Guadalupe Mountains N.P. Continued

I woke up on Wednesday, November 11, to clear skies, fairly warm temps and shortly after that, my old campsite was vacated and I was able to quickly drive into it. FWC does such a great job building these campers, that there is no hesitation to drive a short distance with the top up, I just made sure there was nothing that could spill and quickly settled into my old spot. It felt like home.

Later that morning I went for a short 3 mile round trip hike to the base of Bear Canyon and back. I was shocked to find that I had de-acclimated after spending almost 10 days at sea level. My legs were strong, but I was sucking wind on the uphill like a COPD patient. Damn. I drank a bunch of water back at camp and went for a number of short strolls before dark.

Thursday, I decided to not do anything too strenuous, plus it was windy, so I headed out on the foothills trail which is a flat, valley hike, 2 miles one way hike to the Frijole Ranch Museum. The Ranch House is stone with a wooden bunkhouse/school room and an enclosed spring house. The spring flows at 6 gallons a minute. This must have been a great spot to live back in the day, hell I’d love to live there now. I felt much stronger and more acclimated, so I decided to do the  2 mile loop up to Smith Spring. It was well worth the distance and elevation gain. As I arrived at the spring, a couple was just leaving, so I had the whole place to myself, to enjoy lunch and quiet solitude for the next half hour. As I walked out a woman was just arriving. I had the option of returning the way I came or ascending to the base of Bear Canyon via the Frijole Trail, which would be the opposite approach compared to the day before and a new to me trail. During the elevation gain I was sucking a little air but much better than the day before. By the time I got back to camp I had done a little over 8 miles.

Friday, was completely void of wind, which is rare this time of year in the Guadalupes. I had planned a rest day but it was too nice not to hike. So, back up to Devil’s Hall, but this time I continued well past the designated stopping point and was rewarded with a spectacular canyon and a giant rock alien face. I had the place all to myself, I don’t think many people go the extra half mile. By the time I got back to camp, I had logged 5 miles. It was still warm, sunny and no wind, so I setup my outdoor shower and got clean.

This morning, Saturday, around 4 am, I thought someone was shaking me and woke up to 47 mph winds with gusts up to 62 mph, according to my weather app, but clear, sunny, skies. Enzo is rocking and rolling so much that I have to stop typing cuz the keyboard moves. When I went out earlier, there were a few people getting ready to hike to the summit. I think they’re idiots and hope they are smart enough to at least crawl across the narrow cliffside spots in the trail, or better yet turn around. The camp hosts said the summit gusts are forecast to be 100 mph.

I went out after breakfast, walked around and chatted with a few people standing 6-8 feet apart and yelling over the wind. Needless to say, if it wasn’t for Covid, I would have invited them in to Enzo for coffee, but there isn’t anyway to social distance in Enzo. I was basically windbound all day, but at least I had a great view of the mountains from my windows.

Friday, the NM Governor, passed a very strict “stay at home” order, so that triggered a change in plans for me and I’ll head back to the Ranch tomorrow when the wind abates, just to be sure I get home before the Covid restrictions get any tighter. But I’m not driving in this wind.

I tried to post pics with this but my cell signal is too weak. Next time

Tight lines and safe travels