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Haynes Canyon early morning |
This morning Dr. K, Becca and I drove up to Cloudcroft to dump a bag of garbage before driving over to the first section of the Rim Trail to do a nearly two-hour trek. Not surprisingly, on a beautiful day in the high country, we ran into other outdoor enthusiasts, including five dirt bikers whose machines were making a racket in the mountains. They were nice guys, though; we bumped into them at the trailhead when we finished our hike. We ran into a woman hiking with a bulldog, and then, later, a small group of people with a heeler-type dog. All dogs got along just fine. After our trek we went back to Cloudcroft to pick up some supplies at the Family Dollar store. The village was packed. It looked to be graduation day for Cloudcroft High School. It was a good outing for us--excellent exercise above 9,000 feet.
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Sacramento Mountains near High Rolls/Mountain Park |
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Commanding view of the Commander |
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Our pumphouse and water tank |
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Waiting for her buddies |
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Sign at the trailhead of the Rim Trail's first section |
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Large meadow beyond the group campground |
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Just getting going |
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Groundcone (Conopholis alpina var. mexicana) |
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Two happy hikers |
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Long shadows across the Rim Trail |
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? |
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Down a slope on the Rim Trail |
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White Sands in the distance |
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Dr. K taking a shot of Becca |
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A real sense of the rim |
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About to bend back into the forest |
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Old-timey marker |
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Becca leading the way |
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View of White Sands from the Rim Trail |
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Huge pine |
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A real logjam |
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A Flicker, but which type? |
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Northern Flicker, adult female |
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Same Northern Flicker |
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Venturing ahead |
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Black-headed Grosbeak |
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Black-headed Grosbeak from the rear |
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Mountain Short-horned Lizard (Phrynosoma hernandesi) |
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Sierra Blanca Peak (11,982 feet) |
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Sierra Blanca Peak |
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Sierra Blanca Peak |
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White Sands from 9,000 feet |
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White Sands again |
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Becca on the Rim Trail |
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Mountain Parsley |
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Mothra |
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Chokecherry |
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Way ahead of the pack |
1 comment:
We always see those small horned lizards on this part of the Rim Trail. In addition to the people you mentioned, we also saw a large group of campers at the campground adjacent to this part of the trail. They were a quiet bunch, fortunately.
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