

Ah, the entrance to the slot canyon that I will hike in for the next half mile.

You can see how narrow it gets in some places.  I have to turn sideways to get through.

The shapes are really cool and so is the temperature in here.

The light and shadows also produce some strange effects.

As I emerge from the slot canyon I feel like there are big towers looming overhead.

The patterns and the rocks are striking.

I wish I was an artist and could paint some of these scenes.

This view makes me feel like I'm in a castle.

Finally on top of the mesa I look back down from where I came.

The lines you see in the rock represent different layers of ash from many volcanic eruptions.

Way off in the distance you can see the snow capped Truchas Peaks near where I live.

As I enter the slot canyon again I see a dead tree laying over the entrance and can't resist a picture.

One final picture of the trail.

What a fun and scenic hike it's been.

Snowshoeing Aspen Vista

Sunday, Jan. 1, 2012 I usually spend new years day hiking somewhere in the desert but I decided that since I now live in northern New Mexico half way between Santa Fe and Taos, and the mountains all around me are well known for snow sports, I would try snowshoe hiking. I purchased a set of snowshoes and poles and drove up to the Sangre de Cristo mountains near the Santa Fe Ski Resort and parked my truck near the Aspen Vista Trailhead.  I have hiked this trail in the fall and that was hard enough in good weather so I knew it would be challenging in snow.  Here's a pic of my new winter hiking gear.

You can see that there's more than a couple of inches of snow on the ground.  My snow shoes are 28" long so there was at least 2 feet of snow in most places.  It's 25 degrees as I get started and I soon decide to leave the main trail. Too many other people snowshoeing and cross country skiing on it for my likes.  I had been told that there would be a small hidden trail off to the north that got hardly any traffic and was a more direct route up the mountain.  I pay attention and spot it behind the Aspens and up it I go.

It didn't take long for me to realize why this trail was little used.  It's practically straight up the mountain and hiking up it in snowshoes proved to be very difficult.  At 28" long and 9" wide they force me to change my stride.  The last thing I want is to get them tangled up and fall down.  So I plod along slowly but deliberately going up up up. 

As I continue I can't help but appreciate the beauty of winter around here.  The mountains and Aspens with the white snow and blue sky.

Finally, after 2 miles of hiking I reach about 10,700 feet.  At this elevation I'm above almost everything around.  I decide that this is a good place to rest and take a break.

As I head back to my truck I reflect on what a fun afternoon it's been.  I'm exhausted after a total of 4 miles snowshoeing up a mountain at 10,000 + ft. but I think I am going to enjoy this kind of winter hiking.