Cookes Peak, NM hike + countryside

[cnycharles]

Last year I determined that I was going to try and hike up Cookes Peak, and got to near the base on the backside before I ran out of daylight. This year I found a trail hiking page that advertised a trail and had GPS coordinates for the trailhead and said the trail was easy to follow after that. It was a chilly and very windy day (20mph up to 40mph gusts) but was sunny so I packed up and headed out.

*well*

Once I got to the 'trailhead' it was in the open desert looking like still five miles away from the base of the mountain. Clearly a waste of time. I followed all of the county roads that my mothers crv would navigate, found a county worker improving the road with a grader, who told me none of the improved section came close to the mountain. Said where I'd been last year might be closest. So drove 55+ miles to finally end up where I'd been last year, and that looked sketchy as to actually getting to the top, but at that point it was just going to be poking around while going vertical, and seeing where I ended up.

Cookes Peak which is still a good 7-10 miles away

This is what's left of a mining platform from long ago. Very little rain, things don't break down very quickly

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[cnycharles]

The tip in the top middle of the rock is cookes peak, still a very safe distance away from me. No easy hikes up from this spot ....

You can just barely make out the wind turbines way down and across the valley a bit. They get a workout in this area

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[cnycharles]

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[cnycharles]

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[cnycharles]

I ended up getting really tired and possibly getting a respiratory infection, or at least really setting off a good case of pharyngitis (today is last day of antibiotics), and lots of people died on cookes peak in the 1800's, maybe I should just stay away
If anything I found that horseshoe which clearly was very old!


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[NYEric]

Interesting, thanks for the photos. Maybe you should make a multiple day camping trip out of the adventure.

 

[Paphluvr]

I envy you, this looks like it was an excellent trip. I got to do something similar many years ago near Yuma, Arizona. It was mid February so it was ideal for hiking and exploring. The terrain was very similar. Lots of evidence of past and present gold mining. Also got to see a number of petroglyphs there as well. Very cool. By the way, the photo with all the different colors on the rock, I suppose those were all different types of lichens?

 

[SlipperFan]

I'm enjoying the warmth of these desert photos in the throes of cold, snowy Michigan!

 

[abax]

Charles, I think you're having fun! That sky is worth the
the trip. Here in the mountains, we don't get to see open
sky like that. Oh heavens, Opuntia!!! I often wonder why
just about everything in the desert hurts. I backed up into an Opuntia once upon a time...they have tiny hooks
on the end of the needle...many yelps getting them out
of both me and my horse...also a fairly good kick in the
knee. Be careful!

 

[cnycharles]

Yes, the one pic was of cool lichen. Yes, some of the cacti are very pointy, I would never want to get bucked off a horse into some of the big patches. And yes the sky is worth the trip! A single sunset can present many different looks

 

[Happypaphy7]

Some great photos! Love the sky shots, blue, clouds, sunset, all beautiful!

Haven't been out to the west for a while.

 

[Clark]

Call me when you get home.

 

[fibre]

I really love the landscape of NM. Thanks a lot for sharing your pics and let some memories come back...

 

[Ozpaph]

stark but lovely country