A Tad Warmer

Loggerhead Shrike

It was crowded around the mountain this morning, perhaps because the temperature had warmed up.  Becca and I ran into no one in the outback on a long trek west of Tortugas, but we did bump into our buddy, Jimmy, on the way back in.  He and I talked for a long while before going our separate ways.  He was heading to the top of the mountain, and Becca and I were headed to PicQuik to get gas in the RAV4.  That gas station/convenience store was jam-packed with customers, but we were fortunate to find an empty pump.

From lower desert to high

Trail over the ridge

Mesa-like flat west of the mountain

A few headless Soaptree Yuccas

Baby Soaptrees

Torrey Yucca

Cactus Wren

Down another arroyo

Organ Mountains

Closeup of the Organs

Scarecrow-like Soaptree Yucca

Prickly situation

Yucca and Ocotillo west of Tortugas

Embarrassed Prickly Pear Cactus pad

Battered by the Wind

Sunlight bathing Tortugas's west side

Even though it was 22F this morning when Becca and I hit the trail west of Tortugas Mountain, I suspect it would have felt quite comfortable in the abundant sunshine.  Unfortunately, the wind hadn't abated at all from yesterday and, at times, was gusting even harder.  Doing an entire hike while being buffeted by a stiff wind is really exhausting, and by the time Becca and I got home I felt like we had trekked twice as far as we actually had.  Becca, surprisingly, looked as if she could hike the entire route a few extra times.

Round mound of Hedgehog Cactus

Eager to continue

Ocotillo and Organ Mountains

Flank of Tortugas and the Organs

Purple mountains' majesty

Nearly Brutal

Old Torrey Yucca west of Tortugas Mountain

Even though it was warmer this morning than yesterday--22F vs 15F--it felt much worse out in the desert west of Tortugas Mountain because of a stiff, persistent cutting wind that didn't diminish one increment the entire time we were out there.  As a result I had to abbreviate the hike significantly in order to keep from freezing my cojones off.  Even Becca seemed slightly disturbed by the velocity (and ferocity) of the wind, and she almost seemed eager to get back to our car.  I know I was.

One way up the slope

Bands of shadow and light

Slogging through high wind

Cactus garden in the high foothills

Heading northwest on a dirt road

Heading back toward the mountains

On a gentle slope

Crossing back into the foothills

This yucca looks like it flipped over in the wind, but it didn't

Staying Warm in the Desert

15F (-9.4C) when Becca and I headed out

It was 15F this morning when Becca and I left the house.  It felt even colder out at the mountain due to a slight wind.  Fortunately I had watched the local meteorologist on TV warning about going outdoors without proper layering so I followed her advice.  I wore a flannel-lined denim shirt over long trousers, a PolarPlus vest, a waterproof hooded anorak, a hat, ear protection and gloves.  When we first started hiking I had to put my gloved hand over my nose and mouth at times to keep my face from freezing.  Becca wore her regular coat, and she didn't seem to mind the weather a bit.

Glad to finally reach the sun

Down the single-track once again

Keeping an eye out for critters

Oh, yummy!

Swell swale

Impatient about my pokey photo taking

Where to find water in the desert

Paralleling an arroyo west of the mountain

Between here and the Organs:  the flank of Tortugas Mountain

Waiting in an arroyo

We're headed for another arroyo (center)

Uh oh--something got eaten

Soaptree Yuccas receding into the distance

Far out from Tortugas (left) and the Organ Mountains now

Student linemen at the Lineman School

Day After the Storm

Rock quarry in Tortugas's northern foothills

It was still very cold this morning, and windy, but not as windy as yesterday.  Today Becca and I had intermittent sunshine, so that served to war things up a bit, and we didn't have to suffer through waves of rain and snow.  Getting wet on a chilly day is never much fun.  We didn't see anybody in the outback while we were there, but just as we were about to leave for home our buddy Jimmy pulled up next to us in his truck.  He got out and came over to our car to say hello to Becca, who was going nuts for a chance to greet her pal the J-man.

On the northern flank of Tortugas Mountain

As high as we got today

Heading down to the lower desert.

Looking back up the trail we just descended

An expansive view of the Chihuahuan Desert

On the road around the mountain

Just off the road around the mountain

The flank of Tortugas and the Organ Mountains

Snowy Organs

Let's inspect this a bit more closely

Closeup of the Organ Mountains

Miserable Trek

Early on:  just sprinkling

This morning's hike was one of the worst we've done in ages:  winds gusting to 60 mph, driving rain that felt like needles on the raw skin of my face, intermittent, heavy wet snow that pelted down.  Becca got thoroughly soaked.  I was smart enough to wear a rain anorak, but my Ex Officio pants (from thighs to ankles) couldn't have been wetter, and the wind made my legs as cold as they've ever been.  We cut the hike short, but not short enough to keep from feeling absolutely miserable.  The first thing I did when we got home was take a fluffy towel and completely dry my hiking companion.

Large, lenticular cloud

Ominous sky over the Organ Mountains

Bishop Cap (left) and the Franklin Mountains near El Paso