4 miles of hiking • 2000' elevation gain • 1 night
I took a road trip down to New Mexico to visit a really good friend. We managed to knock out 6 states (Oregon, Idaho, Utah, Wyoming, Colorado and New Mexico) in just under 30 hours with pit-stops. We had planned to take it a bit slower and enjoy some sites along the way, but the weather closed on us much quicker than anticipated. Fortunately, we were able to beat the road closures and made it safely to our destination.
After some rest and acclimation, it was time to load up the packs and get going! We decided to hit an unnamed trail that leads to several peaks behind my buddies house. It was very powdery snow and we didn't have any snowshoes... Bring on the post holing! Easy to say when your still at the trailhead in ankle deep snow... Within a half mile, it began getting a bit deeper and we would randomly sink in to our knee's. Within a mile, every step was to our knee's. Within a mile and a half, we would randomly start sinking to our waist. So, we pushed on just past the 2 mile mark and decided it was time call it. Nearly every step, half our body would disappear into the snow, and we just didn't want to risk any lower body injuries. So we pitched the tent at the next suitable site. We stuffed our faces with some good grub and got a nice fire going for the 10 degree night that would soon be upon us.
We awoke to a beautiful sunrise and quickly stoked the fire. After a nice warm breakfast, we got packed up and started down the mountain. With the help of gravity, our path from the previous day and the 'harder' packed morning snow, we made much better time heading down.
It was a wonderful trip and I look forward to visiting again in the Summer/Fall when the weather and trail conditions allow for some more exploring.
