i'm baaaaaaaack
the mountains were glorious and i have several stories and tons of pictures. i'll share some things in installments so that you don't tire your little eyes out reading it all. ok really so that you won't get bored and stop reading.
as soon as i got to the mountains, i had this feeling of peace, relaxation and contentment. mostly because there are very few things that can compare to the smell of mountain rain. kat and i were excited because we were finally going to go on our first backpacking excursion. we'd been gathering supplies and talking about it for about two years, so there was a lot of build up to the main event. we visited with my uncle tom about wheeler peak because he'd done it before. he told us that it wasn't too difficult and that there were only two things to worry about: bear proofing and hypothermia. "you only have to worry about hypothermia, cause people get up there and get wet and then it gets cold fast and you die." hypothermia, check. we were already camping at 9,000 feet and it wasn't even close to cold there. besides, we had all of the necessary gear and are experienced campers. so we headed off on tuesday morning...
6AM, wake up, break camp, start the drive
7AM stop to buy a hatchett in espanola and grab an egg mcmuffin
9AM stuck at construction outside of taos
10:30AM arrive at the trailhead outside of red river
12PM lunch break - kat eats her peanut butter and honey sandwich, i opt to wait
12:30PM begins to sprinkle
12:40PM feel like a lightning rod crossing the rock slides with my camera, phone and ipod
1:30PM reach horseshoe lake, soak socks and shoes in the tall grass, become astounded by beauty
1:35PM see bear droppings and become slightly concerned at the fact that we are the only hikers on the mountain
1:40PM notice quickly approaching thunderstorm, suggest we set up camp below treeline, hike back down to the trees
1:55PM potty break
2:00PM get out tent
2:00:30PM God dumps buckets of water and hail on us, no time to change from shorts, tshirts and rain shells
2:01PM notice tent is filling with water and abandon set up
2:02PM huddle under fly with packs and tent, wait for the rain to stop
2:03PM temperature drops to 40s or less
2:??PM start feeling nauseous and put head on pack, begin shaking
3:10PM look up and ask how long we're waiting it out, thinking it could go on all night
3:11PM told my lips are blue, cannot stop shaking
3:12PM uncle tom's words "hypothermia" and "die" circling in head
3:13PM eat half of sandwich while kat packs up tent
3:15PM start back down the mountain, feeling "tipsy"
5:15PM reach the car, no longer blue
7:00PM eat pizza outback, drink beer, laugh at my fragile nature
so that was fun. if we'd done the 10 miles without packs, it would've been a breeze. however, the pack made my haunches (yes, i'm a horse) sore beyond belief for the next two days. it sucks because we never actually made it to the summit. we did see some amazing views and had a close up look at a marmott up at the lake. i can also say that never in my life have i been that close to lightning and thunder.
next year we know not to do the following: stop in espanola, pee before putting up a tent and/or not change into warmer clothes as soon as we reach treeline. it's one of those experiences that honestly was scary while i was in it, but makes for a good story and an interesting memory. the pictures have a link to my album of the trip. tons of great scenery and experiences. can't wait until next year.
as soon as i got to the mountains, i had this feeling of peace, relaxation and contentment. mostly because there are very few things that can compare to the smell of mountain rain. kat and i were excited because we were finally going to go on our first backpacking excursion. we'd been gathering supplies and talking about it for about two years, so there was a lot of build up to the main event. we visited with my uncle tom about wheeler peak because he'd done it before. he told us that it wasn't too difficult and that there were only two things to worry about: bear proofing and hypothermia. "you only have to worry about hypothermia, cause people get up there and get wet and then it gets cold fast and you die." hypothermia, check. we were already camping at 9,000 feet and it wasn't even close to cold there. besides, we had all of the necessary gear and are experienced campers. so we headed off on tuesday morning...
6AM, wake up, break camp, start the drive
7AM stop to buy a hatchett in espanola and grab an egg mcmuffin
9AM stuck at construction outside of taos
10:30AM arrive at the trailhead outside of red river
12PM lunch break - kat eats her peanut butter and honey sandwich, i opt to wait
12:30PM begins to sprinkle
12:40PM feel like a lightning rod crossing the rock slides with my camera, phone and ipod
1:30PM reach horseshoe lake, soak socks and shoes in the tall grass, become astounded by beauty
1:35PM see bear droppings and become slightly concerned at the fact that we are the only hikers on the mountain
1:40PM notice quickly approaching thunderstorm, suggest we set up camp below treeline, hike back down to the trees
1:55PM potty break
2:00PM get out tent
2:00:30PM God dumps buckets of water and hail on us, no time to change from shorts, tshirts and rain shells
2:01PM notice tent is filling with water and abandon set up
2:02PM huddle under fly with packs and tent, wait for the rain to stop
2:03PM temperature drops to 40s or less
2:??PM start feeling nauseous and put head on pack, begin shaking
3:10PM look up and ask how long we're waiting it out, thinking it could go on all night
3:11PM told my lips are blue, cannot stop shaking
3:12PM uncle tom's words "hypothermia" and "die" circling in head
3:13PM eat half of sandwich while kat packs up tent
3:15PM start back down the mountain, feeling "tipsy"
5:15PM reach the car, no longer blue
7:00PM eat pizza outback, drink beer, laugh at my fragile nature
so that was fun. if we'd done the 10 miles without packs, it would've been a breeze. however, the pack made my haunches (yes, i'm a horse) sore beyond belief for the next two days. it sucks because we never actually made it to the summit. we did see some amazing views and had a close up look at a marmott up at the lake. i can also say that never in my life have i been that close to lightning and thunder.
next year we know not to do the following: stop in espanola, pee before putting up a tent and/or not change into warmer clothes as soon as we reach treeline. it's one of those experiences that honestly was scary while i was in it, but makes for a good story and an interesting memory. the pictures have a link to my album of the trip. tons of great scenery and experiences. can't wait until next year.
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| From jemez 2007 |
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| From jemez 2007 |
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| From jemez 2007 |
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| From jemez 2007 |
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| From jemez 2007 |
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| From jemez 2007 |
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