Beautiful Day Hike

Great trip and great weather in the Southwest US in August.  There was some rain, but the clouds that brought it were very beautiful!  Panoramas like the one below were common.  This is a view of Santa Fe Baldy (the very top obscured by clouds) and Lake Peak to the far right.  Short trip up the mountain from Santa Fe to the ski area parking lot and lots of hiking from there!  ~ 70 miles of hiking in 8 days.  Altogether, 1065 miles of driving.

Between Santa Fe and Albuquerque, NM

Lake Peak, near Santa Fe, NM. 

Into the Pecos Wilderness. Carson NF on the high road to Taos, NM.

Carson NF, near Taos, NM. 

From the valley to the ridge, this is an excellent trail!  Columbine-Hondo Wilderness Area (Carson NF) near Taos Ski Valley, NM.

Carson NF,  near Costilla, NM.

Carson NF. Near Costilla, NM.

Rio Grande NF. Near Creede, CO.

Hike right out of Creede. Up and over back to town, or another mile to the point. View from the Pinnacles.

Morning walk out back of the motel.  South Fork, CO.  Rio Grande River Valley.  

Wolf Creek Pass, Rio Grande NF. Near South Fork, CO.

Continental Divide Trail, Rio Grande NF. Near South Fork, CO.

View of Southern Rockies in Rio Grande Valley. Lookout Mtn. is in Del Norte, CO. 

From Rock Creek trail, Rio Grande NF. Near Monte Vista, CO.

Oh, what meadows!  Red Lake Trail, Rio Grande NF.  Plateau is ~ 11,000'.

Sunset, at low tide. 

Helderberg Mountains, near Albany, NY. 490 miles driving in 9 days in Upstate New York!  This region is a national treasure.

Near Minerva, NY. The "ledges" refer to the cliffs on the other side of the river (out of view).

Near Newcomb, NY.

From the fire tower. Near Long Lake, NY. 

From Axton Landing to the Crusher. Outside Saranac Lake, NY. The Raquette is 146 miles long and empties in to the St. Lawrence River.

Small ski area near village of Saranac Lake. Beautiful views of Saranac River and Adirondacks.  Whiteface Mountain (4865') is the high peak in the far distance. 

Today I enjoyed a 22-mile tandem bike ride with my wife Courtney. It was called the Fish Hatchery Loop and brought us to the landlocked Atlantic Salmon hatchery, Lake Clear, Lake Colby and back to Saranac Lake. The tandem bike was an awesome $4000 machine we rented for the day!

Nice short hike up Baxter Mountain in Adirondack State Park. Near Keene Valley, NY. Dix Mountain to left (4857') and Mt. Marcy to right (5344').

Beautiful lake and weather, near Warrensburg, NY. 

Mirror Lake Scenic Byway.  Crystal Lake Trailhead.  Wasatch NF. The Utah and Wyoming trip was fabulous!  ~ 1300 miles driving over 8 days and 75 miles or so of hiking.  Biggest takeaway: the Uintas are tough to penetrate!

From the Pass Lake TH. On Mirror Lake Scenic Byway.  Western edge of the Uintas.  Below is Lofty Lake, at the high point of the trail. From this spot you can see four major river drainages start: the Bear River (goes North), the Duchesne River (South), the Provo River (Southwest) and the Weber River (Northwest).  Picture below is looking South down the Duchesne River valley.

Bridger Teton NF. About 15 miles north of Pinedale, WY.

On the Pole Creek Trail.  Bridger Teton NF. Outside Pinedale, WY.  Beautiful meadows, or "parks" as they're called on the map.  This is called Miller Park, on the way to Photographer's Point.