Course Reflection

It is so cold here and gets dark so early this time of year that I haven't been to get outside after work. I am going to try to get one quick hike in at lunch tomorrow if it is possible because I am missing my time outdoors quite a bit.  This course has made me reflect on my time outside a lot more, and I realized how much I treasure it. I am in great appreciation to the school and my professor for making the class so meaningful, especially for an online class.

Mining Companies

When I was reviewing the video on mountain top removal, I became very upset. This is always a hot-button issue for me, but it is even more hot for me these days. Not only are the mining companies ruining the mountains, but they have destroyed (sunk) two wells on the property my sister and I own in Virginia.  My uncle recently discovered this when he noticed a porcelain garden knome that was sitting atop his well cover had fallen to the ground. He looked inside and found the well was dry. He then checked our wells and both were dry.  After checking around he learned that other people's wells had gone dry also from coal removal deep beneath the Earth.

Unfortunately, our great-grandfather sold the mineral rights to all of the lands he owned, which was a couple of hundred acres.  We inherited around 30 acres where we grew up.  Later, our house burned down, and after a mistake allowing some relatives to do some minimal logging on the land, my sister and I let the forest take back over.  The mining company sunk our wells by removing coal beneath our land. I didn't even know they were doing this, and I had no right to know or even do anything about it.  In my reflection about nature, this is a complete injustice to me.  Our ancestors who had no knowledge of the effects of mining on the land have effectively given away our rights to decide forever. It isn't that I condemn all mining either, but I think we should have the right to control all of our land in fee simple without intrusion.

Sure, my sister and I might decide to sell some of the coal; however, we would ensure the practices were sound and did as little impact to the land as possible.  I think the biggest lesson I have learned from this is that we must always think to the future when making decisions. We cannot ignore the impact that our actions today will have on tomorrow.

Snow

I was so excited we got some snow this week. I didn't get a chance to take photos until today, and now it is almost gone, but I still love it.  We were going to do some late fall camping, so we pitched our tent to air it out, and it caught some snow.

Snow in my courtyard

Taos Mountain is snow capped again.

I love it when the tops of the mountains hold snow. It is so beautiful.  I can't wait to see even more snow.  My husband doesn't enjoy being outdoors in the cold, but I love it and can't wait to do some skiing and snowshoeing if my budget permits. I really appreciate this aspect of nature.

Windy Out Today

I wanted to take a few minutes to get outside today between working on assignments and household chores, but it was far too windy. I looked at the mountains though, and I must say that I still appreciate them for everything that they are.  The feeling of calm they provide, the sense of adventure, and the possibilities are still endless in my view even after months here in Taos. I will be leaving soon to return to Florida, and I have to admit that I will truly miss these mountains.

Weekend Hike in the Pecos Wilderness

We had to go to Santa Fe today for some car repairs, and we decided to take a hike when we were done.  We decided to go to the Pecos Wilderness.  It is about 30 miles north of Santa Fe, and it is really cool.  Before you get to the National Forest, there are nice cabins along the creek all the way up.  As you start to ascend the high mountain road, snow appears.  We parked and hopped out to take a look, and a great sense of solitude surrounded us. It was so serene; we didn't hear a noise from any direction.  As we drove further, we saw the beautiful Pecos baldy up ahead, towering over the other peaks.  We drove to the top of the mountain into the Pecos Wilderness area, and we were going to hike there, but it was far too windy, and cold. Instead, we came back down a ways, and we drove up Holy Ghost Creek to the campground.  We got out and took a nice walk there.  The photos below are from that stroll.

The snow crusted edges of Holyghost Creek.

Huge boulders line the creek.  It is quite impressive.

The woodsy road on the way back down from Pecos.

Although it was quite cold, we still enjoyed this day out in nature.  It was a nice break from the hustle and bustle of everyday life.

Williams Lake Hike

Last weekend we decided to do one of my goal hikes in the area before there was too much snow.  My list of goal hikes for the season included Williams lake. It is only four miles up to the alpine lake that lies between some of the highest peaks in northern New Mexico, but it is a very tough hike.  You start at 8,500 feet and hike to 11,100; this is a lot of elevation gain in four miles, but it is so worth it.  The trail and the lake are beautiful.  While there was some snow, the trail was clear, and the day was crisp, yet sunny. 

The trail goes right through the Taos Ski Valley ski area, so it is closed after Thanksgiving. 

Robber Jays molested us all along the trail, but we thoroughly enjoyed it.  here is one eating a granola bar out of my husband's hand. This was so fun.  It was truly a connection with nature.

Ben feeding a Robber Jay.

 I was getting really tired at this point, but I was really enjoying it, so we pushed on.  I love hiking in the high altitudes; it is so invigorating. 

Wheeler Peak - highest peak in Taos Mountains at 13,161 feet

The finale - Williams Lake

Williams Lake is too shallow to hold fish, but it is beautiful nonetheless.  It is in a cirque between many of the highest peaks in the Taos/Sangre de Cristo Range of the Rockies.

The trail on the way back down.

 This was a lovely day out. I cherished the day and will remember it always.

Saturday Morning Hike

From Vista View Trail

My husband and I got up early and drove over to Abiqui, the home of artist Georgia O'Keefe. It was a fun morning.  We hiked the Vista View Trail first and captured the first few photos in this post.  The colors are inspirational there.  It is similar to canyon country in Utah.

Me coming back down on the Vista View Trail.  It was going to rain, so we rushed back down.  My husband is tall, so he is faster than me.

Another view from Vista View Trail

We stopped by Ghost Ranch on the way back to Taos.  It is way cool.

This cool cabin sits at the edge of ghost ranch.  I went in, it is really interesting.

Echo Canyon

We took a second short hike on the way home up Echo Canyon. It is the second or third echo canyon I have been to in the west, but this one definitely had the loudest echo.  The paved path took something away from the experience, but it is accessible to everyone, so that is nice.  It was a great morning before returning home to work on school stuff. I am really glad we saw another side of New Mexico. It truly is the land of Enchantment.