These are random musings of my life journey, the people, animals, places, and events which have woven, and continue to weave, a tapestry that is me. We all know there is no real destination, only the ongoing experiences which blend together, creating the trail. Each step gives a glimpse of what is to come, without allowing me to see the end result. It is exciting. I have a home base that is mine, that gives me a place to rest. This is it. This is where my heart is, no matter where I journey...................

Monday, August 29, 2011

Hike!

Yesterday was a great day!

We ran across a skeleton. Pretty sure it is an elk. It is fresh, as it still had a tiny bit of tissue on parts of the bones, and we were amazed at the thoroughness of the scavenging.





We drove by this on our way in without even seeing it, probably because we were looking for a trail and didn't notice the huge field, actually fields, of flowers.




Later I saw this cluster of flowers beside the car where we stopped to investigate another trail.



At that same stop we were very close to Nogal Peak. We were actually in Nogal Canyon, running around on roads that were barely more than trails.



On a different trail, we saw this little caterpillar. Isn't he colorful?



The aspens in this canyon were magnificent!  These trunks were the broadest I think I've ever seen. I'd guess they were a good 18 inches diameter. These are probably 50 feet tall.



Lots of hiking, sweating, beautiful things to see, pictures to take (I forgot my camera, so these were from my cell, and my battery ran out,  blasted short-lived smart phones), marvelously fresh air, but we found no crystals. It's OK, we found some good places to go back and investigate more fully. We will do one trail/canyon at a time, whereas we scouted several of them yesterday, skipping from one to the next to figure out where they were, getting our bearings, so to speak. We also need to get a good map of hiking trails to pinpoint where we are.

I thought I'd be unable to get out of bed without great pain today, but I'm actually doing very well! Guess I'm not as old and out of shape as I thought. Well, OK, I'm still as old, but at least my body is sort of in sync with my head. I'm eager to go back!

Gotta get ready for work!




10 comments:

  1. Absolutely wonderful scenery.
    And who's old? Not you!

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  2. cute little wooly worm and great scenery....

    so sorry you didn't find the crystal place though!

    the mountains seem to be lush and beautiful ~ my memories of New Mexico when coming through there in the spring on our way home were of it being dry and crispy!!

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  3. Friko, it is very beautiful there! As far as "old,"" it is relative, isn't it? Most days I don't feel old; others .... well ........ :)

    MM, we kinda knew we were going to have to scout around after the friend who was our "guide" had to cancel because of an asthma attack.

    Regarding the look of the scenery, remember two things: 1. in spring, it probably hadn't greened up because we stay a bit dry until the monsoons come (well, unless we have some spring showers ahead of that time), and 2. We have just had hoards of rain recently. The ground was moist and smelled so good, that "wet earth" smell of the ground in the woods. We just kept inhaling to the bottom of our lungs, noses pointed to the sky just as a dog might do! Oh! and 3. unless you got into the higher mountains in NM, you wouldn't have seen this anyway. This might be visible from the highways but not in any places. We were probably 10 miles off pavement, in the White Mountain Wilderness, and at about 9000-10,000 feet. That makes a difference, too.

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  4. Good for you. It is good to get out and see a little wilderness. I'm glad you enjoyed the time. I'm sure it helped you feel a bit better after your sad day at work.

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  5. RET, it was more helpful that I can tell you. Nothing is more healing than being in a natural church such as that.

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  6. Beautiful. And the skeleton is fascinating, as skeletons always are, all those amazing shapes - nature's engineering revealed. .

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  7. Those "natural churches" can be so healing. Thanks for taking us on your scouting expedition.

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  8. Jenny, your eye, like mine, is often behind the lens of your camera, so I think you'll understand when I say I'm fascinated with shapes. I love photos of tree branches framing clouds or sky, fallen branches which brings focus to flora on the ground, tall grasses highlighting the background, etc. When I saw the skeleton, I really wished I had my camera, not the cell phone, so I could really study the shapes and frames possible in it.

    I've noticed you photograph a lot of shapes, as well, in architecture, as well as nature. I do mediocre photos of people. They are, at best, snapshots to remember an event. But turn me loose in the forest or the desert or an ancient Indian ruins with the camera and my scope becomes an art.

    LC, you're welcome! I love taking folks along on my outings!

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  9. What wonderful woodland colours. And the skeleton of the elk is magnificent - makes me so aware of the integrity of all creation.

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  10. Freda, I think being out like that is restoring to many of our senses. It seems we are blunted by the speed of technology, and getting away from it is blissful. Integrity abounds out there. :)

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If you have something to say about it, just stick out your thumb, and I'll slow down so you can hop aboard! But hang on, 'cause I'm movin' on down the road!!! No time to waste!!!