Kickstarter >> Save a Small Museum by M Susan Barger

There are some awesome small museums in NM. My friends wrote a really kewl guide to visit them all but need your support to help print the guidebooks. Go to this link at Kickstarter to find out more about this project and how you can help. 

Thanks everyone!

Back in the USA

Apologies for not posting on this blog till now. Could not access in India and had really bad internet connection throughout Northern India. Anyhow will make this short and sweet with a few shots as I took over 3000 photos but have not had the time to edit everything just yet. I'm putting together a DVD of all my favorite shots so please email me if you want a copy of this. Love you all!


For a detailed Travel Log of all the stories along the way please click: HERE

Namaste from India

Greetings from the Dalai Lama's  Temple. You were all in my prayers this morning. I have limited  access to email and internet. Internet is painfully slow and poor quality. I forgot my photo card reader in Delhi so cannot post any photos for now. I'm staying at Chonor House room name: Nomad...appropriate huh??  ;) Going to Norbulinka Institute soon. It is very peacefull here, stunning sunset last night.
I ended up taking the local bus from Chandigarh at 10:30 AM reaching Dharamsala at 6:30 PM. It was interesting...more on that later. Kashmir was unbelievable and I left a huge chunk of my heart there and several kilos I lost trekking the beautiful mountains nearby ; ). On my way to Manali tomorrow. Love you and miss you all!!!

Urban Trekking

It's been a while since my ankle and finger injury allowed me to get physical but today afterwork was my rebound back into my training. Because mercury was in retrograde nothing is ever smooth but I still managed to adapt and make it work. So here is what happened:
So it is 5:10PM and I had just pulled out of the office parking lot onto St. Francis waiting for the red light. Next thing I know, my neck snapped and I realized that I was just rear ended. Damm. I was just writing down the information of the driver that hit me when a motorcycle cop showed up and directed us off the street onto a parking lot. Luckily no damage to my vehicle but my neck felt a little wierd. Had a great conversation with Officer Otero...if you are reading this thanks for all the great ideas for sponsors for my Himalayan trip!
For all my BCMT.com friends, he's driving a Honda ST 1300!!! Can you imagine all those horses?

I hurried home to change and load up my backpack for an urban gear test. 50 pounds later, I head out to my target REI some 5 km away. It was strange walking on cement and dirt instead of my usual snow. My Pack was so heavy and just try to tie your shoe laces with it on...it's comedic for people watching me trying to keep my balance. Close to REI, I snapped this photo of the Railyard area. In the distance on the left you can see my weekend snow trek, Santa Fe Baldi and the Ski Valley....the object of my weekend adventure and workout.

The heavy pack and poor insoles were taking it's toll. I barely managed to get home in the dark a little after 9PM. Sore back and legs and my soles were tender from the weight. Time to upgrade to better insoles for my trekking boots.  Showered and in my pajamas, I'm typing this in bed knowing I can haul 50 pounds 6.2 miles and still fall asleep with a smile on my face. The countdown begins...24 days to launch!

Epic 12 Mile Slog up Aspen Vista Trail

Wah...Another beautiful weekend here in Santa Fe so of course I was up I the mountains. I did not get much trekking done on Saturday due to a stomach cramp so I hung out to take pics of the sunset then drove home. Coming down the mountain I almost hit a bunch of deer all over the road. It was quite dark by then and I had my highbeams on...thank goodness.

Yesterday's trek, (Sunday) was a killer one up Aspen Vista Trail to Tesuque Peak which is the backside of the ski valley. BTW it is also the highest elevation sumit trail in this area. Though it is only 12 miles round trip with top elevation at 12,045 feet, this has to be the toughest Snow Trek to date! This trail if definitely Skiers and Snow Shoes only! There were areas when I was sunk in snow up past my knee up to my thigh and it was hard getting out with 40 lbs on my back. Having the trekking poles were a lifesaver! Every other step was torture but I didn't give up. I really have to get a set of snowshoes...I cannot do another trek this way. I was agai the last one down the mountain and barely made it to the parking lot by 7:39 PM..even the sun had beat me setting it's last rays while I was still slogging in kneedeep slush of four feet of melting snow. 

OK nuff whining here are the pics from yesterday's snow adventures.

