Summer Road Trip 2009 - An Overview

Well, I rolled back into Houston a couple of days ago. I'm currently sipping a latte and a Aqua Panna mineral water at the Antidote coffee shop beneath the stiff breeze of a an air conditioner working overtime. If all goes as tentatively planned I'll be back on the road in a couple of months. I'm looking into more exotic travel options. Just need to make a little money, buy a ticket or two and obtain some visa's....

My recent road trip turned out to be a good one. I was gone for 3 1/2 weeks. The first week and a half were spent in Denver visiting family and friends as well as working on my mothers home. From there I left on a two week jaunt and didn't think much about anything except what I was doing. I easily fell back into my past interests of climbing peaks, hiking trails, and general roaming about. I camped every night and fixed almost all my meals. I abstained from drinking beer and with hiking everyday I must say I started feeling pretty darned good. I kept expenses way down so it was an economical excursion.

During the two weeks I was happy to climb 4 of Colorado's 100 highest peaks that I have not climbed. So far I've climbed around 70 of the 100 highest. I started off with Clinton peak near Breckenridge and followed it up with Phoenix Peak near Creede. From there I ascended Mt Adams and California Peak in the Sangre de Cristo Range. Each mountain was different which allowed me to resharpen my route finding skills etc. After the first week I became quite acclimated with the altitude and really started to feel like my old self. The way I was back in the day when I'd easily climb 20-25 peaks in summer....

After Colorado I ventured south to New Mexico and hiked New Mexico's highest mountain, Wheeler Peak. It's located near the Toas ski area so that's where I began my ascent. After Wheeler the trip took on a little different meaning as I visited the Sanctuario de Chimayo. It's a very old chapel that is known throughout the world for it's healing attributes. Legend has it that local sand which is collected, blessed, and distributed from a sacred hole in the ground within the chapel contains healing properties. Legend? Thousands of people have visited Chimayo and attest to miraculous healings. Known as the Lourdes of America faith plays a powerful role. The chapel itself is quite amazingly beautiful with it's simple yet lavish Mexican/Spanish decor. I was actually quite moved by the place. I could sense all of those who have come to Chimayo in the spirit of faith asking to be blessed and healed. One room is filled with crutches etc. from those who claimed to be healed. I wanted to take photos of the chapel interior but respected the Priests wishes that photos not be taken inside... Before leaving I filled a small container with sacred sand and now have it sitting with some of the items I obtained while walking the Camino de Santiago last fall...

After Chimayo I continued further south to Guadalupe Mountains National Park in West Texas. The Guadalupe Mountains hold a special place in my heart as I consider it to be the place where I really became a hiker. It was there that I first carried a backpack for a real overnight trip in the wilderness. It's also the place where I hiked with a character by the name of Bob Dean who first turned me on to the Appalachian trail. I made 4 trips there during 1983-85. The first was by myself and I hiked into the backcountry with a character I met at the campground there. My second trip was with my father. We did not stay in the backcountry but I did get him to hike up Guadalupe peak. Oddly enough he was the same age at the time as I am now, 43. The third trip was with Bob Dean. I had met him through collecting beer cans and we also shared the interest of hiking. Bob and I hike up Guadalupe Peak at the beginning of a week long West Texas hiking trip during the summer of '84. We camped just off the summit in what today is still the windiest night I've ever camped. The Ranger station that night had recorded 100 mph gusts. We literally thought we were going to be blown off the mountain but obviously we weren't .... The last time I was in the Guadalupe mountains was in 1985. This summer being 2009 marked 24 years later. I once again hiked up Guadalupe Peak and considered it a memorial hike for Bob. He passed away a year and a half ago in the early 70's. In honor of Bob I flew a Welsh flag on the summit. Why? Well, I figured if he was looking down on me he'd be laughing. He was a lover of Real Ale and had made a few trips to the UK back in the day to drink beer and collect beer cans with fellow collectors. On top of Guadalupe peak I said a little prayer for Bob, threw a bit of the sand I acquired from Chimayo and watched a butterfly appear and fly away from the summit......

