NM Adventure #36: March 14th-21st/16
PAGE ONE: The Wilderness Experience
However, this was not going to be an Albuquerque trip until the very last day, so our evening arrival on Monday saw us heading south on I 25 as soon as we had obtained our rental vehicle. I had grave misgivings when we were given a Dodge Journey, but it actually proved to be quite good, giving us plenty of room, reasonably high clearance, and it wasn't too bad on gas. We stopped in Socorro on our first night, an hour south of the airport. We had our first hike of the trip planned near here next morning.
Hike #1: San Lorenzo Canyon (Tuesday)
Usually, we try to arrange our first hike to be relatively flat, giving us some time to adjust to the altitude. This one was perfect, even offering some rock scrambling from time to time as the canyon itself got choked with fallen rock and debris. While we were expecting a scenic canyon hike, this one took our breath away!
Early morning shadows and chilly temps greeted us as we set out.
Besides the main canyon, there were many side canyons with their own twists and turns.
Same location as first photo, but it's now noon hour and considerably warmer.
A side canyon within San Lorenzo Canyon, near Socorro. This was our first adventure of the trip.
Deb rests atop the first mountain saddle, our second mini-goal on our planned attack of the high point in this miniature desert mountain range. Every plant that can be seen is sharp and dangerous. And there are several you can't see. As there are no trails, walking is very much done in a slow, calculated roundabout fashion. I would hate to be in a hurry here.
For the first time ever, our visit was timed with the flowering of the cacti!
Later that day we returned to Socorro for lunch (Socorro Springs Brewpub), then drove south towards Las Cruces. We met up with Face Book friend Anijo C. at High Desert Brewing Company, then checked into our motel.
Hike #2: East Potrillo Mtns. (Wednesday)
This is a small north/south desert mountain chain that nobody visits. I've always wanted to. It takes a lot of back road driving to get there. We climbed the highest point. There are no trails. No peaks in this range are named. It is steep going, and there are cactus everywhere, looking for human blood. There is no permanent water source.
Approaching the East Potrillo Mtns. The highest point can be seen; this was our goal for today. We hiked up the ridge from the right side. The mountains are 10 miles N/S, and 1-2 miles E/W. They end 5 miles from the border with Mexico. Needless to say we were all alone today,
as we were on all four of our desert hikes.
Summit view north looking towards two popular peaks for climbers. Cox Peak and Mount Riley are both much higher than our summit.
This summit view looks south, down the spine of the small chain. Its rugged beauty is quite amazing, and it was very still and quiet up here. I've wanted to see this view for many years.
It took nearly as long to get down as it did to get up. One slip and... not death, but severe agony from cactus spines. They can hurt for days.
The Cornudas Mtns, and Alamo Mtn in particular, offer thousands of examples of rock art. Though it is a protected area, there is nothing protecting the art. You are free to scramble about and explore.
Alamo Mtn. rock art.
Otero Mesa from Alamo Mtn. Guadalupe Mtns. in far background.
Deb meanders beneath the main peak of Alamo Mtn. El Paso lies many miles beyond the distant background peak. We had passed that mountain on our inward journey earlier today.
Three hours after leaving the summit we were back in civilization. This remarkable view of the mountain we climbed was taken from the highway afterwards. We approached from the ridge on the right. This was our final hike of the journey. We hope to return next March for more madness.
We headed into El Paso, TX, where we would spend three nights. All our hikes were in NM, but we wanted to revisit this west Texas city. We hadn't been back for 25 years! Page Two of this blog will deal with our urban experiences.
Hike #3: Alamo Mtn. (Thursday)
There are several ways to reach Alamo Mtn, all of which involve hours of back road and very dusty driving. This was our 2nd visit; our first was in 2001. We approached from El Paso today, and not only were we alone all day on the hike, but also on the long drive in and out. You want solitude? I can show you where to find it.
Antelope were abundant on the plains today. The drive in, though long, is totally scenic, with views extending up to 50 miles.
