My Journey

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

This would be our second attempt at Mount Wrightson (9,456') and my thinking here was that if I'm coming at it from a different direction, and with the few days of extraordinarily warm weather that we'd just had, that maybe it could still be summitted.....





We came across a signpost for Armour Spring (our turnoff) and we blew right on by it.....I didn't give any thought of turning off the trail at this point.....



After a mile, give or take, I checked my AllTrails ap and realized that I'd missed the turnoff.....that sure sucked.....



It turned out that the actual trail to our objective hadn't been used this season.....the trail was completely encased in snow & ice (you can faintly see the trail in the picture above). Once again no summit.....one summit attempt to go.....



We hiked along the ridgeline, often losing sight of the actual trail due to the dense brush (this stuff really did a number on my arms). But with my strong desire to summit something, we pushed on and eventually got a summit.....Florida Peak (8,180').....



The weather was near perfect that day.....no high winds to contend with.....and the views from that summit were outstanding as well.....





We spent a good hour up there eating our lunches, hydrating and just chilling on that mountaintop.....and that was certainly an "epic climb".....

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

During our stay at Madera Canyon, I most enjoyed climbing the peaks but that's not the only thing that we did here. On non climbing days we could be found walking along the Forest Service roads.....



.....or riding around in the Jeep.....not four wheeling mind you.....riding on well maintained Forest Service roads.....just seeing what we could see.....



.....or maybe driving to the entrance station to fill up the water bottles.....



One Sunday afternoon we walked from the entrance station to the end of the paved road.....approximately 3 miles one way. The walk started along a concrete walkway.....I'm not going to lie.....
that gradual slope and that concrete felt real good.....



The walkway was tucked in between the creek and the entrance road.....it was soooo beautiful here.....





The dogs cooled themselves in that creek.....leashes were mandatory here.....





Eventually the trail turns to asphalt and then to dirt and stone.....we saw deer everyday while camping & climbing here.....it's a paradise so why wouldn't we.....



Climbing Elephant Head (5,607') was on the wish list.....but we never made it to that one.....picture taken from our campsite in the Coronado National Forest.....

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

And somtimes we actually rested.....sometimes not moving can be a good thing. While I never got out the lawn chair here.....I did relax a bit.....



The sunsets were mostly spectacular during our stay here.....the weather was good.....the clouds passing from the west to the east were plentiful.....making that sky spectacular.....





Of course the dogs have that ability to turn it off in a matter of minutes and go into relax mode.....





At night I'd put on the headlamp and we'd walk along the Forest Service roads hoping to seeing something that we might not see during the day.....



Mostly all we saw were the stars and the moon.....





And lastly.....of course there's the book.....there's always the book.....not yet completed.....

 

[Ace Brown]

I really liked Blue Highways but some of his other books not so much.


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[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Ace.....I've been struggling through Blue Highways.....




After our somewhat lengthy stay at the Santa Anita Mountains, we finally decided to move on.....onto Interstate 10 headed east.....



And like most readers here, I too dislike the interstate, so we eventually left the interstate behind once we reached Lordsburg, New Mexico. It wasn't only my dislike of our interstates that drove that decision.....it was also that I knew of a good campsite in the Gila National Forest south of Silver City, New Mexico.....and I didn't want to spend the night at a truck stop with idling semis.....



Well, the times sure are chaging when it comes to free dispersed camping on BLM land. Crews had come in and completely regraded the roads, making acess to most sites impossible. That night I shared my space with 2 guys living in their cars.....which, I think, is the cause of the "times are changing" comment.....



We were out of there at the crack of dawn.....I had plans.....



Our next planned stop was Albuquerque, New Mexico.....



Well, "A Road of Miracles".....that's a stretch.....but Highway 152 sure did turn out to be one beautiful drive.....







I'm not sure if I've ever made a daily post about a state highway before (how could I possibly remember after 2,570 posts on XP ? Holy Cow ! It's hard to believe that I've actually made so many posts.....my only excuse being that it's been more than a decade that I've been posting !).....

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

The real beauty of this highway is it's crossing of the Black Range Mountains.....



One thing that you might have noticed in my pictures is the sheer number of warning signs for hairpin turns.....it's endemic of this road.....



The road passed through a stunningly beautiful canyon, then began a steep climb along the western slopes of the mountain.....





.....eventually reaching Emory Pass (8,228').....





Of course we made a stop here.....just to take in the views.....the winds and the cold made it unbearable.....even for an old mountain man such as myself.....the stop was brief.....



