Discouraging Hike

Desert dumping

From a distance of over a mile I couldn't make out the large objects to the left and right of the car, so I took a telephoto shot to magnify when I got home.  Somebody (not the driver of the vehicle pictured) felt comfortable dumping their entire living-room set:  large brown couch (left) and large brown and white chairs (right).  Astonishing.

Pictured behind Becca in the second photo is the new Centennial High School, slated to open August 2012.


Becca goes to school



Tuesday Trek

Water in the desert (storage tank on NMSU land)

Becca and I did an extra long hike near Tortugas Mountain this morning, and we saw only two other hikers:  a woman with a dog, and a man with a tall hiking stick.  If it weren't for a substantial breeze the temperature might have felt a bit warm; we're headed up to 66 F. today.  If we were just starting off now I have no doubt I'd be wearing a short-sleeve shirt and shorts.  Becca refuses to wear shorts because of her skinny legs.

Becca and a Barrel

Healthy Torrey Yuccas on the bank of a broad arroyo

Chihuahuan Desert vista (Organ Mountains on horizon)

Fallen old Yucca looks like bended knee

Soaptree Yuccas in large arroyo

Our Old Digs

Becca on the outer loop road, west side of Tortugas Mountain

I didn't take too many photos on our trek around Tortugas Mountain this morning, so I included a few from yesterday's hike on the Sierra Vista Trail North.

Interesting rock formation, Sierra Vista Trail North

Ocotillo and Sotal growing in the same spot

Pile of rocks outcropping, Sierra Vista Trail North

Rocks demanding to be climbed, Sierra Vista Trail North

Sierra Vista Trail North

For the first time since its dedication in early November, Dr. K, Becca and I hiked the new section of the Sierra Vista Trail in the Organ Mountains east of Las Cruces.  The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) did a fantastic job blazing the trail, which begins off Soledad Canyon Road across from the parking area for the old trail.  The trail is clearly marked and easy to follow.

Getting an early start on the Sierra Vista Trail North

The trail is 2.5-miles in one direction, and it runs north/south between Soledad Canyon Road and Dripping Springs Road.  If you hike from south to north as we did there's a constant, but gradual, descent for the entire distance.  There are some incredible rock formations at the southernmost section.

Rocky outcroppings near Soledad Canyon Road

Rock spires in the Organ Mountains



There were some stunning vistas along the way, making for a very enjoyable hike in the very high desert.

Sotol (aka Desert Spoon) at the side of the Sierra Vista Trail North

The views back toward the city were splendid, and we marveled again at how very much like a tortoise Tortugas Mountain looks.



Tortugas Mountain from the Sierra Vista Trail North

I would rank this a 9 out of 10-star trail, the slight demerit coming from the proximity to expensive homes high in the nearby Talavera community.  The trail passes within a few hundred yards of one ritzy home, making this hiker wonder whether the residents were opposed to the opening of the new section of trail.

The nearby home of some lucky residents

A more luxurious home in the higher reaches of the mountains



We were pleased with the aerobic workout we got on the new trail, especially on the return leg when the climb was entirely uphill.  Becca, of course, was never winded.



Happy hound on a new trail





Some serious ups-and-downs on the new trail



The Sierra Vista Trail North, with its stunning vistas and rewarding aerobic workout, has definitely been added to our repetoire of hikes in the vicinity of the Organ Mountains National Recreation Area.



A drabble of snow in a high-mountain crevasse



The breathtakingly-rugged Organ Mountains



Foggy Start

Because of all the moisture in the atmosphere here there was quite a bit of fog when we started off this morning.  In the foothills near Tortugas (Tortoise) Mountain we were above the cloudline, but the foggy conditions didn't last long--partly because of a rather stiff breeze.  I remember once when Dr. K, Sara and I were hiking in a fog near the Arizona-Sonora Museum outside of Tucson, and when we climbed to the top of Brown Mountain we emerged slightly above a sea of fog that stretched out in all directions.  I have a photo of that scene somewhere.

Change of Weather

Ready to rock and roll

It rained on and off all during the night, and conditions looked very iffy this morning; we weren't sure we could squeeze in a hike.  But we were lucky.  The weather cooperated as Becca and I did a very long hike in the cool desert air.  We even ended up bushwhacking again even though we hadn't planned on it.  However, after a rain the desert has a unique fragrance all of its own, and we wanted to get intimate with it.

Military chopper

Soaptree Yuccas

Cloudy Organ Mountains

Wonder dog

Taking the long view

Mule Deer scat

Clouds clearing over the Organs

Becca Loves Bushwhacking

OK, so she lies down on the job at times

Bushwhacking lets us explore more intimately our particular expanse of Chihuahuan Desert, the 8th largest desert in the world.  The Chihuahuan Desert stretches from southeastern Arizona across southern New Mexico and West Texas and down into the states of Chihuahua, Coahuila and Durango, Mexico and is bounded by the Sierra Madre Occidental and the Sierra Madre Oriental.  It is a high desert, with elevations ranging from 1900 to 5500 feet.  Because of elevation it has a milder climate than the Sonoran Desert to its west.

West of Tortugas Mountain

A small Barrel Cactus, probably killed by last winter's deep freeze

When I heard the learn'd astronomer

Claret Cup Hedgehog Cactus