We took advantage of the 60° winter weather, in mid
February, to hike around the Gilman Tunnels and Guadalupe River. We chose a destination close to Albuquerque
because of our late start. With the
seeming never ending Bernalillo road construction slowing us down, we arrived
at the Tunnels in just over 90 minutes.
The Gilman Tunnels are a short detour off the Jemez Mountain Trail
Scenic Byway; check out the website for more information http://www.newmexico.org/jemez-mountain-trail/
After taking NM550 though Bernalillo, turn North on NM4 at
San Ysidro. Stay on NM4 as you pass
through the Jemez Pueblo; then take NM485.
The road is paved to the Tunnels; somewhere between the turn-off and the
Tunnels the road turns into Forest Road 376; don’t worry there is only one
road; this portion of the trip is about 5.5 miles.
As you pass through the village of Gilman you see Mesa
Garcia to your right, farther along the red of the Guadalupita Mesa towers to
the right.
The Gilman Tunnels were blasted out of the rock during the
1920’s for a logging railroad out of the Jemez Mountains. The Guadalupe River runs parallel to the Tunnels
forming the bottom of this narrow canyon.
You can get an idea of the narrowness of the canyon with overall view of
the waterfall and the rubble spread below the road; Holiday Mesa in the
background, is a mile away.
We stopped at one of the pullouts before the Tunnels hiking
down to the Guadalupe. Byron is itching to do a few casts for the local
trout. I want to shoot the waterfalls
from river level. My hike looks
promising. At first there is a faint
trail following along the river. After a
few hundred yards with more than a half mile to go the trail turns into a field
of rubble from the roadbed and tunnels. It's a challenge scrambling over
rocks ranging from the size of toasters to small end tables. After about a hundred feet into this portion of the hike I looked back and realized I get to do this all over again on the way out. The challenge of determining
which rock will support my weight without shifting from those that may shift is not something I want to do for the next half mile. That is enough incentive for me to turn back. I believe if I crossed to the opposite side of the river the going would have been easier. I do not own waders which would give me the option of crossing. I am not about to cross the river in bare feet in the middle of February.
Byron didn't have any luck catching trout, by the time
I got back to our rendezvous point he was already shooting the river. Willows and other thick bushes, shrubs and
small trees make getting to the river a challenge. After a half hour of searching for good photo
locations we picked up and moved to the Tunnels and falls. 
Given the warm temperatures and lack of precipitation we've experienced this winter it was hard to find snow or ice. I came upon a handful of spots, but nothing
more. 
We've been here before but the falls were never the goal of
past trips. After studying the area for
a few minutes we found seldom used paths down and along the river awarding us
different views of the falls. As usual
we split up and shot what attracted us.
We were there about an hour; climbing up, down and around the boulders
looking for unique vantage points of the river.
Byron can visualize in black and white. I only see black and white after I get back
home studying my images. I
have a combination of both in this posting.
The color ones called to me because of the golden reflections off the
water. The black and white images have
more detail in the many shades of gray than the color images revealed. You can see Byron’s photos of our trip at https://byrondemos.wordpress.com/
The Gilman Tunnels and other
parts of the Jemez Mountain Trail Scenic Byway are an easy day trip from Albuquerque.
I have been to this area many times and always find something different. Get out to see it!
Mark
No comments:
Post a Comment