Far Side Solo

Just starting off on the north side of Tortugas Mountain

Got an early start on a hike around Tortugas Mountain this morning, leaving from the Monte Vista side.  When I looped behind the mountain I encountered Pete, a runner I see often out there.  He asked about Becca and expressed condolences over her demise; he was one of a few people who always addressed her by name when he said hello.  Saddened by her passing he told me about a dog he and his wife had to put down a few years ago.  Pete is one of the most dedicated runners around Tortugas.

Although I saw a few mountain bikers at a distance I didn't bump into anybody else.  There was one hunter on the far side of the southern mesa who fired off seven rounds with a shotgun before he left.  In the past I wouldn't have thought much about that gun owner, but nowadays you never know who you're dealing with.  He did seem to be a responsible hunter, though.

I hiked about two-thirds of the way around the mountain before taking the intersection that leads through a distant arroyo and then back up to the far outer loop road before heading back, lamenting the loss of my faithful companion all the way.

A view to Bishop Cap (center left) and the Franklin Mountains (El Paso)

The way I came around the mountain

Clockwise along the loop trail

The loop trail

Small cave behind the mountain

Standing beside the cave entrance

Looking up the mountain from the cave entrance

Flank of Tortugas and the Organ Mountains

A little closer look

Hill west of the mountain

Road around Tortugas

This and the next 2:  Ocotillos west of the mountain

Deep arroyo west of Tortugas

Far west of the mountain

As far away from Tortugas as I got this morning

Looking the other way in the above arroyo

This and the next:  a hummer who was chasing the Loggerhead Shrike below

Loggerhead Shrike

Single-track behind the mountain

Boulders on the slope