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Cerro Grande Hike
We stay parked at Las Conchas by the Cattle Call Wall for a stormy, rainy night. A few other wayward souls see us there and join us, and in the morning a variety of breakfasts are cooked by the fence. After eating our burrito bowls Ann chooses a hike for the day up Cerro Grande.…
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Gilman Tunnels Climbing Attempt
Will this be our last time repeating this mistake? I hope so. We head to a new area in the camper, at night, after a birthday dinner. The Gilman tunnels are remnants from a narrow gauge railroad that burrowed through the steep canyon walls of the Guadalupe Box. It’s an ominous looking place in the…
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Sheep’s Head Peak Loop
Tom invites me out for one of his favorite hikes. This one is packed with beautiful streams, lakes, peaks, and ridges. To add a little spice, a cold front is predicted to hit in the afternoon sometime, triggering heavy storms. We get just a taste of it to remind us that such hikes in August…
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After Work Session at the New New Place
Ann rallies after to work to join our climbing friend Jason at the New New Place outside White Rock for climbing. It would be easy to snuff at this place. It’s full of graffiti, tire art at the bottom of the hill, and fairly short routes. So I’m surprised when I like it. Nearly every…
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Campsite Survey
I volunteer to go out with Forest Service coordinator Craig Saum to survey some campsites along a forest road in the Jemez range. We head out with a $13,000 Trimble asset surveyor and drive deep into the Jemez backcountry. This area is used so lightly, all but one of the campsites we find look like…
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Diablo Canyon Climbing
We decide to camp out close to home at Diablo Canyon this weekend. There’s not much sacrifice involved. Wildflowers of almost every kind we’ve seen in the past month anywhere are blooming here. We have no trouble finding climbs in the shade, and while there are more people around here, most don’t stay long. We’re…
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Bandelier Overnight Hike
Despite all the outdoor time and mileage I’ve been enjoying, the craving for a multi-day outing has continued to grow in me. The weekend climbing trips in the camper definitely satisfy part of the desire, but when my mind wanders back to past backpack trips, the image of putting up a shelter and lying down…
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Cochiti Mesa Bike Exploration
I’ve been talking with local forest service rangers to get a feel for the current outdoor issues around Santa Fe, and found that the hot item is the proposed new Travel Management Rule. There is a lot of uproar about which routes will and will not remain open to motorized travel. The forest service folks…
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Wheeler Peak Hike
I meet Tom at 7 am again, but this time we drive north to Taos before heading into the mountains for one of Tom’s favorite loops over Wheeler Peak, New Mexico’s high point. It is indeed a hike packed with treats: wildflowers, cascading streams, mountain lakes, bighorn sheep, ridges, peaks, and expansive views. We figure…
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Penitente Canyon Climbing
It’s likely to get too hot to climb at Penitente this time of year, and we resolve not to sleep in too late to catch the cool morning. That translates to about 8:30 in practice. Dave, Lisa, and Dyson were waiting for us at the campsite last night, and Dre and Serena join us in…