The descent on the eastern slopes were much like the ascent on the western slopes.....a steep and winding road.....

 

[ghostdancer]

And somtimes we actually rested.....sometimes not moving can be a good thing. While I never got out the lawn chair here.....I did relax a bit.....

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The sunsets were mostly spectacular during our stay here.....the weather was good.....the clouds passing from the west to the east were plentiful.....making that sky spectacular.....

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Of course the dogs have that ability to turn it off in a matter of minutes and go into relax mode.....

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At night I'd put on the headlamp and we'd walk along the Forest Service roads hoping to seeing something that we might not see during the day.....

View attachment 819739

Mostly all we saw were the stars and the moon.....

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View attachment 819743

And lastly.....of course there's the book.....there's always the book.....not yet completed.....

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I read that book, probably about 35 or so years ago. It’s where my internet handle comes from.

 

[Ace Brown]

I know my way around the southwest pretty darn well but i often see you post about traveling thru some place i never heard of, like the Black Range.


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[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Ghostdancer.....yep, I see the connection.....Ghost Dancing was the name he gave his rig.....does "small world" apply here I wonder.....

Ace.....there's so many places, so many mountains.....so much to see and do. I need another life to get it all done.....maybe even two.....



Eventually the highway reconnected us with yet another interstate.....this time it was Interstate 25 and we were headed north.....



I seemed to have recalled this massive structure in the desert from my one previous trip along this highway.....this time we made a brief stop to check it out but it was a good distance from the interstate so we passed on it.....whatever it was.....





As we drove further north, I noticed this flock of white birds to the east of the interstate.....thousands upon thousands of white birds flying southward.....it was a phenomenal sight and I made note of that location.....this place I would need to come back to.....

We spent that night camped in the national forest.....just east of Albuquerque, New Mexico.....cold, rain and then snow came that night.....but we stayed warm.....





The following morning I met a friend in town.....what a change from the silence & solitude.....but it was good in it's own way.....







We went to restaurants, ice cream shops, coffee shops.....we went everywhere as we explored Albuquerque, New Mexico.....

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

We made several trips to the historic district.....probably my favorite part of that town.....







.....as you might be able to tell from the pictures that I've posted here.....







And my favorite shop.....it was here.....where I spent $197.....gifts for my friends up north.....



Well, that's all I got to say about downtown Albuquerque, New Mexico.....I liked it here just fine.....but those mountains to the east of town were calling my name.....

 

[RealTruck]

This has been an incredible journey to follow. You embody exactly what it means to adventure: the feel out the vibe along the way and stop to take in all that surrounds you once you've arrived. I have truly enjoyed reading this thread and look forward to reading more!

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

RealTruck.....I appreciate those kind words. Thank you very much. I just enjoy wandering.....as I often say, "to see what I can see". There seems to be a never ending supply of miracles in this world.....

Everyone.....thanks to everyone that are willing to take the time out of their busy days to read, comment or like my posts. Feedback is always appreciated.....



Each evening I'd part ways with my friend and head over to the airport where I'd set up my camp (so to speak).....even in the city, a man needs time to be alone with his dogs.....



Our camp was along a four lane highway, just west of the runways to the Albuquerque International Airport.....it sat on a bluff overlooking the city and the views from there were surprisingly outstanding.....oh, those city lights.....



There was a concrete sidewalk along the four lane highway, so we'd walk there each night watching the planes as they approached the runway.....



Funny thing here.....there's not much more maddening than being camped next to an idling semi or an RV running a generator.....but the sound of the jet engines have an entirely different effect on me.....it's an almost calming sound.....



On my last day in Albuquerque, New Mexico, I finally answered the calling of the mountains, and we finally left the city.....





Now we set off to summit yet one more mountain......our goal for this day was Sandia Peak (10,678').....sadly, this was something that we did in a vehicle.....driving the entire way.....



Initially we took the entire rig up that highway, but eventually that highway got pretty sketchy.....at least for me.....



We dropped the camper off at a ski lodge.....I think we were around 7,000' above sea level when we did that.....

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

It was cold that day and the wind was whipping right through that Jeep.....





We were somewhat prepared but somewhat wasn't quite good enough.....by the time we reached that summit, well, I was already ready to go back down.....



There was a lot of snow up there.....





The views.....well, not what I'd call sensational.....







We walked around a bit, took a summit shot, and skidaddled down that mountain.....

 

[Ace Brown]

Did Tanner take that last picture so we could see what we could see?


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[Dougnuts]

I think I remember the guy in the last picture.