Palomas Cliffs Trail, Revisited, Sandia Mountain, NM, 7/18/15

A short and fun hike on the East side of the Sandias. Fun because it is a favorite of rock climbers and there are always several group of climbers at work.  I remember the trail as short and open, but this time is was overgrown in many areas, probably because of all the rain we have had in the past few weeks.

 Note all of the dead pine trees. One more area of the Sandias affected by the bark beetle.

Jim and our friend Charles, visiting from Dallas.  In case you wonder, it it not a well in front, it is an unusual looking cairn.

 

Hiking distance: 4.1 miles; 3 hours, 52 minutes.

Mano Trail Ramble, Sandia Mountains, NM, 7/12/15

I call this a ramble because we did not officially do the whole Mano Trail which starts at the Embudo trail head and finishes at the Copper trail head.

 Instead, we hike more or less straight east towards to mountain,  hiking up and down several ridges.

 We set out that morning for a 1/2 day Sunday stroll, and ended up with some strenuous hiking and plenty of scrambling!

 Finally, we reached the Mano trail and meadow, tucked away east of the foot hills, and found a pleasant spot for lunch.

 More scrambling on the way down, past U-Mound, and under the power lines, and

 

back to the Copper trail head.

For a more complete description of this hike, see blog dated February 26, 2012. 

Stony Man Trail, Shenandoah National Park, VA, 7/3/15

Visiting Charlottesville and not hiking the Appalachian Trail? Not possible for us.  The day before our return to Albuquerque we drove to the Swift Gap Entrance of Shenondoah National Park and wound our way up to the Thornton Gap Entrance, stopping at Skyland for our hike.  Stony Man Trail is a easy upgrade hike to a stunning overlook.

 

Unfortunately, the weather did not cooperate and views were limited.

Ivy Creek Natural Area, Charlottesville, VA, 6/29/15

After spending a week at Dewey Beach, DE, we traveled south, across the Chesaspeake bridge, into Virginia and stayed one week in Charlottesville, in Albemarle county, exploring the town and surrounding areas.  Charlottesville is a small town (42,000 inhabitants) and not particularly pedestrian friendly, except for the Rivanna trail, that circles the town and the numerous state and county parks.  Our host generously offered to take us to the Ivy Creek Natural Area, with about 6 miles of hiking trails.  It was hot and humid but very tolerable.  Our host consults for the Nature Conservancy and gave us a primer on trees in Virginia.  Covered 3.6 miles in 2 hours 45 minutes. Fun hike in great company! 

Gordon Pond Trail, Cape Henlopen State Park, DE, 6/23/15

Jim and I took one day out of the week we spent at Dewey Beach in Delaware with the children and grandchildren to explore Cape Henlopen State Park. The hike we chose starts with a very comfortable boardwalk and follows the salt marshes along the beach.  A bird watchers paradise: we observed an osprey atop its nest, numerous herons and of, course, countless seagulls. Most trails at the park are multi-use and shared with cyclists. We had planned to do all of the almost 5-mile round trip hike but turned back about 3/4 into the hike due to extreme heat.  Actually, we meet only cyclists, no hikers, on this hot day!   (Hiked 3.9 miles in 1 hour, 20 minutes.) 

Zuni Hike, Cibola National Forest, NM, 5/31/15

Jim's friend, Rick, who lives in Gallup met us on NM 400. We followed him to the trail head of his favorite hiking area in the Zuni Mountains.  Round trip hike took a little over five hours and was about 9 miles long.  We were glad to have Rick as a guide; would have gone lost for sure in a maze of trails.  Had lunch at by a watering hole, more like a large pond with cat tails. Pictures on LiveTrekker. (Haven't figured out how to transfer them yet :)