I finished off the road trip by seeing a West Texas Rainbow and drove it straight through to home. The 80 mph hour speed limit made the trip a lot easier than it was back in the 80's when the speed limit was 55mph!!! Now back home I'm catching up on rest and getting ready to get ready for the next thing.

Road Trip 2009 Photos - Colorado, New Mexico & West Texas

On The Road

I left Crestone for a drive down the cosmic highway to "Great Sand Dunes National Park" where I pitched camp for a couple of nights. After a night at the dunes I hiked two miles up a trail and bushwacked through timber to find my way above treeline. Hiking further upwards atop scree and boulders I reached the 13,848 ft. summit California Peak. From the top I could see the sand dunes and the trailhead that I started from 5,000 feet below....

The grotto at Zapata falls provided a relaxing break after the climb. I thought about the climb, the views, the beautiful weather and laundry. A brief late afternoon trip to Alamoso was in order. I quickly located a laundramat and visited the antique junk shop next door. Bought some 60's R&B records for $4 dollars. I then went to a local coffee shop for a smoothie and browsed Facebook while camera battery charged..... Back to the dunes.... Beans and macaroni never tasted so good. Off to sleep. Awake at 1 am to fierce windstorm. Back to sleep. Awake at 6 am. Calm and cool....

I hiked to the top of High Dune first thing in the morning. Wandered around the dunes like a lost fool in a 1930's western. Found my way back to camp. Packed up. Drove south towards New Mexico. Filled the tank of my Subaru Outback with 85 octance $2.65 gas. Drove south to New Mexico. Pitched camp near Toas ski mountain and wandered around the town of Taos. Tomorrow I'll hike up the highest mountian in New Mexico....

Crestone, Colorado

Everyday is a hike and or climb up a peak but right now I'm sipping coffee at the Shambhala coffee shop in Crestone, Colorado. Crestone is a funky small town situated on the west side of the Crestone mountain range where it meets the arid San Luis Valley of south central Colorado. It's an area that is reputed to have mystical properties of some sort and attracts various sorts of charcters. Tibeten Buddhist,Outdoor Enthusiasts, Hindu Devotees and UFO Seekers etc. commune here. The highway that runs north and south along the west side of the Crestone's is known as the Cosmic Highway. Along the highway there's an alligator farm near a UFO viewing platform that. A young girl informed you that you can feed the alligators there. Alligators amidst the sage seems oddly out of place to me...

Yesterday I hiked up to Willow Lake and climbed Mt. Adams. The Crestone mountains are outrageously beautiful and very different from other ranges within Colorado. I left the trail head for the lake a little after 6am and was expecting to be on my own all day but met an accomplished father and son hiking/climbing team. I struck up a conversation with them and as it turned out they were on their way up Mt. Adams as well. Their names are Shane and Michael. Michael is 13 and climbed his first 14,000 ft. peak when he was 8 years old and has gained quite the peak bagging resume for someone of his age. Michael and his father are both good hikers and we decided to make the ascent together. The walk up to Willow Lake went by easily despite over 2,800 feet of elevation gain. From there we left the trail and climbed up to a meadow above 12,ooo feet and stumbled upon a group of Bighorn sheep. The sheep were quite impressive and looked very healthy with large thick horns. After a pause to take photo's of the sheep we continued up to the ridge of Mt. Adams. From the ridge we could see our route to the summit. Cliffs were avoided to south as we scrambled around and rocks and scree looking for good footing on steep grassy slope when possible. As we neared the summit I searched for a way around cliffs and boulders. Steadily we made progress and were rewarded by a spectacular view from a relatively airy summit amidst cobalt blue sky. It was a perfect day made even better with good company... After a nice break on top we took our time on the descent and savored the beauty of the Crestone's....

