Category: Hike Report Page 3 of 8

Hello all,

Pleasant cool morning for the start of the hike at 9:45 from the Gabaldon end, following the new earthen, crusher fine trail in the Bosque. Group spotted 3 or 4 porcupines. Did not see the Great Horned Owls’ nest. Walked at a brisk pace in order to be on time to meet the Rio Grande Nature Center group.

Group doing the loop from Gabaldon to Montano and back included Scott Lake, Ken Callaghan, William Maxwell, Theresa Watson, Carol & Bob Diggelman, Dawn Leach and Kathleen Rhoad for most of the first leg to Montano. Thanks Scott for becoming … Read the rest

Hello all,

On Sat, Feb 11, nine of us hiked the Piedras Marcadas canyons and trails near the lava escarpment: Scott Lake, leader, Ken Callahan, Dawn Leach, Jane Knap, Marta Dee, Don Saver, Dianne Fierro, Ro Danclovic and Kathleen Rhoad. The day was warm and sunny. The trails were sandy.

We looked at far views of the Sandias and petroglyphs. Don and Ken were first timers to Piedras Marcadas. Ken thought he was looking at graffiti….hum…humor. We saw a Jack Rabbit and spring plants pushing up through the sand.

Kathleen

The Hikers and the Trail

The Petroglyphs (First 3 … Read the rest

Tom Dorr led us on a Bosque walk on the River Loop Trail and the Canopy Trail near the Open Space Visitor Center off Coors. There were Sandhill Cranes in the field at the Visitor Center. The river was flowing full and the fresh air and temperature were fine.

We saw a bluebird, Flickers, other small birds.

Participants included: Dawn Leach, Cheri Plavnick, Jane Knap, Sally Vance, Scott Lake, Ken Callaghan, Sandra Schroeder and Kathleen Rhoad.

Seven continued on for lunch at Dion’s and the annual planning meeting. We have a good lineup of hikes planned for 2017 with several … Read the rest

On a sunny, mild Dec 10 fourteen UU’s walked along the Los Poblanos Fields: Heather Black, Judith Parsons & Bruce Newton, Tom Dorr, Eliza Schmid and friend Daniel, Jon Stein, Ann King, Chuck Gorecki, “snowbirding” from Wisconsin, Pam Bliss, Ro Danclovick, Dawn Leach, Neal MacDonald and Kathleen Rhoad. We took a look at backyard goats, 3 horses and 7 miniature show ponies.

There were lots of Sandhill Cranes and Snow Geese and we saw one Kestrel atop a large cottonwood. The group suggested several new destinations for 2017 hikes. Five enjoyed an early lunch at Flying Star.

Thanks … Read the rest

Twelve hikers met for this desert hike: Carol, Gary, Tom, Brian, Helene, Tony, Dawn, Roy, Dave, Diane, Julie, and Pam. First on the agenda was the 3.8-mile Mesa Hike.

Once atop the mesa (after a very steep climb), we noted that we were on the western edge of the rift and could look across the rift valley eastward to where the land abruptly rises again.

After lunch at the visitor center, most of the hikers also decided to add the 1.1 mile nature trail to the day, which means they can eat a bit more on Thanksgiving. Finally some of … Read the rest

Our hike had a bright fall day to explore and hike through the forest of beautiful red,yellow and orange  maples. The hike is a fairly strenuous five mile loop. The hiking group has made this hike several times over the last 5 years. This is a very popular place this time of year and the parking areas are often packet with people who came to admire the fall color and enjoy the cool temperatures.

We had a nice size group (Scott Lake, Bob Lienman, Judith Parsons, Bruce Newton, Kenneth Callahan, Kathi Foy, Dawn Leach, Carol Moss, David Colton and … Read the rest

Five UU hikers—Scott Lake, Ashley Mayle, Thomas Adams, Mymm Ackley, and Pam Bliss—met for the July 9 hike. Rather than do the Ellis-Survey loop, as originally planned, we decided to do the Survey Trail as an in-out hike, avoiding the open meadow of the Ellis Trail on a hot, sunny day. The Survey Trail is cool and shaded, and along the way we found the Start of the Wars of the Roses (1455) Medallion Tree. We also took the short but steep trek up the 10K Trail to the Del Agua Overlook, where, as an added bonus, Ashley and Thomas … Read the rest

On Saturday, June 4, 2016 the First U hiking group enjoyed a beautiful Coyote Call 2.7 mile loop trail with views into the Valles Caldera National Preserve, newly part of the National Park Service. Splendid NM scenery and weather! There were more dandelions than any of the 11 of us had ever seen. They had a wet spring.

Scott Lake was the leader. The participants were Jodell Bullock & Mick Porter, Judy Bentley, Cat Ivie, Felecia and Evan from the Los Alamos UU church, Don Saver, Nancy Shane, Carol Moss, and Kathleen Rhoad

We went to the Visitors Center and … Read the rest

On Sat, May 14, ’16 we hiked the Domingo Baca Canyon Trail in the Sandia Foothills accessed from Tramway via Elena Gallegos.  We were on the trail from about 9 am until noon or 12:30.  It’s challenging with lots of boulders and quite scenic.

Sandra Schroeder and Tom Dorr headed out leading the hiking group of six including Pam Bliss, Ellen Kahn, Don Saver and Ed O’Connor.  They went higher up at a faster pace and perhaps covered 5 miles round-trip.

Kathleen Rhoad led the group of six walkers – Dawn Leach, Dianne Fierro, Scott Lake, Mymm Ackley, Rebecca Helianthus … Read the rest

Hello all,

Splendid hike and relaxing lunch at travertine pools and picnic tables, Carlito Springs! It is quite a beautiful setting with newly developed trails by Bernalillo County Open Space, 2014. Most of the group did about a 1 and 1/2 gently graded trail to the house. Mymm and Kathleen hiked the shorter, steeper 1/2 mile trail to do some birding. We saw Red Crossbills, male/red, female/dull yellow-green plumage and gray juveniles right above the pools and could point them out to the others, plus Pine Siskins, Black-capped Chickadee, and Townsend’s Solitaire. And the group saw a large yellow Tiger … Read the rest