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We are looking for peak fall color! Rain and winds have been passing through the
state this past week; my hopes are not high as I intently study the weather on
the three local TV stations. I didn’t
see any fall color when I passed through northern NM on my trip back from WI in
mid September so maybe there’s a chance.I called several possible campgrounds in north central NM to see: if they are open, if there are open campsites, what weather have they had, what weather are they expecting, what are the road conditions and finally, what are the fall color conditions. Reports were: We had rain and wind, expecting better weather, but windy, yes we are open or no we are closed for the year, (that one was easy to drop from the list) and yes there was fall color earlier this week but there haven’t been any updates over the past few days. So we picked the closest one with the best prognosis; Iron Gate Campground in the Pecos Wilderness.
Refrigerator stuffed with food we start our trip. Terry and I are excited; this will be a four
day weekend with Columbus Day extending our normal weekend by another day. Driving up the Pecos River valley I see that
yesterday’s rain has swollen the river.
Stopping I see strands of grass in the river telling me it is above its
normal level, especially for this time of year.
Along the way we also spot signs of fall color. I’m hoping more color appears as we climb in
elevation.
Turning on to FR223 I shift into 4WD. The forest ranger I spoke with earlier this
morning said the road is pretty good but also suggested to have a high
clearance vehicle to negotiate the sometimes deep water-filled ruts. Terry and I looked at each other more than
once, simultaneously saying “Wow that was deep” as the truck creeped through a
number of pools of water.
Climbing higher, approaching 9,000’ the aspen are glowing gold
in the sun. The leaves are battering
each other in the wind. Opening the
windows we catch the smell of the pines lining the road.
Iron Gate campground is about half full of vehicles, most of
them with horse trailers. Actual campers
occupy three sites counting ours.
After a bite to eat we head out to the Hamilton Mesa. The hike is a few miles long with continual
up and down sections of trail. The trail
is on the leeward side of the mesa under the given the windy conditions. Approaching the top of the mesa, still
surrounded by forest; we see, hear and feel the wind. Once in the open the wind is incessant. Even though the views of the surrounding
mesas and mountain tops are spectacular, I turn around ducking back into the
forest for respite. I wonder how the
leaves are able to hold on with all the wind.
The wind is relentless as we arrive back at our
campsite. 30 – 40 mile an hour winds
were forecast in Tererro but we are on the top of the mesa ‘enjoying’ the fresh
air. We struggled for better than a half
hour trying to get the charcoal grill lit then get hot enough to cook
chicken. We ended up hiding behind one
of the wheels of my truck, the only place where I could keep the lighter lit
long enough to ignite the newspaper for the charcoal. No campfire tonight.
Even with the wind howling most of the night the popup
camper performed well. The sides did not
blow in and out, a slight rustling but nothing more. I did not know what to expect under these
conditions and when looking to buy I questioned Matt at Hallmark about wall
performance in the wind. They were
right; no major shaking, rattling or rolling happened. Even though the sides stayed calm I could
hear the muffled wind in the trees. I
did fall asleep, waking a few times through the night. Finally I woke to still air, which I think
woke me having gotten used to the gusty wind.I get up to 38° and a cloudless sky. The sun is already shining on the line of mountains to the west but we are in the cool shade of the forest surrounding us. Terry sleeps in so I stealthily retrieve my camera from the camper so I can explore the area around the campground and wander down one of the trails.
The birds, having endured the wind from yesterday are out in
full force, singing and winging their way from tree to tree. They are probably celebrating making it to
another day. Butterflies and other
winged insects are also out soaking up the sun and looking for flowers to feed
on.
Today is a gorgeous day, lots of sunshine, warm
temperatures, about 70, and no wind. We
take off towards Jack’s Creek. The sign
says 1.5 miles. After the 1.5 miles we
are still several hundred feet above the river.
We get glimpses of a steep bare rock wall on the opposite site of the
canyon; we can only assume the wall is the same on our side. Terry wisely calls it a day, relaxing before hiking
back out. I on the other hand have to
see the river. I can hear it, but I
can’t see it. My hike is easy,
descending for another mile. All the
while I’m thinking of the not so easy ascent I will get to make on my hike back
out. Finally, I arrive at the Pecos
River. It is still flowing strong. Following paths along the river I scout for
fishing spots. The river is flanked by
small trees and shrubs making fishing a challenge, the only way to fish this
without catching trees or shrubs will be to wade it. Today the flow is too strong, at least for
me, to even want to try wading.
Arriving back at camp, sweating from the 900’ vertical climb
out of the canyon I find Terry enjoying the sun, reclining in a chair,
listening to her book. We both made
right decisions, she hiked a bit then relaxes; I went to see the river. I’m worn out, but happy.
No wind tonight; Campfire time! We brought a bunch of wood for a long
burning, hot fire. Cool temperatures are
expected, upper 30’s by early morning.
Both of us work to get kindling in place before sun down so it’s a
matter of lighting the tinder and watching the fire grow from there. Swirling breezes keeps us dancing around the
fire most of the night working to stay out of the smoke plume. Both of us poke at the fire, a favorite hobby
of mine, to get every last bit of heat and flame out of the wood. As the fire turns into a bed of red glowing
embers we imagine seeing city lights flickering in the dark. For some reason a baked potato pops into my
brain. The bed of coals would be a prime
spot for a baked potato this evening.
Maybe next time. Besides I didn’t
bring sour cream, bacon bits or chives…
Turning in for the night I can tell that I didn’t do a good
enough job of staying out of the smoke.
My clothes have the aroma of burnt wood.
It doesn’t keep me up though as I drift off to a restful sleep.Sunday starts with even better weather. Pulling out my GPS I see that I can bushwhack my way to the trail instead of following the blazed trail. This section of the forest has lots of downed trees but with lots of zigzagging I am able to avoid crawling over the decaying trees ultimately arriving at the edge of the valley. Glowing aspen are interspersed with pines all along the valley. If I am willing to battle my way through the scrub oak I can work my way into a large stand of glowing aspen just below me. I look for game trails through the chest high oaks. Arriving, I immediately notice the area under the aspen opens into a shaded meadow. Grasses and wildflowers replace the oaks. The light looks golden from the mantle of autumn colored leaves.
Returning to the camper we have breakfast planning our hike
for the day. Today makes three
consecutive days of hiking. This is the
most I have hiked since the Christmas trip to Sedona the end of last year. While I am not beat I feel the hikes, being
at 9300’ contributes to my fatigue.
We lost track of the days with the additional holiday; it contributes to the nice relaxed frame of mind. Wondering why there are so many people hiking we finally realize it’s Sunday. Others are out enjoying the fall colors too.
Throughout the day several groups of successful elk hunters
passed through the campground on horseback.
Each group had a least one elk. 
Finishing our meal of Greek chicken and other leftovers we settled in for another evening in front of a campfire. Earlier I had scoured the forest adjacent to the campground for fallen branches; better to have too much wood than not enough. We turn in early, before finishing the wood. Three days of hiking, fresh air and enjoying the weekend catches up with us.
Monday we wake to wind and cloudy skies; looking like
impending rain. After breakfast we pack,
readying ourselves for the big city. Before
leaving the Pecos Wilderness we tour Jack’s Creek campground, I’m always on the
lookout for more campgrounds to add to my list.
Exiting the Pecos Wilderness the clouds break returning us
to the normal sunny days we expect.
Looking back I notice the clouds keep hanging over the mountains making
up the Pecos Wilderness. This area seems
to make its own weather.
This was a great weekend, can’t wait to do it again.
Thank you for stopping by
Mark
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