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| Backpack | 35.00 Miles |
7,156 AEG |
| | Backpack | 35.00 Miles | 4 Days | | |
| 7,156 ft AEG | | | | |
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| Partners |
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| partners | | Chumley was in charge and planned a solid trip to New Mexico. Our original plan was to spend five days in the wilderness but we cut it short one day due to weather and other factors.
We departed Phoenix on Wednesday after work and stayed in a hotel in Albuquerque. We woke on Thursday morning and drove the final two hours to the Jacks Creek Trailhead in the Santa Fe National Forest. The months of planning were behind us and it was go time!
Thursday, May 31st
We arrived to our trailhead and packed up and started the hike in. We started by dropping a few hundred feet to the Pecos River. We followed the river for a bit and then the trail makes a solid climb to the Iron Gate Campground. We took a break there and then continued to the northeast. The miles were tough with our very heavy packs loaded with five days worth of food and warm gear. With much effort we arrived at our camp and found a nice site situated along the Rio Valdez. We spent the rest of the evening relaxing around camp. There will be no campfires for us due to stage 2 fire restrictions. We all turned in relatively early because it was cold out.
Friday, June 1st
Our day two started with a solid climb up to the mesa above. Along the way Chumley and I saw a wolf roughly a half mile away. We questioned if it was a coyote but I saw it again 15 minutes later and it was way too big to be a coyote. We continued on and took a break just below Beatty's Cabin. During the break, Chumley and I hiked up to it. There are a few cabins and they are in great condition. It appears the forest services uses these.
We continued hike and gained elevation. We eventually selected a campsite in a drainage. Water was close by and our camp was comfortable. We settled in for the evening and it was warmer than our first night. We stayed up a bit later but were in bed by 10pm.
Saturday, June 2nd
Day three started with another solid climb. We were at high elevation of roughly 11k ft. With much effort we reached the Skyline Trail and then started our Traverse. We took a short break by Truchas Lake. From there we continued for our third night's camp. Chumley detoured to Truchas Peak while Kyle and I headed for the lake. Once there I made a loop around the lake and then picked a campsite by the trail. Chumley showed up a bit later and we settled in for another night. Chumley said some nasty weather was going to move in the next day so we decided to bail the next day.
Sunday, June 3rd
We woke early on Sunday and started packing up. It was an overcast day and it looked like rain could fall any second. We quickly packed up and the weather cooperated. Once packed, we started our return to the trailhead. The going was very easy as it was all downhill. We arrived back to the trailhead and then packed up and headed for Santa Fe where we grabbed lunch.
Final Thoughts
This was a great hike in an amazing area! I'd really like to return another time and see more of the wilderness. There is a lot to explore out there. Thanks Chumley for planning and thanks for driving!
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