Small Price for Beauty

Climbing up the first leg of the Osha Trail, all of which is above 9,000 ft.

Dr. K and I bit the bullet and set out for the Osha Trail this morning, knowing (after last night's rain) that we'd be dealing with very muddy conditions.  We were not wrong, but it was well worth the hassle.  We saw flowers blooming along the trail that we've never seen before, some of which I still haven't identified.   We encountered six or seven other hikers who were enjoying the wonderfully cool weather; one guy who was hiking up the first leg as we were heading down said, "Is it muddy up there?"  Dr. K and I responded at the same time:  "It's very muddy."

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Dr. K snapping a picture with her phone

Let's go

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This plant looks like something you'd find in the tropics

Looking down the mountain (Mexican Trestle in foreground)

Dandelion-like

High altitude hike

Cool in the forest (56 F)

Green from abundant rain

Beardtongue?

Wandbloom Penstemon (Beardtongue)

Wild Onion

Wild Onion patch

Mountain Rose

Clouds over White Sands

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Do you see a chicken here?

We've never seen the trail so overgrown

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The happiest hiker in the mountains

Sunflowers

Small pool of water in a rock well

Grasses of every kind

Large meadow

Hummingbird silhouette

Wheeler Thistle

Funky Aspen

Buildings on Burro Street, Cloudcroft, New Mexico

We've made a pit stop or two in the Western Bar package store

High Altitude (far right) sells hiking/biking equipment