The Cornudas Mountains are a loosely grouped series of separate peaks. Alamo is the nearest, with the flat, sloping roof. This is one of my favourite photos of the trip. There are antelope, but they are too far away to see here.
Alamo Mtn, up close and personal. Original plans were to summit it. Our plan was not well thought out, however, and we settled for a second, more extensive exploration of the lower slopes than on our first visit in 2001. We now have a much better summit plan of attack for next time.
Part way up Alamo Mtn., looking across Otero Mesa.
Alamo Mtn Spring has been dry a long time now. There used to be a stagecoach station here. The ruins are still accessible and fascinating. Since there was once water here, it became a sacred site to Native Americans. The mountain also commanded views in all directions.
Another view of the partial ruins of an old stagecoach station, taken from higher up on the mountain. Can you find them?
Alamo Mtn rock art.
Some seriously heavy duty Alamo Mtn rock art!
Ruin on the road to Alamo Mtn. What was this place? Why was this place? It's in the middle of nowhere.
We had now hiked three days in a row. We returned to El Paso feeling like we needed a rest. Next day (Friday) was to be spent just in the city. That adventure can be found on Page Two.
Hike #4: North Anthony's Nose (Saturday)
The subtitle for this hike could be called "The Big One." The Franklin Mtns run low through NM, picking up height and drama once inside Texas. The Texas section has trails; the NM section does not. We hiked the highest mountain in the NM section, and though not much higher than the East Portillo Mountains, this hike offers more drama, and much more cacti, if that is even possible. Nearly every square inch of this hike is filled with dangerous, loose rock, sharp cactus spines, and some dizzying drop offs once up on the ridge. To top it off, it was freezing this morning, and windy. This was the closest hike to civilization that we undertook. Though we could see the interstate from the summit, it would have taken about three hours to reach it from up there, between walking down to the car and then driving. Despite the hardships, this is one of the best hikes I have ever done!
This gives some idea of the hazards of hiking in desert mountains. Drop offs were unforgiving, loose rock was everywhere, and if you see a plant, it has sharp things ready to pounce. Our vehicle was parked behind the rounded summit left of Deb, mid way back. It can actually be seen as a silver glimmer near the bottom of that peak's slope. When we parked there, we thought that little round peak was pretty high!
More cactus blooms. They were everywhere, adding splashes of impossible colour to the grey, green and brown landscape.
Deb heads up the final slope to the summit. The scenery was breathtaking all the way up (and down). The wind was unpleasantly strong.
Deb on the summit of North Anthony's Nose! Not bad for a gal bitten hard by R.A.
View north to Bishop's Cap (center, middle ground), and further on to the Organ Mtns. This is desert NM at its finest.
View southwest, towards highways and civilization.
Summit view looking southeast. The higher Texas portion of the Franklin Mtns. can be seen across the highway.
I visited a secondary summit beneath the main one, and took a photo back up to where Deb waited. The red splotch near her is lichen.
Another New Mexico summit achieved! North Anthony's Nose, Franklin Mtns. The remains of a fallen airplane beacon lies sprawled on top. There was a jar beneath some piled up rocks with a paper inside to sign in. The last visitors up here had been in October!
Here are the hiking stats for Trip #36:
Number of hikes: 4.
Number of hikes: 4.
Miles hiked: 17.6.
Elevation gain: 3250'.
Hours of walking: 15 1/4.
If that doesn't sound impressive enough for a pair of old flatlanders, consider that there were no trails, and progress was usually slow, irregular, and our path had to zig-zag much of the time due to the prevalence of cacti and their ilk. This is an area of extreme beauty, ruggedness, and solitude. We could not have asked for a better series of adventures.
On Page Two I will talk about our urban experiences in Socorro, Las Cruces, El Paso, and Albuquerque. Cafes and craft brew pubs dominated, but there were other highlights, too.
Mapman Mike
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