faithrunner

On 19-21 July I hiked to Wheeler Peak for the sixth time, I think. (First pictures I have are from 1994) Love this trek and that mountain. I'll have my ashes scattered there.  1994 Wheeler Peak Group Campsite at Lost Lake Jon and Jeff at Lost Lake   The three of us left Riverside Lodge in Red River about 0700 Friday morning. After stopping by Major Bean for coffee and sausage/cheese biscuit, we got to the Middle Fork Trailhead about 0800. The weather was ideal, and my legs were okay after Gold Hill the day before.  We got to the "half-way meadow" by 0900 and texted Kim, who had left for home the day before. I found out we needed a new AC unit at the house back home. Ended up calling Kim, texting a friend to get a friend’s number for a framer to lay boards in the attic, and buying a new unit to be installed Monday. All at 10,000 ft. of elevation! (Not really a break you want from life in the city while on the trail.) The trail ...

Our Goal from the Road into Red River On Wednesday, July 17, three friends and I hiked out of the Middlefork trailhead parking lot to camp at Lost Lake and then summit Wheeler Peak the next day. This would be my fifth or sixth summit of Wheeler Peak and second year in a row to camp overnight at Lost Lake. Jim and Sara Craig drove in from Santa Fe to join us. This would be Sara's first hike and overnight camp out. She is a marathoner and triathlete, so she was definitely strong enough to make the trip. Jim climbed this trail and summit with two other friends and me last year, and he made the summit of Mt. Rainier that same year. My son-in-law, Graham , rounded out the band of hikers. This was his first summit of Wheeler but hiking and camping is part of his premarital and child-filled days. The weather was ideal and the trails were in good shape from the trailhead to the lake. The trail (#91) to Lost Lake is more scenic than either the East Fork or Middlefork trails, i...

Last week I traveled with some guys from different groups at Legacy Church to NM and CO for some hiking and camping. Goose Lake We "warmed up" the first day in Red River, NM, Saturday, September 1 , by hiking the Goose Creek Trail to Goose Lake and back. That 14.8 mile, about 3,000-foot elevation gain round trip almost did me in for the week, but it was worth it. The next morning, I preached at the Red River Community House Sunday morning worship service, and then we hiked to Lost Lake , 11,400 feet. We camped there overnight and made the summit of Wheeler Peak , 13,160 feet, Monday morning. It was windy and cold, but did not hamper our efforts. Wheeler Peak After we returned to our Lost Lake camp and packed our tents, we descended to Red River and had a delicious meal at Texas Red's and restful evening at the Banks' Cabin up Bitter Creek Road. We took all day Tuesday , September 4, to travel from Red River, NM, to Grizzly Gulch Campsite outside L...