McKittrick Canyon, Guadaloupe Mountains, TX, 9/21/15

This hike, about 35 miles south of Carlsbad Caverns, reminded me very much of the hiking we did in Tucson in the Sonoran desert.  Just the saguaros are missing!

It is 4.8 miles round-trip to Pratt Cabin and 6.8 miles round-trip to the Grotta.  Would have loved to hike to the Grotto. But, the temperature was well about 95 degrees and we had only about 1 quart of water for each of us.  So we played safe, and made the Cabin our turn-around destination.

Apparently, in the 1020s when the Pratt family bought the land, the view was quite different: imagine a stream running the length of the canyon with a number of small waterfalls ...

Built  in 1931-32 as a summer home with local stone and wood only. A stone picknick table made a perfect lunch spot, shaded by the trees and the house.  I peeked inside: very pleasant floor plan with a large living room in the middle, kitchen to one side and bedrooms to the other.  No remains of a well that we could see.  Was the stream enough to provide for water? 

Sitting Bull Falls, Lincoln National Forest, NM, 9/20/15

 Jim talked about visiting Sitting Bull Falls since I first met him, 10 years ago.  We finally made it down to the Lincoln and Guadalupe Mountains for a few days of camping, and found we had this little piece of paradise all to ourselves on this gorgeous fall day.

 Not much of a hike to the falls, so we took the trail up and hike about 1 mile in, discovering two beautiful pools along the stream.  I had all intentions of wading into the pool below the falls. When we heard about the carcass of a cow lying in the stream above the falls, I changed my mind :)

Spelunking Hike, Carlsbad Caverns, NM 9/19/15

 We signed up for a 3-hour guided tour deep into the Caverns.  First, safety briefing ...

 Took the elevator down ~750 feet and off we went into the complete dark with only headlamps to guide us, ambling through large chambers admiring the formations and squeezing into narrow passages.

 Jim emerging from a tunnel.  For complete immersion, the guide asked to sit down in the small chamber at the end of this tunnel and turn our head lights off. We were plunged into absolute dark, an eerie experience to say the least. 

Know the difference between a stalactite and a stalagmite?  A stalactite hangs from the ceiling and a stalagmite grow up from the cavern floor :)   

 Getting into the lower sections of the cave required rappelling using a knotted rope, and climbing and descending long, wet and slippery ladders.

Plenty of other formation on our path. Picture above shows columns (joint stalagmite and stalactite,) soda straws and popcorn calcite deposits. It is a steady 56 degrees F down below, actually a great reprieve from the 90+ degree weather above ground!

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!