 
 
 

 

Yesterday I was back up the Santa Fe Basin fully loaded for another breathtaking trek. I wasn't kidding when I said breathtaking...huffing and puffing up the first two miles of the trail. It was narrow in some spots to eight inches wide and a sheer drop off the side. I was seriously wishing I had snow shoes on as veering off the trail by 2 inches sinks you into the snow a foot and a half...in my case up to my knee. It gets old after a while and I was feeling every step like The StairMaster from hell. I got all the way up to the base of Baldie and realized that I was the ONLY one on the mountain at this point. The sun was casting this incredible golden light over everything and I can kick myself for running out of battery on my camera. Still I got some good photos and am coming back next week for more. 

This trail was more difficult than Wheeler Peak in my opinion. Maybe it's because I'm fully loaded and the trail is narrower. Anyhow, going back down was tricky as the snow freezes late in the afternoon and all the ski tracks are now super slick. I slipped a few times and was happy there were plenty of trees to grab and break the fall otherwise I would be at the bottom of the mountain. Anyhow, the sunset on the mountain was magnificent but I was so beat at this point all I could think of was a nice cup of hot Chai in my hands and some hot food in my stomach. I drove straight to India House and rewarded my tired body with 3 cups of chai, Chicken Makhani, Peas Pallao and Garlic Naan…perfect ending to a perfect day..life is good :-D

Weekend Gear Test

Well folks, with the arrival of my new backpack and ski poles I was looking for some adventure. My budget kept me close to home so I chose to break in the new backpack on the beautiful trails off the Santa Fe Ski Basin. Putting on the 40 pound + backpack at the trailhead was a strange experience...like carrying a 12 year old on your back. Weirder still was navigating the trail downhill without rolling on my back like a tortoise in the desert. I was laughing hysterically and grabbing trees to keep from falling. Thankfully no one was around. The new pack performed like a champ remaining dry and was surprisingly comfortable despite the weight. Even though I packed it to the gills it still had more room! It started snowing and all was quiet except the birds; they were chirping in the trees…I hummed along to their songs and I was completely in another world. After ten minutes, I worked up a sweat and had to take my gloves off. It’s hard to imagine that these trails are less than an hour away from the hustle and bustle of downtown Santa Fe. Elevation of the Santa Fe Ski Basin is over 10,000 feet but still has an abundant of large trees which I so love.

It was getting late in the day so I hit the road to find the campground only to discover that all the campgrounds were closed for the winter. I pull into a driveway to turn around only to get the Non 4x4 stuck in the driveway. Twenty minutes later after trying every conceivable way I finally give up. There was a log cabin so I went to knock on the door for help. Nothing…then I went to the back door and knocked…again nothing. I looked around for something I can use to put under the tire as the floor mats did not work. I saw the woodpile so I “borrowed” 2 pieces to put under the tire. As I was walking away, a young boy came out and I told him of my embarrassing situation. I’m now feeling like a total loser then the boy’s father came out and told me that I could not have picked a better spot on the whole mountain to get stuck…you see it was the Park Superintendent Joe Christopherson and his wonderful son Stetson that came to my rescue. If you are reading this gentleman, I can’t thank you enough for your help, the wood to keep me warm and your priceless advice. I took a picture of them but it did not come out : ( 

I ended up camping at the RV camp down the road. There were a million stars out and the moon was almost full so the forest had a wonderful glow to it. Unfortunately, my camera was not good enough to capture the magic of the sky last night. I had a nice fire going and feeling mighty sore from the hike, I fell asleep in no time. It was the icy sleet hitting the tent that woke me up. The temperature had dropped like the titanic and I could not get back to sleep after that. I was shivering hard and remembered what the good ranger told me…get in the car and turn up the heat. I did just that and made a mental note to get a warmer sleeping bag or add a micro fleece cocoon for colder conditions. By 6:30 AM, I was up and broke camp. Everything was frozen and my tent was “crispy” with a new layer of ice.  The drive back down to civilization was beautiful and serene and Santa Fe was just waking up to a new and glorious day below the mountain sans the heavy snow. This is what I live for...this very moment is all that I really have. We cannot predict how long we are here for so for this moment, I am in paradise. Thank you thank you!

For a detailed account and more photos please click on this link to my BCMT thread