Guadalupe & DeBaca County Highpoints 12/03/04

BM Leon 6,339' (Guadalupe County Highpoint) I missed these two highpoints in February on my return to CO due to a sever snowstorm which closed the highway. I needed to drop off a stone buddha in Texas, so I took a day off on Friday to do some highpoints on the way down. The drive past Vaughn was fairly straightforward, passing the railroad tracks several times. No trespassing signs were on some levels surprising and on others not. I got started at 3:00 p.m. toward the Mesa top. I found a good break in the cliffs to ascend to flatter terrain on top. After following the southern crest for a while, I eventually came to the cairn and benchmark. I realized I missed the road that leads nearly the entire way, but the bushwhacking wasn't terrible. I returned to my truck a little after 4:15, happy to see ranchers hadn't called the cops about the buddha tied down and wrapped in heavy blankets in the truck bed like a dead body.

Loma Alta 5,583' (De Baca County Highpoint) Back at Vaughn, I drove the short distance on US 60 to the turnoff at mile marker 293 for Loma Alta, and followed the road to the western edge of the hill, switching back east to arrive 30 yards from the highest ground. The setting New Mexico sun was a nice finish to the highpointing for the day. A more worthy objective (Cookes Peak) was in store for the morning, so attempting Lea county in the dark wasn't going to happen like I had planned. It always seems like I only achieve two thirds of what I set out do on trips.