The group hike is scheduled for March 9, 2013.
Neal McDonald, Kathleen Rhoad and Scott Lake tried to follow the exact hike in the book 60 Hikes within 60 Miles of Albuquerque (hike 54 in the new addition). We were successful up to a point but missed the turn we were supposed to take to get to the canyon floor. We know that the sites would have been more exciting if we had entered the canyon. The pictures were taken by Neal and Kathleen.… Read the rest
Eleven hearty First U’s hiked the Embudo Canyon trail climbing up and up, steep much of the way on a cold, windy day – our coldest hike to date. Pam Bliss, leader followed the horse by-pass trail in the midst of boulders nearly to Three Gun Spring Trail. The elevation in the center of the hike is 8,478′. On the way down into the canyon bottom it snowed about noon and we passed water at some boulders.
The group included: Eliza Schmid who sped ahead of the rest with her two doggies who love to strike out being seasoned former … Read the rest
This hike is scheduled for September 14, 2013.
Pam Bliss and Scott Lake joined a Senior Center Hike to El Malpais NM Sandstone Bluffs. The Hike was approximately 6 miles round trip along the bluffs going north from Sandstone Bluffs Road parking area. The day was comfortably warm and the sites were picturesque. The sandstone arch was quite a surprise. The walk was long but fairly easy. Very little climbing or elevation gain. Well worth the effort.
Below is a description from the Senior Center website. There is a map of the area here. The green area is the … Read the rest
Saturday, Jan 12 turned out not to be as cold as forecast especially since we started the hike at 11 am. The day was calm, sunny and the temperature reached 36. Five First U’s enjoyed the views from atop Boca Negra and many petroglyphs at Piedra Marcadas. We did not see nearly the 5,000 documented ones, but we saw quite a few. And we got a glimpse of a deer running to get back on the mesa top!
Pictures were taken by Rick and … Read the rest
On Sat, Dec 8 thirteen first U’s met in Corrales to walk along the tree-lined acequia on a beautiful, warm, sunny day – maybe the last mild day of the winter. The group took a side trip to the old San Ysidro Church and cemetery and a few peeked into the Gathering Artists Gallery. We walked for about 2 hours and then 8 enjoyed conversation and lunch at Hannah and Nate’s Cafe.
The participants were Scott Lake, Rick Held, Liz Davisdon, Pam Bliss, Alice Demi, Kathleen Rhoad, Heather Gram, Bob Haladay, Eliza Schmid, Joanne Ledger, Barbara Leonard, Neal MacDonald and
Saturday, October 13 was a glorious, 54 degree cool day for 7 First U hikers in the Manzanos for the fall colors of the maples. Rick Held was celebrating his birthday!
We hiked to Mosca Peak for lunch and a panoramic view to the west. The hike started on the Fourth of July Canyon Trail up the creek bed to the Cerro Blanco Trail to the Crest Trail – pretty windy here. Then down the Cerro Blanca for 1.5 mile descent to FR 55 for 1.4 mile – a “cakewalk”.
The group was in high spirits to match the energy … Read the rest
On Saturday morning September 8th the mountains were shrouded with heavy clouds, not a good day to hike to Tecolote Peak with it’s 360 degree views. The morning was gloriously cool ushering in the first taste of autumn. The First U group of 7 decided to go to Rio Grande Nature Center instead. We walked in the Native Gardens with helpful signage at the plants. Then we walked on the Aldo Leopold Trail w/ river views, signs about Aldo and time to socialize. Photos by Scott Lake and Nancy Carrill0 (where noted).
Kathleen… Read the rest
We had a beautiful day to hike and the views were wonderful of the Rio Grand valley. We started out about 9:30 for a 4 hour hike. This part of the trail is nicely shaded, has some great overlooks and is not difficult if you are able to hike at 10,000 feet. There were still many wild flowers in bloom and we saw one flower which is rare in this area, Coralbells (Huechera pulchella). Three of the other prettier flowers we saw were Jacob’s Ladder, Harebells and Whipple’s Penstemon (which was fairly abundant).
Our intrepid hikers included Scott Lake (leader), … Read the rest
Karen Forzani led nine hikers on a Saturday morning hike on Domingo Baca trail, including three new to the trail. We stopped for a shady break at the creek, probably the coolest spot in Albuquerque! Three relaxed while the others continued on for a short while. We were back to the parking lot at noon.
Pictures contributed by Kathleen Rhoad and Rick Held.… Read the rest
27 people enjoyed a nice hike on the Las Conchos trail in the Jemez Mts. and followed that with a cookout at our cabin just north of Soda Dam. Everything went well for both activities and the rain held off until lunch was over! Dianne and I enjoyed hosting this event and It was so much fun maybe we will do again next year?
Roy Moody
Pictures contributed by Scott Lake and Neal McDonald.… Read the rest