Organ Needle

I woke up on Sunday 6 April expecting to be unable to walk because the day before I had climbed the Organ Needle - almost 9000 feet and the highest peak in the Organ Mountains. Here is a photo of me and my hiking buddies - from left to right - Kevin Melissa Greg Ed - at the end of our 10.5 hour day. We look pretty darn good!



We started at 8:30 a.m. at around 4500 feet and by around 2 p.m. had ascended to the peak - about 4 miles and 4500 feet above. We played around at the top a bit for too short a time before heading back down for the descent that - at least to me - was every bit as tough as the ascent - and arrived back at the parking lot around 7 p.m.

Here is the Google Earth image of our hike. We started climbing via a more southern route but then did a bit of off-trail bushwhacking northward when we decided that we were off trail. Luckily we found the trail again and so were able to head pretty straight east and dramatically up hill to our destination. I have more stories to tell but the passage of a week and a half has made them feel more appropriate for the heart than the blog. And it is late. And I expect to do this again.

Renewable Energy

Earlier today/Wednesday at SWEC there was an unveiling of the first commercial photovoltaic system in the city of Las Cruces which was installed on the roof of the SWEC building. A number of state and local dignitaries - including Governor Bill Richardson - were in attendance. It took me a minute or so to realize the significance of his being there in terms of his being a former Energy Secretary as well as the current governor of course. It was a nice ceremony of about 45 minutes with many brief but influential speakers. Funnily enough it was a very windy day which no doubt prompted more than one attendee to ponder whether a wind turbine or six should also be installed on the roof of the SWEC building.

Biodiversity

I also became a board member for the Southwest Environmental Center [SWEC] during my blog hiatus. This non-profit organization is "dedicated to protecting and restoring the unique natural heritage of the Southwestern borderlands" [from the website].

The website is currently under construction but please check back later ~

http://www.wildmesquite.org/

To those who know and love me who read this blog - and even to those who do not - if you ever need an idea for a gift for me - a donation to this group would be most appreciated. You might also consider becoming a member.

Now for a segue between the hike from the prior posts and the hike in the next posts ~ The hike from the prior posts [REP] was a training hike for the hike in the next posts [ON] ~

The major SWEC fundraiser is "On the River, For the River" in the fall. There is always a silent auction. Last fall I bid on and won a guided hike and gourmet lunch. We did this hike this past weekend and - to quote Greg - it was "super cool." More on this hike in the next blog entry.

R E P continued

You might notice in the photos that I am wearing my Garmin Forerunner. After the hike I transferred the data to my computer and then used Google Earth to create this image of our route and the terrain. You can see where we headed east up the mountains and then where we found the trail and headed more northeast. We got a late start that day and so turned around before reaching our summit - the plateau - so this hike is still on our list of things to do soon.

You can click on the image to enlarge it.


An excerpt from Day Hikes and Nature Walks
in the Las Cruces - El Paso Area
by Greg Magee

"This is a very strenuous hike of about 8 miles gaining over 3,000 feet of elevation. Though the first part of the hike follows a rough 4WD jeep trail, most of the route is off-trail, traversing rugged and steep terrain. Though not for those who suffer from fear of heights, your reward is great if you do make it to the top of Rabbit Ears Plateau. The panoramic views from the peak are spectacular. The wildflower display along the route can also be impressive, especially in the Fall."

Rabbit Ears Plateau

Two weeks ago - March 25 - during Spring Break - Ed and I set out to hike the Rabbit Ears Plateau trail in the Organ Mountains. We failed to appreciate the value of trying to spot the cairns - at least until near the end of the hike - and so we found ourselves off the trail. We later discovered that we had headed east when we should have headed north. We did a lot of bushwhacking followed by a lot of scrambling before deciding that we were in fact off the trail and turning around. After more scrambling followed by more bushwhacking we found the correct trail and followed it for awhile before turning back and eventually discovering where and when we had lost the intended trail.

Still Catching Up

During my blog hiatus I went up to Santa Fe twice to visit with my sister and brother-in-law and it was great fun to see them and to get out of town for awhile and a nice and welcome break from being a full-time puppy parent.

My parents came here another weekend to visit and helped out a great deal with the dogs which was another nice and welcome break for me. We also went to the NMSU versus Boise State WAC final basketball game which was a very exciting game with multiple overtimes.

At the last test the dogs still both tested positive for coccidia but they finished another round of medication last week and I will take another sample in to the vet tomorrow.

Bodhi is at the kennel this weekend from Friday morning to Sunday afternoon because I had meetings all day Friday and a hike all day Saturday and the kennel does not open until this afternoon. Maddie was supposed to go to the kennel too but she came down with an eye infection or eye injury so I took her to the vet instead of the kennel on Friday. She got some medication and is looking and feeling better and it was nice to have her here with me on Friday and Saturday nights. It is strangely quiet without Bodhi around but very nice to get some one-on-one time with Maddie again. I took her to the vet on Saturday morning for boarding and then my phenomenal neighbor Kim picked her up in the afternoon and dropped her off at the house.

Dog training is going well with Bodhi learning lots of good things and Maddie being reminded of lots of good things that she learned a while ago.

I think my dishwasher is broken and so I envision a new one in my near future. I got an online subscription to Consumer Reports so I could get information on all large kitchen appliances. I had picked out new everything based on the reports. But then I started reading consumer reviews on other sites and it turns out that consumers were not necessarily happy with products that got good ratings. So I am still gatering information and doing dishes by hand.