Nearly Two Hours on the Osha Trail

Crazy clouds in the mountains this morning

Decided to do the Osha Trail just outside of Cloudcroft, New Mexico this morning for several reasons, and it was a good choice.  First, we spent almost two hours at or just below 9,000 feet without running into another soul.  And even though it was 27F when we started off, the sun came out and the temperature quickly warmed up.  Although it's nearly spring there wasn't anything blooming at this elevation, as you might imagine, though we did see some trees beginning to leaf.  When we finished our trek we drove into the village to dump a full bag of garbage and to stop at the Family Dollar store for some supplies.  The store wasn't at all crowded--another good reason to do the high-altitude hiking and shopping at midweek.

Not contrails

Hoping her neighborhood buddies will show up

Willing them to appear

Up the Osha Trail

Your neck must be pretty limber

Looks like fall rather than spring

Sections of the Osha Trail are pretty steep

View down canyon

Railroad trestle over Mexican Canyon

Sparsely populated here

Uncooperative Steller's Jay

This way

Village of Cloudcroft, New Mexico in the background

Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura) at 8,500 feet

Sacramento Mountain vista

In the distance:  White Sands National Monument

Cloudcroft, New Mexico (elevation 8,668 feet)

Bowed trees

Bowed trees in experimental B&W

Leaning trees

Muddy section of trail

You'd never know it's almost springtime in the Sacramentos

Searching-for-critters stare

Mid-March mountain meadow

Same meadow

Looking back the way we just came

What is it with me and the meadow this morning?

The trail not taken

Looking skyward among the big pines

Sideways look across the previously photographed meadow

Easy to pinpoint this position

Champ in the lead, Cowboy watering a juniper and Becca drawing up the rear

Becca and Cowboy are a perfect match