Slightly Overcast Morn

A small Loggerhead Shrike

It was already warm in the desert this morning despite the slight overcast.  We're supposed to hit 74 F today, and it seems as if we'll hit the mark.  Tomorrow's high is predicted to be in the mid-50s--a drop of twenty degrees.  We hiked about three-fifths of the inner loop trail with JC and Shaque, and Mr. Shaque didn't seem quite up to snuff, though he did seem to get into it a bit more the further we went along the path.

Sun on Creosote Bushes

A small Barrel Cactus (1 1/2') and a Prickly Pear with partially-eaten pads

Aguirre Springs National Recreation Area

The formation called "Rabbit Ears"

Dr. K and I decided to take a drive over San Augustine Pass to the Aguirre Springs National Recreation Area on the east side of the Organ Mountains.  We were there in 45 minutes.  The weather was beautiful--we're headed for 70 F today--and we encountered no other hikers on the Baylor Pass National Recreation Trail.  There were four backpackers heading up the trail behind us, but our only interaction with them was a distant mutual wave.  They were probably heading for the primitive camping area on the saddle between Aguirre and Baylor Canyon.

Packrat and Becca on the Baylor Pass Trail

A look across the Tularosa Basin

Sotol (aka "Desert Spoon")

An Alligator Juniper nearly devoid of bark

Heart-shaped hollow in an Alligator Junper

Dead tree against the Organ Mountains

Why do dead trees make for good photographic subjects?

The "Rabbit Ears" up close

Ice in the mountains

Rocky Mountain High (the Organs are part of the chain)

How's this for a view of the desert below?

Two backpackers (lower right) on the trail behind us

Fighting the grade

Two different backpackers following the others

Our favorite dog

Heading back through the high country

Becca on break with Dr. K

What Good Weather Will Do

What good weather will do on a Saturday morning is attract a whole bunch of people out to the Sunset Parking area at Tortugas Mountain.  That's certainly what happened this morning.  When Becca and I got out to the trailhead we could not believe the number of cars in the lot.  Most of the hikers appeared to be heading for the top of the mountain, but we ran into a few out around the mountain.  When we bumped into JC and Shaque, JC said they'd already encountered four people.  It's nice to see people enjoying nature; I just wish they would do it somewhere else.  :)

Getting Nice

Scoping out two hikers and their dog

Although it was pretty windy when Becca and I set out this morning the temperature wasn't as low as it was yesterday; the windchill was 29 F.  With the bright sunshine it felt pretty good in the northern Chihuahuan Desert.  We saw only two other people in the outback, a man and woman hiking with their German Shepherd.  On the inner loop trail we ran into JC and Shaque and hiked with them for about two-thirds of the way.  The wind is still up now, and it seems as if it will be a blustery day.

Lenticular cloud over the Organ Mountains

Outdoor enthusiasts in the outback with their dog

A fairly deep arroyo on Tortugas's western slope

Hare Today Gone Tomorrow

Huh?

Brrr and Double Brrr.  21 degrees Fahrenheit when we started off this morning, with an 11-degree windchill.  Fortunately the wind wasn't gusting on the mountain; but I never removed my ear protection nor my gloves during the entire hike.  Hiked the whole inner-loop trail with JC and Shaque, and we all ran into Jimmy back near the parking lot.  We humans stood around shooting the breeze while Becca and Shaque ran around like puppies.

Hold up a sec, Harry

Betcha can't catch me

Giving up the chase before it even got started

Shaque and his multi-pronged stick

Mid-Forties, No Sun, Wind

It felt quite cold out on the mountain this morning.  At first it seemed as if the sun would be out, but it disappeared quickly.  The wind--almost nonexistent at first--really picked up later, chilling the air significantly.  It was so nippy out there that JC and I didn't even stand chatting at our cars for very long because we couldn't bear the inclement conditions.  It's a shame, too, because we were right on the verge of solving many of the world's problems.

Getting Progressively Colder

Looking back at the way we just came

It didn't feel too bad when Becca and I set off this morning, even though the local meteorologist said the windchill was 21 degrees.  But there didn't seem to be much wind on the mountain.  Later, however, when I went to Target and Albertson's to do some shopping, I nearly froze my butt off.  When I came out later it was even colder.  Now the wind is blowing at its strongest, and I'm getting ready to take Becca for an afternoon ride.  Brrr.

A little bushwhacking?

Long shot across the desert

One way back into the foothills

Three views of the same Cactus Wren