Cancelled: Cruces Basin Easy Backpack

9/1/19: Cancelled due to too few signups. Sorry, Bill

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I would like to announce a two-night backpacking trip into Cruces Basin for mid-September (September 13-15). Cruces Basin is pristine wilderness located west of San Antonio mountain near the New Mexico/ Colorado border. We’ve been a few times before, and it is well worth going back. This trip will be a mellow and family-friendly adventure with a short hike to our camp followed by hikes to explore the Basin. This trip is a nice follow-up to the Beginner Backpacking class. We can break into groups for day hiking, with options for those that want to adventure out further and those that want to do shorter day hikes. There have been previous trips into Cruces Basin by the Mountaineers, all of which have been a great time. Please see the trip archive (see here) on the website for pictures and details. This is a trip that offers options for all ages. Day outings can range from a splash in the nearby stream to an ambitious hiking loop that connects the valleys and cruises the ridgetops, with big views to the high points of northern New Mexico and southern Colorado. There are options for fishing in the several small streams.

As in previous years, we will make a short hike (~2 miles) into the Basin and set up camp. I am hoping to camp at a little meadow under a rock wall that looks like something out of Lord of the Rings. From our base camp, we'll spend the afternoon, Saturday, and Sunday morning heading out for day hikes to explore the canyons, streams, and meadows of the Basin. We will set out from Los Alamos on the morning of September 13 (Friday), carpooling as much as possible, and hope to return by early evening on Sunday. Please e-mail Bill to express interest or learn more - directly to my e-mail address, not by replying to this message. We will plan to go if we have at least 4 participants, and will cut the trip off at a maximum of 12.

I will consider dogs based on a discussion of their suitability for this trip.