2 Week trip to Chiapas Mexico with the Los Alamos Mountaineers.
Dick Opsahl will be the official leader for this Mountaineers trip to Chiapas from Jan 17-31, 2013. I, Sherry Hardage, am organizing it. I lived in San Cristobal de las Casas for 7 months and know the state reasonably well.
Let's return to Pagosa for a weekend of winter sports - snowshoe, cross country, and downhill at Wolf Creek, as your tastes may take you. In the evenings we can relax at the hot springs. Snow conditions are epochal. Wolf Creek has received 6 feet of snow in the last week, and is boasting a 60-inch base already, which bodes well for excellent conditions for the next few weeks.
Meet at PEEC at 9:15 for a 9:30 departure. Return around 3:00 p.m. Bring a lunch. We will start at the Las Conchas trailhead and finish at the Eastfork trailhead, a total distance of about 5 miles with an anticipated travel time of 3 hours. The trail follows the meandering East Fork of the Jemez River for approximately two miles before climbing up to the top of the mesa. The trail then descends almost imperceptibly through quiet woodland for about 3 miles to the Eastfork trailhead.
Although this is not a club trip, we'll be staying in Salida and skiing/boarding at Monarch December 29-31, and I hope some Mountaineers will find their way up there to join us. Conditions are decent at Monarch, with almost five feet of snow in the last 10 days and a 33-inch base mid-mountain, with some more on the way perhaps on Christmas Eve. And your Pajarito pass is good for 3 free days at Monarch.
Hello all! There is 18" of snow at Cumbres Pass and another foot on the way Tues/Wed. Let's go X-C skiing! The trip will be to Spruce Hole/Pinorealosa Peak area - and out/back ski tour from La Manga Pass (5 miles past Cumbres Pass on Highway 17). The tour will be approximately 8 miles - we'll start on the Spruce Hole Road, and then climb up onto Pinorealosa Peak for some great views. Sunday will be in between snow storms. Bring layered clothing, lunch, water.
While we wait for snow, I'd like to try a trip that is completely exploratory. I've found no mention of the area in any hiking guide. The area in question is the badland country east of State highway 68 that is visible on the drive from Espanola to Velarde, the little settlement just before one enters the Rio Grande gorge. This country shows up on contour maps as heavily corrugated and complex.
As in our past Moab outings, we will establish a base in a large, comfortable house in Moab, and from there mountain bike, hike, and scramble in Arches and Canyonlands National Parks and the wild country immediately around Moab like Behind the Rocks. Some of our most rugged adventures took us no more than two miles from home, yet we were deep in the wilderness. A report of the 2010 trip can be found here.
Cerro Pedernal is the square peak that Georgia O' Keefe used in her pictures. The view is amazing with the Jemez in one direction, Abiquiu Lake and the high desert in another. This hike has a short rock scrambling right near the top. If you skip the last scramble it's still a good hike - just not the same view.
Meet at Sullivan Field at 9 am. we'll carpool the hour and 1/2 to Pedernal trailhead. If we have high clearance vehicles the hike can be shortened by 1-2 miles. Round Trip Distance: 8 miles Round Trip Time:6-7 hours
