My wish to climb Wheeler Peak did not come out of the blue. Ever since I bought my first hiking guide to NM in the mid 1980s, I have wanted to climb that peak, the highest in NM. Since then about 50 other mountains have been climbed in that state, including two beauties last March. Most people picture NM and Arizona as desert, and nothing but. However, there are many different life zones there, and we are often making comparisons between NM and northern Ontario, where I grew up. Evergreen trees dominate the mountains in NM, though once above tree line (about 12,000') you are in the Arctic tundra, also called the Alpine Zone. Very little grows up there except lichens and some hardy, short grasses. Winds can be ferocious.
Back at home (the flatlands of Essex County, Ontario), training began 10 weeks before summit day. Three weeks of gentle walking every day to tighten up the muscles a bit, and then 7 weeks of much more intense training. Luckily we have access to a local area park with some significant hills. Knowing that my goal would be the most difficult I had ever undertaken, I did not skimp on the program, but followed it religiously, and exceeded my own expectations on several days. It was a slow, painful grind, but as our fitness levels increased we slowly grew more confident. At present the plan was for Deb to go part way up the mountain, find a suitable area to make a day camp, and wait for me to summit and then return to her. Since being on her RA meds she has had some problems with higher elevations, including dizziness and nausea. We weren't going to take any chances. She would also have the option of simply turning around and returning to the car and ski area.
Never having visited NM in the autumn, we planned one of our three hikes as a chance to view aspen leaves in their full golden glory. The two hikes preceding Wheeler Peak would be among the toughest we had ever done--there was no easy warmup hike--in the hopes that we would be ready for the big one. We flew to Denver via Southwest Airlines. Not only was it very inexpensive, but we were allowed checked baggage with no additional fees. The flight is ridiculously short--from the middle of the Great Lakes area to the edge of the Rocky Mtns. in about 2 1/2 hours.
We slept in Denver the first night (at 5,000'), driving next day to Sipapu in NM, where we spent five nights (at 8,100'). This would greatly aid us in getting used to the altitude. Our arrival night in the NM mountains was very cold, rainy, foggy, and windy, with snow falling in the much higher elevations. We were chilled to the bone when we finally got all our gear into the upstairs, unheated cabin. However, for the remainder of our stay in NM the weather was exactly as I had always dreamed it would be here in autumn. Our days were sunny and cool, though there was some wind on a few of them. It turned into an outstanding week for hiking, and we could not have been happier.
View from our balcony at Sipapu.
HIKE #1: The KNOB
We had unfinished business with The Knob, a summit in the Santa Fe Mountains, part of the Rockies. Last August (2015), after a grueling climb, we had nearly made it to the summit when we were chased down by lightning and rain. So near and yet so far. This year we started out from a different starting point, so except for the final 15%, this hike was completely different than the first one.
Hike #1--The Knob Darkest contour lines are every 200'.
Hike #1--The Knob: 7.25 miles; 9,000'-10,625': We were out for 5.5 hours on this incredibly beautiful hike, one that we would both do again if given a chance, especially in the fall. We had time at the summit today, there being no storms visible anywhere. There are many places on the way up to pitch a tent for a few days and explore, and there are several connections with other trails, too. Let's get to the photos!
Trail 19A was ours!
Crossing Rito Angostura, our version of the Withywindle.
It was possible we would encounter hunters today, thus
the orange vests. We saw no one. All day.
Early on during Hike #1. We were already at one with the universe!
To begin, we had to hike a dirt road that passed by some incredible summer homes/cottages. The road soon ended and we were on a trail. After about half a mile we came to a junction and turned north onto our trail. Everything in NM goes either steeply up or steeply down. There is seldom any in between. Today's climb was gentle, though, at least part of the way. We were soon completely alone in the world. With frequent short stops to allow our lungs and hearts to catch a break, we made steady progress through a beautiful woodland of pine and aspen.
We were occasionally dazzled by colour on this hike. It was very cool, and much of our walk was in shade, due to the low angle of the sun.
The higher we climbed, the more beautiful it became. The only wildlife we saw today were squirrels, birds, and a tiny snake out sunning himself on the trail.
About halfway up we came to this beautiful high meadow, with a small stream passing through it. Our trail lies ahead. ATVs and bicycles are allowed here, but we saw no one all day.
Another clearing with aspens in full colour. A mighty fine day!
Midway through the hike we came out onto a bright, large and very beautiful meadow (seen on map, above, and photo). This would be an ideal place to set up a tent for a few nights. No water would have to be carried, as there is a small mountain stream passing through. Speaking of water, at the beginning of each hike I filled my filter bottle with water from the local stream. Today I was drinking water from Rito Angostura as I climbed. Deb carries a bladder in her backpack, filling it with bottled water before hikes. She can sip directly without having to stop and fish out a water bottle, as I do.
We rested in the shade at the top of the meadow (north end). Afterwards, the climb became more severe. We would climb through a magical wood, then emerge into a small clearing. This sequence occurred five more times before we finally arrived at the high saddle, where our trail from last summer came up to meet us from the other side of the mountain. The side trail to The Knob heads east from up here. We didn't have to climb very long to reach a wonderful log with views out across the mountains. We were well over 10,000', and feeling very fine. There is a natural high one gets when hiking in high altitudes. Humidity was non-existent, another factor that helps the hiker feel amazing. We sat and ate our lunch, gazing at some of the world's best scenery.
Lunch with a view, stopping just before final approach to The Knob. Bare summit in the distance is over 12,000'.
Telephoto shot showing a detail from previous photo. Some aspens are peaking, others have lost their leaves, and some (foreground) are still mainly green!
Final very steep climb up The Knob itself. This final 180' of elevation gain took some time, but views were tremendous so we didn't mind stopping to gulp some oxygen.
View north from a very windy Knob! In the far background is Wheeler Peak. The canyon that comes up the center of the photo describes our hike from last summer.
Wow! From The Knob.
The Knob is just that--a giant knob on top of a mountain, rising about 200' like some unimaginatively large earthwork tomb. The east slope is bare, and that is where we climbed it. However, it is so steep that any misstep would cause the climber to roll down all the way to the bottom. No cactus, anyway. So we took our time, eventually making the summit. The top had a trail going all the way round, with many shorter trees up there along with areas of bare rock affording views to the infinite. We set up a day camp in a sheltered area, and began the first of two encirclings. It was extremely windy on the north end, but our new jackets proved equal to the elements. We found a small jar with a pencil and notebook, adding our names to the short list. Someone else had been here Oct. 1st. Today was Oct. 10th.
Our day camp area atop The Knob
Jicarita Peak from The Knob. That mountain is one of the highest in the state, at over 12,800'. A few years ago we camped beneath it and had plans to climb it. However, I had brought the wrong lid for the water filter bottle. We had to come back early because we did not have enough drinkable water to remain and climb to the summit. I will never live that one down.
It was so windy up on The Knob that I don't know how my hat stayed on.
We enjoyed our time at the top immensely. However, we had burned through most of our food on the uphill portion of our hike, and still had many miles to go to get back to the car. Cold, fresh air gives one an appetite, I can tell you. With only a Clif bar to share for the 2nd part of the hike, we reluctantly headed back down mid-afternoon. It is hard to judge how much food to bring on a hike. Sometimes you are simply not hungry. At other times you could eat a whole tree. No one wants to carry anything up a mountain that isn't necessary, so packing is usually quite economical. With a few more Clif bars, however, The Knob would have been our home until much closer to sunset.
Mapman Mike
End of Part 1...to be continued
What a amazing adventure. Beautiful scenery and sounds like a serene atmosphere. So glad you both were able to do it.
ReplyDelete