Beautiful January Day

This and the next:  2 similar views from the first plateau

Dr. K and I got a reasonably early start on a hike into Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument this morning, and we were surprised by the number of campers/RVers at the campground near the Sierra Vista (Norte) Trail; several big rigs were parked in the lot at the trailhead, which I wonder about--that is, are they permitted to park there?

No matter.  We left our Jeep between several RVs in the lot and headed south up the trail.  Within a short period of time we ran into two women hiking with two beautiful dogs.  We spent ten or fifteen minutes talking with the women, petting the dogs, while we all (except the canines) commented on the beautiful early January weather here in the northern Chihuahuan Desert.

After we parted ways with the humans and dogs Dr. K and I followed a single-track that makes an eastern beeline straight for the Organ Mountains.  We didn't hike as far as we normally do, though, because Dr. K's energy level was a bit low due to the cold that has plagued her for the past several weeks.

We had a good trek nonetheless, marked by a near record low in the number of photos I took out there this morning--only 16.

This and the next:  black-and-white experiments

The rugged Organs

Three-part Barrel Cactus

How many barrels?

Barrel Cactus and the Organs

More barrels

Headed for the mountains

The rest:  3 similar views of the Organ Mountains