Hiking

June 1 is National Trails Day!

Sat June 1 - Strenuous hike on Cerro Grande via “scenic” route, 7 to 8 miles of mostly off-trail hiking with a 1400 ft. elevation gain. Michael Di Rosa, (505) 667-0095, 231-9629, mddbbm@gmail.com.

Sat June 1 - Canoe/kayak the Rio Grande. Cancelled due to bosque closure.

Sun June 2 - Strenuous Hike: Two Lakes and an Off-Trail Ridge. A 12-mile loop hike in the Pecos. Route starts at Winsor Creek Trailhead, climbs to Lake Katherine, descends to Stewart Lake, and then follows Winsor Ridge to a bushwhack route that descends directly to the starting point. Total elevation gain is approx. 3400 feet. Aku, (505) 577-2594.

Sat June 8 - Strenuous hike on the Santa Barbara West Fork. Cancelled due to Pecos Wilderness closure.

Sun June 9 - Moderate hike down lower Big Tesuque and up Winsor to the norski trails, shuttle back to picnic area. About 3.5 miles with 1,000 ft. elevation gain. Alan Shapiro, (505) 424-9242, Nm5s@yahoo.com

Sat June 15 - CHANGED! Strenuous hike to Deception etc.. Loop hike including Raven's, Deception, and Big Tesuque, jointly with the Los Alamos Mountaineers. About 2500' gain, 5 miles. Limit of eight hikers. One or two dogs ok, leashed at lunch stops. Mary Thompson mary14er@gmail.com.

Sat June 15 - Santa Fe River Cleanup, 9-11 a.m. Meet at Closson Street Footbridge by 9. Bring work gloves, rubber boots helpful if recent rains. Leader will supply trash bags. Contact leader if attending. Greg Lower, (505) 699-6893, glower@lanl.gov

Sat June 16 - Strenuous hike to Nambé Lake. Cancelled due to Pecos Wilderness closure.

Sat June 22 - IN JEPOARDY OF CANCELLATION OR CHANGE: Very Strenuous hike to South Truchas Peak on the (nearly) Summer Solstice. Up to 16 miles RT with a net climb of 4000-plus feet, mostly off trail with scree scrambling. Expect a long but worthwhile day. Michael Di Rosa, (505) 667-0095, 231-9629, mddbbm@gmail.com.

Sat June 22 - ASSUMING TRUCHAS IS CANCELED, Michael's SUBSTITUTE: Hike beside the greenery and flowing water of Cañones Creek to Cerro Pavo, near Cerro Pedernal. Mostly on trail but strenuous for the ~9 miles and 2300 ft. elevation gain. High-clearance vehicles helpful. Contact Michael Di Rosa for details (505-667-0095 (day), 505-231-9629 (eve), , mddbbm@gmail.com.

Sat June 22 - Take a Llama to Lunch moderate hike and gourmet lunch with local guide Stuart Wilde along Columbine Creek in the beautiful Columbine Hondo WSA near Taos. $65, limit 12. Norma McCallan (505) 471-0005.

Sun June 23 - MAJOR CHANGE: Easy to moderate morning constitutional in Eldorado Preserve. Four miles, 700' gain. Call Dag Ryen at (505) 466-4063 after Wednesday. Limit 12, 1-2 dogs OK.

Fri-Sun or Sat/Sun June 28/29-30 - 14er Time! Two- or three-day car camp in southern Colorado to hike Mount Lindsey (14,042), one of the easier 14ers in the Sangres. Standard Class 2 route (North face), 8 miles and 3500-foot gain. Royal Drews, (505) 699-8713.

Sat June 29 - CHANGED: Easy hike to Carl's Meadow off Aspen Vista Rd before ski basin, limit 12, about 2 miles, 500’ gain, thin air. Lisa Bowdey, (505) 699-2953.

Sun June 30 - Strenuous Hike, Gold Hill (Taos) loop. Up Long Canyon, off-trail along long, spectacular, wide ridge above treeline, return down on Gavilan Trail. About 12 miles, 4000’ gain, early start, 1-2 dogs ok. Tobin Oruch, (505) 820-2844.

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By Mary Katherine Ray, Chapter Wildlife Chair

Trapping season began in New Mexico on November 1 and will not end until March 15. This is the season when fur is its thickest and most valuable, so trappers are out to make a profit by killing wildlife such as bobcats, foxes, coyotes and badgers.

They can set their traps on public lands where the rest of us go to enjoy these same animals and their habitats. No warning signs are required, and the distance a trap can be set from roads and trails is a mere 25 yards. How much trapping occurs depends on current fur prices. The more money pelts are bringing, the more traps there will be.
In order to protect your dog and yourself while hiking, please take a look at these photos of traps that could be encountered and note how to open them if your dog is caught.

Sierra Club Mission Outdoors - The Organ Mountains Campout
by Liz Walsh

As you know the Sierra Club’s mission is to explore, enjoy and protect the planet. Through our four Mission Outdoors programs, we are expanding the conservation movement by providing access to outdoor experiences for more people, organizing grassroots and administrative support for the value of outdoor experiences, and building alliances and partnerships that involve diverse communities in protecting their natural heritage. Part of this initiative focuses on engaging military families and veterans.

By Eric Patterson

I came across an article by Matt van Buren on the Columbine-Hondo Wilderness Study Area in the Taos News on Nov. 17 that really struck a nerve.

Almost 40 years ago, when I was teaching at Taos High School, I went backpacking for the first time with two good friends who were very experienced and capable hikers. We went up Long Canyon and camped overnight at Goose Lake.

Last legislative session our leaders almost did the right thing. They very nearly passed a Children’s Outdoor Bill of Rights, which would set the stage for connecting every New Mexico child with the outdoors. There was no real reason this bill didn’t pass, other than lack of time.

Why do we even need a Bill of Rights that gets our children moving outside?

By Jason Lott, Bandelier National Monument Superintendent

Please consider this your personal invitation to return to Bandelier. You can once again visit Frijoles Canyon by a free shuttle bus (Atomic City Transit) from the Town of White Rock, and on November 1, the canyon will open for personal vehicles.

By Kristina Ortez de Jones, Southwest Youth Representative

John Muir loved the outdoors, and when the Sierra Club was founded back in 1892, outings to special places in the Sierras inspired passion among the Club’s early members. Outings have always been a special part of the Club, and it’s been integrated with two of Sierra Club’s Youth Programs.

12-5 pm, Saturday, November 12
North Domingo Baca Park, 7550 Corona Ave NE, Albuquerque

Please join us for the 2011 NM Volunteer Appreciation Event, including a delicious lunch, a silent auction to benefit the CDTA, and a “foot stompin, partner swingin” live performance by the Squash Blossom Boys.

RSVP by 11/7: Contact Jon Pierson at jon@cdtrail.org or 505-659-7364

NOTE: All events are outside, and take place RAIN OR SHINE;
Bring a jacket or warm layer!

For over 20 years Jon and Sue Greening of Tijeras have hosted the leaders of the Sierra Club’s Southwest Outings Service trips to Chaco Canyon. It is through the support of good people like theGreenings that the Sierra Club has been able to provide quality outing experiences for well over 320 Chaco Canyon Southwest Outings Service trips participants over the years.