After hiking and camping for the past 6 days I was due for a shower. Well, there really isn't all that much to the town of Crestone but I wanted to get clean. I figured I would just hop into the creek by my campsite but for whatever reason the mosquitoes are fierce here right now. I settled for a quick wash up after the climb and decided to check out a local Ashram. There are 28 different spiritual groups in Crestone and most all have an open door policy where your free to visit. The Ashram i visited is of Hindu faith. I was just interested in seeing the grounds but was invited to join a small group for a Kirtan. A Kirtan consists of spiritual singing and chanting which helps to induce a meditative state. For me I find it to be very relaxing. Anyway, I joined the group for a little while and was invited to have some food afterwards. It was a small group and everyone was friendly and easy going. After a bit of food and good conversation I noticed that the men's bathroom had a shower! Yes, the lord works in mysterious ways. I inquired if it was ok to use the shower and the reply was, "Sure, no problem". After a kirtan, healthy food, and a shower I was feeling pretty darned good! I then thanked everyone, left a small donation, and headed back to my mosquito infested campsite next to a creek..... I slept well and gave thanks for everything. Especially mosquito netting......

Rocky Mountain Way - Colorado

After 11 days in Denver visiting friends and fulfilling handyman duties for my mother I'm back to doing one of the things I do best, Hiking. When I lived in Colorado it was not uncommon to make a last minute decision to hike a pass or climb a peak the very next day. Now that I'm basing myself out of Houston and only allowing myself a week a two on this trip I'm overwhelmed by the options.

On Tuesday I climbed a couple high Thirteeners. Here in Colorado it's all about climbing the Fourteeners. Fourteeners are peaks above 14,000 feet. There are 54 in total. I finished climbing all of them years ago so the next goal is to climb the high Thirteeners. High Thirteeners are pretty much peaks above 13,700 feet. The nice thing about thirteeners is that far few people climb them and they generally offer more interesting and challenging routes.

Tuesday's ascent of Clinton and Traver peaks offered a nice variety of hiking and snow climbing combined with a mile long ridge walk followed a fun glissade down an expansive snow field. The weather was spectacular and I had the peaks to myself. The day was enhanced by an old familiar confidence that comes from experience which greatly added to overall enjoyment.

I followed it up the next with a nice day hike on the Continental Divide trail from Winfield to a Pass above Lake Ann in the Collegiate Peaks Wilderness. Again, Spectacular weather void of the afternoon thunderstorms common in the Colorado Rockies..... The pass above Lake Ann is currently obstructed by a cornice that has formed a steep headwall of hardpacked snow approximately 20 to 30 high. The opposite side of the pass was completely void of snow. I spied a relatively thin line of steep grassy scree to avoid the snow and made it to the top of the pass with no problems. On top I was surprised to see a group older teenaged boy scouts with two adult leaders who had ascened the opposite side. They were confused by how to get down to Lake Ann. The trail was covered by the snow cornice/headwall and they did not have ice axes. They were unfamiliar with such obstacles that can appear on the lesser know high passes well into summer. The way I had ascended was not that obvious looking down from the top and for those unaccustomed to cross country travel in the high country the pass may have appeared impassable. At that point I kind of felt like my old Wilderness Ranger self as I offered my advice and pointed them in the right direction. I think they were kind of surprised that they could descend such a steep slope safely with heavy packs but the footing was good and everyone made it down just fine. It felt good to share some of my knowledge gained through years of experience and it made me feel like I should really be doing more of that...

Today I'm just kind of taking it easy and trying to decide what I want to do next as I sip a latte at a coffee shop in Buena Vista, Colorado. I've got a stack of maps and my idea at this point is to visit and hike places I have not been to before. Although I intend to mainly day hike I might head into the back country for a couple of nights... All plans are flexible. I'm just kind of deciding as I go but the Crestone Range is looking appealing....