cyberhobo

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…

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…

We’re sore and the day is looking hot, so instead of climbing we start our drive south and stop to check out Mount San Antonio, a solitary volcanic dome that has always piqued my curiosity. There are two summits of nearly equal height, and one of them is home to some radio towers. On our…

As promised, Tom meets me at 7 and takes me to the lush Winsor Creek trailhead in the Pecos valley, where we begin our 4,200-foot climb up to the Santa Fe ridge. Storms move in as we near it, but never hit us directly. The ridge walking is superb, as are the wildflowers and views…

Ann prods me to go hiking to get me in a better state of mind this week. I still manage to start in a frustrated mood, having forgotten batteries for my GPS receiver, but that soon fades with the rhythm of a good hill climb up Raven’s Ridge. By the time I reach Desolation Peak…