Hiking Mania

February 15-22

2 weekends in a row—three big hikes! At a glance one would scan the Chihuahuan Desert and say,
“Ain't nothin' out there!” Oh, but there is SO much out there.

Hike #1, 2/15/20, Prehistoric Trackways National Monument—a second visit for us to this site within three years, and it is still just as fascinating to see history at our feet. The tracks of sea creatures identified by Colin Dunn, archaeologist, were readily visible as we walked the path within the monument. Unbeknownst to us all, there was the added entertainment of a parading off-road rally with souped-up 4-wheel drive vehicles rolling along our path; they maneuvered the path with their highly visible (and needed) shock absorbers. As bystanders we marveled their rides as similar to being inside a cement mixer or a carnival ride.

Hike #2, 2/16/20, Slot Canyon, Robledo Mts—a hike done once and never to be repeated with boulders to traverse 3 ft. high! To get to the hike, the Rio Grande River had to be traversed. Plastic bags over shoes didn't cut it. Thank goodness for extra footwear and strong arms to aid in some of the ascents. A challenge by all means!

Hike #3, 2/22/20, Lucero Wash Petroglyphs—Victory! Over the past 2+ years Lou has adopted the moniker of “Moses” because on at least ½ dozen occasions he has led varied subsets of our hiking buddies into the desert in search of the elusive Radium Springs petroglyphs—undiscovered by us until 2/22/20. Hooray to the dedicated!

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