Rabbit Ears Plateau • Hike & Climb Trip • New Mexico • All Triplogs • HikeArizona.COM

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Oct 13 2013

rwstorm

Guides 1
Routes 136
Photos 22,415
Triplogs 1,041

77 male

Joined Feb 28 2003
Tucson, AZ

Rabbit Ears Plateau

Southwest, NM

Rabbit Ears Plateau

Southwest, NM

Hiking		Oct 13 2013
		rwstorm • Triplogs 1,041

Hiking	6.00 Miles	2,800 AEG

Hiking	6.00 Miles
	2,800 ft AEG

no routes

Linked

linked

South Rabbit Ear Peak

Partners

none

no partners

I decided to do a trip over to Las Cruces for a couple of days since I hadn't been there in awhile (plus I had a coupon for a carne asada meal at Habaneros that I needed to redeem). There are some really good restaurants in Las Cruces. Under normal circumstances I would have also gone to the Dripping Springs/Ice Canyon area in the Organ Mountains to do the nice hike there. But with the government shutdown, I was content to just hang out in town. Luckily though, the Las Cruces Hiking meetup posted a hike Sunday to the Rabbit Ears area, and that gave me a chance to explore a part of these beautiful mountains that was new to me.

The carpool meeting place was just a stones throw from my motel, and at 0730 five of us were on our way to the start point just off Baylor Canyon Road. Basically you follow an old road up to an large rectangular building (Topp Hut), which was a bunkhouse for miners who worked at the Hayner Flourite/Ruby Mine, located about another half mile up the road. Seeing the building and mine artifacts was a plus on this hike. Past the mine a trail continues over into a canyon at which point it narrows down and becomes more interesting. One thing about hiking in the Organ Mountains is that things get very steep and intense rather quickly. Truly a dramatic range! Lots of boulder hopping on this one for a full body workout. Once you turn to the south the real steep stuff is encountered on your way to a high saddle near the Rabbit Ears. I stopped maybe about a hundred feet or so short of the saddle, while the others continued on up. Felt pretty good, but was getting tired at that point, and didn't want a repeat of my difficulties last year coming down from the Needle. The one nice thing about this hike is that everything was on good solid rock...so much better than the Needle hike in that regard.

I decided to go back down the canyon to where it makes the bend and wait the the others to return and then walk out with them. Did this mainly because I wasn't sure how much difficulty I might have on the downhill and didn't want to slow the group down. Turns out I was strong the whole hike and had no issues.

This was a very enjoyable and challenging hike...better than the Needle in my opinion.

After the hike it was back to the motel for a shower, then on to Mesilla for another great meal at Andele and some beer at High Desert! Next day it was back to Tucson after buying some books and enjoying a good breakfast at Mesilla Valley Kitchen (another new one for me that I give high marks). Great little trip!

Fauna

Fauna [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Black-tailed Rattlesnake Northern giant flag moth

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Mining Equipment Stone Dwelling

Wildflowers Observation Light

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Sep 18 2013

Jim

Guides 73
Routes 176
Photos 10,174
Triplogs 2,324

46 male

Joined Sep 08 2006

Rabbit Ears Plateau

Southwest, NM

Rabbit Ears Plateau

Southwest, NM

Hike & Climb		Sep 18 2013
		Jim • Triplogs 2,324

Hike & Climb	6.00 Miles	3,117 AEG

Hike & Climb	6.00 Miles	7 Hrs 30 Mns		0.88 mph
	3,117 ft AEG		25 LBS Pack

Solo • Boulder

no routes

Linked

none

no linked trail guides

Partners

none

no partners

Beauty and the Beast, that is how this hike was. It was beautiful with all the flowing water, the deep green vegetation in a place which has always been brown, a wide variety of flowers, and the birds and insects calling in the life filled canyon on this late summer day. Beastly, as the water made the rocks wet and slippery making a fairly tough scramble hike into one that could be dangerous at times (especially with my shoes worn out) and the vegetation is thick obscuring the "trail" and the hidden potholes beneath. This is not the idea time of year to hike this, even if it was very scenic.

There is a lot of water coming out of the canyon, but I could see evidence of much heavier flows a few days ago during the rain. Not a place to be in a monsoon storm, making this a more beastly hike if you entered and were trapped. I knew it would be dry, so I proceeded. Water is coming out of virtually every crack, crevice and outcropping of soil. Flowers are everywhere, and this causes me to say the shift to fall color observations on September 1 is a bit premature, but some places are already changing. We're in summer still. Other than the humidity and mold, I love it.

On the drive to Las Cruces on Baylor Pass Rd, I had to cross a rapidly flowing Filmore Canyon Creek, as it crossed the road. Water is abundant this September. Not sure where, but someplace it soaks into the desert.

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Apr 25 2013

Jim

Guides 73
Routes 176
Photos 10,174
Triplogs 2,324

46 male

Joined Sep 08 2006

Rabbit Ears Plateau

Southwest, NM

Rabbit Ears Plateau

Southwest, NM

Hike & Climb		Apr 25 2013
		Jim • Triplogs 2,324

Hike & Climb	5.00 Miles	2,800 AEG

Hike & Climb	5.00 Miles	5 Hrs 30 Mns	0.91 mph
	2,800 ft AEG

• Boulder • 3rd Other

no routes

Linked

none

no linked trail guides

Partners

none

no partners

Back, this time with Texas, the Dog. He made it, but wasn't too happy in a few spots. Took a pick-up truck almost to the Topp Hut, so subtracted some AEG and mileage. Explored the plateau top. Steep, and there is a lot of down pine leaves and oak brush. Needs fire.

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Apr 18 2013

Jim

Guides 73
Routes 176
Photos 10,174
Triplogs 2,324

46 male

Joined Sep 08 2006

Rabbit Ears Plateau

Southwest, NM

Rabbit Ears Plateau

Southwest, NM

Hike & Climb		Apr 18 2013
		Jim • Triplogs 2,324

Hike & Climb	6.00 Miles	3,117 AEG

Hike & Climb	6.00 Miles	7 Hrs 15 Mns	0.92 mph
	3,117 ft AEG

Solo IV • Boulder • 3rd Other Excellent

no routes

Linked

none

no linked trail guides

Partners

none

no partners

Great weather after the dust storm made for a fantastic hike. A little harder than expected in terms of time, but people were with me, and one of them was 4 years old. Probably could be done in under 6 hours if solo.

Anyway, great scenery, the most scenic canyon in the range so far, and the birds calling on the canyon walls were a real treat. Found one small pool of water in the lower canyon, but it was otherwise dry. It was surprisingly clear.

I found this to be more enjoyable than the eroded, dusty, sliding trail for Organ Needle, far more scenic than Organ Peak, and a lot more fun than Baylor Peak. Even if only slightly over 8,000', it feels way higher than Benson Ridge at nearly 9700' in the Sacramentos. Very worth the effort.

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Arizona White Oak Ponderosa Pine

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Rabbit Ears

Wildflowers Observation Isolated

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WARNING! Hiking and outdoor related sports can be dangerous. Be responsible and prepare for the trip. Study the area you are entering and plan accordingly. Dress for the current and unexpected weather changes. Take plenty of water. Never go alone. Make an itinerary with your plan(s), route(s), destination(s) and expected return time. Give your itinerary to trusted family and/or friends.

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