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The Box near Socorro, Waterfall Wall
No one had ever mentioned this climbing area to us, but in our book it looked like a good place to continue our gentle return to climbing. It’s perfect! The Waterfall Wall has an array of “easy” topropes right next to the parking area, and the weather warms up just for the weekend. Climbing still…
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Overlook Climbing
Just as Ann was getting back into the swing of hiking, I decided to rest my knee, which has been hard for both of us. But we think we might each be able to manage some easy climbing, so we make our way to the friendly and accessible White Rock Overlook area. The weather smiles…
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Perea Nature Trail
On our way home we investigate this short nature trail. It looks like it’s geared toward bird watching, and there aren’t many birds now. I wonder if my leg will feel better after a short rest, but unfortunately it doesn’t.
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Forest Road 376
Yesterday was a strange day of driving around, changing our minds about our destination, not hiking, and ending up on a gorgeous high ridge in the Jemez near Forest Road 376. This road is closed in the winter, and there is a hot spring 6 miles up it. That’s a longer hike than we had…
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Cerrillos Hills Hike
After our work day Ann takes me to this trail near a tiny town between Santa Fe and Madrid. I’m just wanting some exercise, but this turns out to be quite beautiful. The trail is clearly intended to be a tour of old mines, but the sky is soft, the air is warm, and the…
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Rim Vista Hike
After a very quiet, pleasant night by the Rio Chama we hike up the mesa across from Ghost Ranch. The top is close to the “official” Continental Divide Trail route. I’ve always thought that a through hiker would have to be crazy to stay on the official trail and skip Ghost Ranch. That opinion still…
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Kitchen Mesa Hike
It feels like it may actually be a little chilly today, but by the time we drive up to Ghost Ranch the weather is once again sunny and the perfect temperature for hiking. We hiked through Ghost Ranch on our CDT hike, and it’s interesting to come back and be disoriented, seeing things differently from…
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Dale Ball Trails Investigation
The Dale Ball trail system is an intricate network of trails that cover the lower foothills east of Santa Fe. They’re nice little trails, well signed, wending through the backyards of the posh hillside neighborhoods of Santa Fe. There are nearly endless variations possible. My hike today hits 24 separate trail junctions, out of 41…
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Taos Ski Valley
The balmy weather continues as we make our way up to Taos Ski Valley. This is much more of a resort area, and the general steepness of the terrain gives it an adventurous feel. We figure that the sense of adventure might extend to an embrace of backcountry skiers, but on our way up we…
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Sipapu
Stuffed with delectable victuals from my friend Capn Bill in Dixon, we continue our freeloading tour of New Mexico ski areas with Sipapu. This is a very small, low-key hill. You can get an RV site with your lift ticket here. We’re tempted, but we stick with our hiking MO. These slopes are definitely the…