let's hike out to Crane Kiva in Bandelier Monument. It's about 9 miles round trip, mostly (but not all) on a fair trail. The Kiva and the rock art are lovely, and the views are AWESOME.
I propose a hike from Guaje pines cemetary up Cabra loop to Guaje ridge trail and back down Mitchell and Perimiter to the cemetary.
Please follow the Mountaineers guidlines:
The Mountaineers board has discussed guidelines for hikes at this time, as follows:
1. Trip size limited to 10 to avoid crowding
2. No touching when we greet each other
3. Spread out to the 6-foot social distance when the group stops
4. Carpooling is not encouraged, contrary to standard Mountaineer practice, and should be arranged in advance.
I am going to hike or snowshoe up Pajarito Mountain on Sunday - either go up the roads or hike up the slopes - both options possible. If you'd like to join me, great, send me an email at jeandewart7@gmail.com
The Mountaineers board has discussed guidelines for hikes at this time, as follows:
This is a classic winter hike that can be found in the Salzman's hiking guide and Craig Martin's New Mexico hiking book, heading west from a trailhead between Espanola and Abiquiu for a hike up the arroyo and onto a volcanic rock formation, for a round trip of 8-10 miles (different guides given different distances). A description of the hike can be found at https://nmtrails.org/2018/04/29/window-rock/. Since most of the hike is up an arroyo, it should not be too muddy even if the week is damp.
Earlier this year Zack led a trip called 'Not-so-dawn Patrol, a sort of 101 level Intro to Backcountry, to acquaint folks with the use of backcountry skis, skins and such. This trip is a logical progression and follow to a suggestion made during the Avy Refresher Trip that I led in December, sort of a 200 level next step.
Heidi Rogers is opening her home in the Brazos to be a base for a weekend of snowsports at Cumbres Pass and vicinity. We will ask participants to volunteer to lead the individual day trips. Depending on snow conditions, there is beginner and intermediate X-C skiing or snowshoeing at the Edward Sargent's Wildlife Area, just north of the village of Chama. And there are lots of options for beginner/intermediate/expert X-C and snowshoe tours at Cumbres and La Manga Passes.
While this has been a fine season for skiing in New Mexico, Wolf Creek remains the snow monster of the southern Rockies. Their base has reached 70 inches as of late January. I'm interested in organizing a group to rent a house in Pagosa and ski over the February President’s Day weekend, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. We could drive to Purgatory one of those days for a change in scenery if the interest is there (46” base).
On Monday, January 20th, we will snowshoe up the main trail to Cerro Grande Peak from the trailhead parking lot on State Route 4. The regular trail in the summer is about 4 miles round trip and 1300 feet elevation gain. In the winter sometimes the upper trail beyond the saddle could be nonexistent. We may need to go straight up from there. On the top at 10200 feet there are sweeping views of Valles Caldera.
Let's do an out/back X-C ski across the Valle Grande to the Valle de los Posos - we will have fabulous views of the Valles Caldera all day long. We will start from and return to the Coyote Call overlook on State Rte 4 (or another nearby turnout, depending upon the state of the snowplowing) We will ski north across the Valle Grande, then north-northeast towards the Valle de los Posos, and then return to the start. The tour will be ~9 miles round trip with ~400 ft elevation gain/loss. There will be new snow to break trail, and so, depending upon our speed, we may not ski the full tour to
