Monte Vista Saturday

Northeast side of Tortugas Mountain

I figured it would be pretty crowded on the Sunset Area side of the mountain this morning so Becca and I headed for Monte Vista.  Three vehicles already occupied the lot near the ramada, but we never park there anyway, choosing to leave the RAV4 along the side of the entrance road near an old blocked-off trail.  It wasn't crowded on the east side of Tortugas, but we did run into people hiking with their dogs, and we also encountered three mountain bikers.  Not bad, though, for such a vast area.  We did a 90-minute trek before heading out.  It was nice to hike there because we hadn't been in quite a while.

Closer look at some of the yuccas growing on the slope

Organ Mountains

Nice sentiment, wrong place for it

Some local boulders

Rugged side of Tortugas

Gives you an idea about how steep Tortugas Mountain is

Hiking along the south side of the mountain

Pausing to scope out the territory

At the horizon:  Franklin Mountains near El Paso, Texas

Tortugas and the Organs

Closer look at the yuccas

Torrey Yuccas and the Organ Mountains

Stick to this trail

Long-distance view of the Organs

On the outer loop road

Organs

Wide arroyo west of the Organ Mountains

Spot where the young man died

Last look at Tortugas while heading out