We will plan to camp near Willow Lake in the Western drainage of the Crestones, below Kit Carson Peak. On Friday May 17tth we will drive from Los Alamos to Crestone, Co., departing around 09:00 with an anticipated arrival in Crestone of around 12:30. From there we will shoulder our backpacks and climb the 2850' in 41/4 miles to Willow Lk and set up camp. On Saturday, those interested can make a go at Kit Carson, or simply enjoy the day exploring the cirque. All my prior trips into the Crestones have been from the other side of the ridge (via S.Colony Lakes).
We will combine a trip down the non-technical portion of Escobas Canyon (one of my local favorites) with a discussion (before departing) on the requirements to put a trip together and lead a trip. This is a largely off-trail excursion and will likely have you out for 4-6 hours. I have not been down the water course for a while and I'm not sure what shape it's in. However, I am confident that there will be some bush whacking, and you will want to dress in long pants and have a long sleeve shirt available. Bring lunch snacks and enough water for a day out.
This is a classic local shuttle hike along White Rock Canyon, going into the canyon on the Ancho Canyon trail, which leaves NM 4 between White Rock and Bandelier, and coming out along the Red Dot trail. The hike should total 7 miles and climb about 1200 feet; I expect it to be about 6 hours on the trail. Bring lunch, water, hat, and clothing suitable for whatever hot or cold or both the weather brings us. We will meet in Los Alamos at 8:00 AM, rendezvous with any White Rock folks about 15 min later, then shuttle cars to the Red Dot trailhead and then on to Ancho trailhead.
Unfortunately, this event did not draw enough interest to proceed. The Mountaineers intend to offer other opportunities for first aid training and certification.
On my Friday off, I'd like to try a New Mexico classic - Atalaya Peak out of Santa Fe, 6.6 miles rt, 1560 feet vertical. We'll leave Los Alamos at 8:00 AM this Friday and carpool as much as we can. Let me know if you are interested. Bill
A nice hike in our own backyard: Pueblo Canyon and up into San Ildefonso slot canyon and cavern. We'll meet at the Los Alamos Coop at 8 a.m. and set out on the Pueblo Canyon Rim Trail. Then we'll drop about 500 feet down to the bottom of Pueblo Canyon via the Zipline Trail. After that, we head up a small canyon, which narrows into a slot canyon, with some scrambles over and under big boulders, and ends in a spectacular eroded cavern, 40-50 feet high.
Join us for another hike around Plaza Blanca. This time we'll follow a trail one canyon over, walk through another slot canyon, climb a steep ridge for fabulous views, then descend into another canyon with an arch. We'll scramble up a basalt intrusion, and loop back to the trail. It's about 5 mi roundtrip, with much of it off-trail. There are a few steep hills to climb (about 300 ft up and down), and some spectacular geology to view.
Please join us in exploring a segment of the Continental Divide Trail (CDT) north of Abiquiu. The hike will start at a parking area (and shrine!) 4.5 miles north of Echo Ampitheater, and climb ca. 1000 feet over 3.5 miles to the rim of the Mesa de los Viejos. After enjoying lunch, and what will hopefully be a sweeping view of Ghost Ranch and surrounding areas, we'll stroll back to cars. If time is appropriate and hikers are interested, we can go to dinner somewhere on the way back.
Hike length: approx. 7 miles Elevation change: approx. 1000 ft from trailhead
