Dog Encounter

Getting started in OMDPNM

As soon as Dr. K and I got out of the Jeep in the parking lot at the lower Sierra Vista trailhead in OMDPNM a friendly white dog from one of the neaby campsites came over to greet us.  She was a very friendly and happy canine who followed us down the road to the trail.  She acted as if she wanted to go hiking with us, but, fortunately, her guardian--a young woman peeking out of her tent--called the pup over to the camping area.  I have to admit I wouldn't have minded if that dog stuck with us the whole way.

We hiked the main trail to the intersection of the first single-track that heads directly east toward the Organ Mountains and we took that path.  Surprisingly we soon found out that we were overdressed, and we began removing layers, stowing them inside (and outside) of my new Osprey Talon 11 daypack which proved to be a very versatile piece of equipment.

On the way out we ran into a woman and man who were trekking toward the mountains.  The woman said, somewhat acerbically, I thought, "Anything interesting to see up there?"  I said, "Lots of beauty."  The man--perhaps by way of explaining the woman's (his wife?) lack of enthusiasm--said, "We're struggling with the altitude.  Where we come from it's 53 feet above sea level."  Interested, I said, "Where is that?"  "Louisiana," he said.  Immediately after parting company with them I asked Dr. K to check the elevation on her phone; it was 5,053 feet, exactly 5,000 feet higher than where they live.  Talk about relativity; we live at 4110 feet, so we're pretty much acclimated to the altitude.  Those poor people probably felt the way Dr. K and I would if we were hiking in the Himalayas.  :-)  

This and the next 2:  hiking along the plateau

Send in the clones

Sotol with 3 flower stalks

My new Osprey Talon 11 pack is quite nifty

Sotol

On the single-track headed for the Organs

Devoid of Ocotillos

Arriving at the deep chasm

Artsy attempt

Headed back on a dirt road

This and the next 2:  Say's Phoebe

Rugged Organ Mountains

This and the last:  Roadrunner hunting in our backyard