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| Backpack | 30.43 Miles |
2,254 AEG |
| | Backpack | 30.43 Miles | 4 Days | | |
| 2,254 ft AEG | | | | |
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| no partners | | DAY ONE (packed in 5.78 miles, 2h and 14m)
Woke up too early, but I'm glad I did because I had time at the end of the long drive to walk into a decent campsite, otherwise I would have stayed in a FS campground. Along the way I bookmarked a couple of spots with good fire rings, but I didn't encounter too many once I got up into the higher elevations. I ended up camping without a fire on the first night. It was supposed to get down into the 30s and having a fire would have been nice but no need to create a new scar here. I found a spot right on the creek and was able to filter water plenty fine, even though there were a few ancient cow pies around. Water was also a little tannic looking, but it came out clear and taste free. Some pretty good size fish up here. This would have been a good time to pick up tenkara fishing.
DAY TWO (packed 8.16 miles, 4h 34m)
Well, that was a long cold night. Having lived in AZ so long I forget how cold places work. That nice spot by the creek was probably the lowest spot in the valley. Oops. I have no idea what time I woke up, but I had to wait till the sun came up because it was absolutely freezing. There was a rime of ice at the top of my Nalgene bottles. When I opened the tent flap, I was greeted with frost everywhere. Beautiful but frigid. Seemed like a good excuse to just lay back down and contemplate my full bladder for a while. By the time I got up the frost had started burning off. Within an hour everything was dry. Got packed up, had a visitor come over and chat me up for a while... A gentleman from Nebraska with his two horses. The day's hike was uneventful. Lots of gorgeous views. Did some geocaching along the way and I lunched at the remains of a neat old cabin. I'm glad I got a new pair of boots. This area can be a little marshy, even at the end of the summer. I would imagine this area is a swampy mess in the spring and early summer. The place I picked for my second night wasn't far from the cabin and situated on a knoll well above the creek. I had eyeballed a promising spot on Google Maps and sure enough there was a nice fire ring there. Down below in the creek was deep hole in the creek. As I walked up a couple of trout scudded under an overhang. They looked pretty good size. Not a lot of people out here, which is a nice change of pace.
DAY THREE (two day hikes at 4 miles, 1h 32m and 5.24 miles, 2h 6m respectively)
Made it through the night and slept surprisingly well. Temps were much comfier atop my knoll. I made a rare morning fire and enjoyed the peacefulness of this place. Took a four mile stroll cross country to an adjacent valley. Crazy amount of deadfall in the forest. Rested a while after my little walk and tended to my blisters. Glad I brought my camp chair; I thought it was going to be the white elephant of the trip but it turned out it's a nice thing to have if you plan to just sit around doing nothing all day. Later in the afternoon, I rose from my torpor and strolled north along the CDT toward the high point of the area. I came upon a through-hiker who reported that he was four months into a five-month journey. At the high point, I admired what little views there were. The trees obscure most of the views, but I think I could see east to the Jemez Mountains and the Sangre de Cristos beyond. Back in camp, I had an early dinner and got myself ready to depart in the morning.
DAY FOUR (packed out 7.25 miles, 2h 42m)
Hike-out day. Got up before sunrise and packed up and was on the trail within the hour. Uneventful trip out. Hope I can return someday. This is such a special area. |
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